The Design of Everyday Things - by Don Norman (Paperback)

About the Book

"Even the smartest among us can feel inept as we fail to figure out which light switch or oven burner to turn on, or whether to push, pull, or slide a door. The fault, argues this ingenious-even liberating-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 Design of Everyday Things shows that 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. In this entertaining and insightful analysis, cognitive scientist Don Norman hails excellence of design as the most important key to regaining the competitive edge in influencing consumer behavior. Now fully expanded and updated, with a new introduction by the author, The Design of Everyday Things is a powerful primer on how-and why-some products satisfy customers while others only frustrate them. "--

Book Synopsis

The essential guide to human-centered design

"Even more relevant today than it was when first published."--Tim Brown, CEO, IDEO

Even the smartest among us can feel inept as we fail to figure out which light switch or oven burner to turn on, or whether to push, pull, or slide a door.
 
The fault, argues this ingenious--even liberating--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 Design of Everyday Things shows that 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.
 
The Design of Everyday Things is a powerful primer on how--and why--some products satisfy customers while others only frustrate them.

Review Quotes

"Norman enlightened me when I was a student of psychology decades ago and he continues to inspire me as a professor of design. The cumulated insights and wisdom of the cross-disciplinary genius Donald Norman are a must for designers and a joy for those who are interested in artifacts and people."--Cees de Bont, Dean, School of Design, Chair Professor of Industrial Design, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

"Part operating manual for designers and part manifesto on the power of designing for people, The Design of Everyday Things is even more relevant today than it was when first published."--Tim Brown, CEO, IDEO, and author of Change by Design

"Design may be our top competitive edge. This book is a joy--fun and of the utmost importance."--Tom Peters, author of the national best-seller In Search of Excellence

"This book changed the field of design. As the pace of technological change accelerates, the principles in this book are increasingly important. The new examples and ideas about design and product development make it essential reading."--Patrick Whitney, Dean, Institute of Design, and Steelcase/Robert C. Pew Professor of Design, Illinois Institute of Technology

About the Author

Don Norman is Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Cognitive Science and Psychology and founding director of the Design Lab at the University of California, San Diego. He was an Apple Vice President, has been an advisor and board member for numerous companies, has received three lifetime achievement awards, and has three honorary degrees. His many books, including Emotional Design, have been translated into over 20 languages. He lives in San Diego, California.