The Design of Everyday Things
My highlights and how to be called a door snob
On my winter trip to prague I picked up a book that was on my reading list for far too long. It is actually the first version of 1988 where it still was called “The Psychology of everyday things”. From the first page on there was just this incredible sense of wonder how a book written in 1988 can still be so point on today. Another proof that good design(books) are timeless. Without big introduction here are my favorite parts of the book.
…the fundamental principles of designing for people provide a good conceptual model and make things visible.
As a user: Do not be afraid to make mistakes or ask stupid questions. Remember, any problems you have are probably the design’s fault, not yours.
Since I read this sentence looking at everyday flaws and traps wasn’t the same anymore. You push a door that is supposed to be pulled and don’t think anymore “Damn I always do that”, now it’s a quick analysis of how the door handles were designed and a proper solution how it could be fixed. Just don’t let it become so often that your spouse calls you a “door snob”
When you build an error-tolerant mechanism, people come to rely upon it, so it had better to be reliable
Error is often thought of as something to be avoided or something done by unskilled or unmotivated people. But everyone makes errors. Designers make the mistake of not taking error into account.
All this brings up an important lesson in design. Once a satisfactory product has been achieved, further change may be counterproductive, espacially if the product is successful. You have to know when to stop.
This is a hard one in software design. What if the way people use the product changes? How can you count software trends like iOS7 into a calculation like this? Can there ever be a kind of timelessness achieved in software? There is no doubt about the usability of a product, but what about the aesthetical side?
If everyday design were ruled by aesthetics, life might be more pleasing to the eye but less comfortable; if ruled by usability, it might be more comfortable but uglier. If cost or ease of manufacture dominated, products might not be attractive, functional, or durable. Clearly, each consideration has its place. Trouble occurs when one dominates all the others.
Balance is everything.
Use constraints so that the user feels as if there is only one possible thing to do — the right thing, of course
One goal to achieve, one way. Good design should always be that simple.
Assume that any error that can be made will be made. Plan for it.
All in all its a book that I recommend to every designer no matter how seasoned it may seem there is always something to take away from books by old masters.
