The Design of Everyday Things

Even The Smartest Among Us Can Feel Inept As We Fail To Figure Our Which Light Switch Or Oven Burner To Turn On, Or Whether To Push, Pull, Or Slide A Door. The Fault, Argues This Book, Lies Not In Ourselves, But In Product Design That Ignores The Needs Of Users And The Principles Of Cognitive Psychology. The Problems Range From Ambiguous And Hidden Controls To Arbitrary Relationships Between Controls And Functions, Coupled With A Lack Of Feedback Or Other Assistance And Unreasonable Demands On Memorization. The Book Presents Examples Aplenty, Among Them, The Vcr, Computer, And Office Telephone, All Models Of How Not To Design For People. But Good, Usable Design Is Possible. The Rules Are Simple: Make Things Visible, Exploit Natural Relationships That Couple Function And Control, And Make Intelligent Use Of Constraints. The Goal: Guide The User Effortlessly To The Right Action On The Right Control At The Right Time. But The Designer Must Care. The Author Is A World-famous Psychologist And Pioneer In The Application Of Cognitive Science. His Aim Is To Raise The Consciousness Of Both Consumers And Designers To The Delights Of Products That Are Easy To Use And Understand. The Psychopathology Of Everyday Things -- The Psychology Of Everyday Actions -- Knowledge In The Head And In The World -- Knowing What To Do -- To Err Is Human -- The Design Challenge -- User-centered Design. Donald A. Norman. Reprint. Originally Published: The Psychology Of Everyday Things. New York : Basic Books, C1988. Includes Index. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 241-247). The Design of Everyday Things is a best-selling book by cognitive scientist and usability engineer Donald Norman about how design serves as the communication between object and user, and how to optimize that conduit of communication in order to make the experience of using the object pleasurable. One of the main premises of the book is that although people are often keen to blame themselves when objects appear to malfunction, it is not the fault of the user but rather the lack of intuitive guidance that should be present in the design. Preface to the Paperback Edition Preface The Psychopathology of Everyday Things The Psychology of Everyday Actions Knowledge in the Head and in the World Knowing What to Do To Err Is Human The Design Challenge User-Centered Design Notes Suggested Readings References Index