The Design of Everyday Things
by Don Norman
Key Concepts of The Design of Everyday Things:
Importance of Functional Design:
- Essence: The book emphasizes the need for designs to be user-centered and to enhance ease of use and effectiveness.
- Application: Ensure that product functions are clear and intuitive for users, reducing errors and improving the overall user experience.
Fundamental Design Concepts:
- Essence: The book introduces core principles such as usability, feedback, consistency with human expectations, and adaptability.
- Application: Apply these principles to create products that meet users’ needs and help them achieve their goals smoothly.
Importance of Interaction and Feedback:
- Essence: It highlights the need to provide immediate feedback to users during their interactions with products.
- Application: Design interfaces that clearly communicate the impact of user actions and avoid causing frustration.
Affordances and Signifiers:
- Essence: The book discusses how design elements should clearly indicate their usage.
- Application: Design elements such as buttons and levers to reflect their functions clearly to users.
Design Considering Human Errors:
- Essence: Emphasizes designing products to handle human errors and guide users in correcting mistakes.
- Application: Integrate error correction features and guidance to help users resolve issues they encounter.
“The design of everyday things is inextricably linked to the way people use them”
“When you design something, you are designing the experience of it”
“The more you know about what people are trying to accomplish, the better you can design for them”
“Good design is actually a lot harder to achieve than bad design”
“The problem with most designs is not that they are too complex but that they are not simple enough”
“Design should be a process of understanding how people think, not how you think they should think”
“Every design decision is a compromise, and the best designs are those that make the best compromises”