The Design of Everyday Things
PURPOSE:
Donald Norman wrote this book to show how “design serves as the communication between object and user.” He discusses the frustration that comes with the design of objects that should be simple to use. For example, why is it impossible to open plastic coverings on products? He wants to change the way objects are designed in order to make the more functional and easier to use for humans. One example is when Norman’s friend got trapped in the doorway of an office in an European city because of the poor design of the doors. He explains that objects should be designed with visibility and natural design. Another example he uses is new telephone systems that were beginning to be used when he wrote this book didn’t have a clear button for hold, which confused users. Devices get more confusing because there are more functions and controls. He also explains the affordances of objects, such as how knobs are for turning and slots are for inserting things. He counts that there are 20,000 every day things, such as lightbulbs, watches, pens, etc. He says the user’s model and the designer’s model combine to create a conceptual model.
DEFINITIONS:
psychology of everyday things: how people interact with things
well designed-objects: Are easy to understand, can understand quickly, contain clues that allow the human brain to understand the product
visibility: Correct parts must be visible in an object in order to understand how to use something
natural signals: things that are naturally interpreted without any need to be conscious of them
natural design: the use of natural signals
mapping: what you want to do and what appears to be possible, the technical term meaning the relationship between two things-the controls and the movements and the results in the world. natural mapping leads to immediate understanding.
feedback: of one’s actions (push a button, able to do something); sending back to the user infomration about what action has actually been done
affordances: refers to the perceived and actual properties of the thing-the fundamental properties that determine just how the thing can be used. the provide strong clues.
How do people cope with design? The answer lies in the psychology of human thought and cognition-how the mind works-how humans deal with being confused and distracted by objects.
conceptual models: the human brain forms a model of objects to see if the object will work or not-you can form it because parts are clear and visible
design modeL: the designer’s conceptual model
system image: results from the physical structure that has been built
constraints: what you can’t do with objects
1. Crimp/Rolston
QUESTIONS:
- How well is the new Apple Watch designed? It is user-friendly and easier to understand? How functional is it? What can’t it afford?
- How many everyday things would there be counted today?
