Photo: cherylish / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Alan Cooper is a quiet giant of the digital age, and as an editor steeped in how products communicate, I hold him in real esteem. Dubbed the Father of Visual Basic, he shaped tools millions used, but his deeper legacy is intellectual: About Face became the bible of interaction design, and The Inmates Are Running the Asylum dared to ask why technology so often frustrates us. A San Francisco native born in 1952, he championed human-centered design before it was fashionable. Every time an interface simply makes sense, a little of Cooper's philosophy is at work, unseen but everywhere. That kind of invisible influence impresses me most.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Alan Cooper
- Name (Japanese)
- アラン・クーパー
- Reading
- あらん・くーぱー
- Born
- June 3, 1952 (age 74)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Gemini / Dragon
- Origin
- San Francisco, California, United States
- Occupation
- computer scientist / writer / software developer
4. Personality
Motto
Private
5. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | About Face: The Essentials of User Interface Design | — |
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Alan Cooper born?
Born June 3, 1952 (age 74).
Where is Alan Cooper from?
Alan Cooper is from San Francisco, California, United States.
What does Alan Cooper do?
Alan Cooper works as computer scientist, writer, software developer.
What is Alan Cooper known for?
Notable works include About Face: The Essentials of User Interface Design.
Computer scientist — see all → · Writer — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.