A collection of short and sometimes highly personal essays where academics from various fields reflect on objects that they find evocative. Some of the essays address experiential aspects of using objects in ways that are directly relevant for interaction designers seeking to better understand the forces at play when some-body uses some-thing. Others touch on embodiment, remembering, connections to history and culture, and other topics forming the backdrop against which new design takes place. It is certainly not a book of design guidelines, but I believe that reading it selectively and thoughtfully will help develop the designer’s ability to understand and assess quality.

It's now available as an ebook on the MIT press portal http://mitpress-ebooks.mit.edu/product/evocative-objects