Set Phasers on Stun: And Other True Tales of Design, Technology and Human Error

This book is very entertaining and an easy read. It's made up of several short cases of how poor user design resulted in catastrophic results. For those who deal with design and human factors occasionally, the stories stay pretty fresh in the mind and serve as a great reminder to ensure reasonable effort is put into human factor design aspects of projects.

A number of friends had recommended "Set Phasers on Stun" to me as a good book on technology and human error. The 20 short stories in the book cover everything from the accidental launching of a rocket to some horrific accidents in hospitals. Each story is written in a way that takes the reader on an engaging, informative, and, quite often, wild ride. Casey's writing style works perfectly with this short story format. I highly recommend "Set Phasers on Stun" to anyone interested in design and technology, or anyone who likes reading very good short stories. The best part is that all of the events covered by the book are true.

A perfect 6.0 on technical merit and artistic interpretation! `Set Phasers on Stun' is a fascinating series of 20 true stories about human factors, user interface design, and design-induced human error. Like a well-told fable used to enforce a useful truth, each story cleverly teaches you something interesting and instructive about the importance of the user interface in modern technology. Casey tells each story from the perspective of the user of the thing or system, so you can really see how people get sucked into a particular situation and understand the unfortunate consequences of the designer's decisions. There is a good blending of technical detail, emotion, and great writing. Addressed are, among other things, a crash in the Airbus computerized cockpit, a Soviet space fatality, assorted medical errors (`Set Phasers on Stun' - - the title story about a patient being zapped during a radiation treatment), the launching of a rocket inside a building in Sweden, a diving accident, the Bhopal disaster, and the supertanker Torrey Canyon. I was originally introduced to this book in an engineering class, and it really "turned on the light" as the saying goes.

I first read Set Phasers on Stun (the first edition) as a textbook in one of my safety classes in college. In addition to being one of the most entertaining textbooks I ever had, it also had the deepest impact on me as far as illustrating how quickly and easily catastrophes can happen. Many of the cases presented in the book leave you shaking your head and wondering how such a simple mistake or oversight could lead to such horrific consequences.I've used many of the cases in this book as examples when trying to make a point during my safety career. I would highly recommend this book to any engineer or safety professional. It's also entertaining reading for anyone with an interest in technology and complex systems.

Steve Casey has provided a valuable service to engineers, designers, and human factors professionals with his true tales of design-induced human error. These engaging stories range from disasters at sea and failures of space systems, to casualties caused by inappropriate procedures and the packaging of consumer items. The lesson from each story is different, but there is a single theme: the incidents could have been avoided if proper attention had been paid to the user during the design of the item or system. I have given copies of Set Phasers on Stun to several people to illustrate the importance of considering human limitations, as well as capabilities, when designing systems for human use. The book is an entertaining read for anyone. I highly recommend Set Phasers on Stun.