Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Publication
Basic Books (New York, 2002). First Basic Paperback edition, 19th printing. 288 pages. $16.95.
Description
"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. "--… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member bragan
We've all had bad experiences with technology, from pulling fruitlessly on a door that we're actually meant to push, to being late for work because we hit the wrong button on the clock radio and accidentally unset the alarm, to spending a frustrating half-hour trying to figure out how to get a word
Norman expresses these principles in a clear and readable style that's as user-friendly as the designs he advocates. He seems to have aimed this primarily at designers and businesspeople, but the writing is completely accessible and free from jargon -- he carefully defines the few specialized terms that he uses -- and is as appropriate and relevant to consumers as it is to producers. The book was originally published in 1988 (under the title The Psychology of Everyday Things), so the examples he uses are pretty dated, but the basic concepts are as valid now as they have ever been. If anything, it adds an extra dimension to the book to be able to look back after two decades of progress and consider which of Norman's design suggestions have become standard and which bad designs are still unhappily commonplace.
One word of warning, though. I read one of Norman's later, follow-up books many years ago, in which he touches on some of the same basic ideas, and ever since I have been much less tolerant of the examples of bad design I encounter in my daily life. I'm also much more appreciative of the examples of good design, admittedly, but somehow there seem to be a lot fewer of those.
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processing program to format our paragraphs the way we want them. When things like that happen, most of us tend to blame ourselves first: "My brain just isn't working today", "I'm so mechanically inept," "I'm not good with computers." But Donald Norman suggests that we should be blaming ourselves less and the designers of these everyday technologies more. Good design, according to Norman, means usability, and that means working with the strengths and weaknesses of human psychology. Well-designed technologies, from doorknobs to computers, should follow certain basic principles. They should operate in ways that make sense to users and not give false impressions about how they work. They should provide feedback to make it clear what they are doing and what effect the user's actions have had. They should be easy to use correctly and difficult to use in ways that don't work. They shouldn't require the user to memorize tons of arbitrary information in order to do simple things. And they should be forgiving of mistakes; accidentally hitting the wrong switch should not lead to nuclear meltdown.Norman expresses these principles in a clear and readable style that's as user-friendly as the designs he advocates. He seems to have aimed this primarily at designers and businesspeople, but the writing is completely accessible and free from jargon -- he carefully defines the few specialized terms that he uses -- and is as appropriate and relevant to consumers as it is to producers. The book was originally published in 1988 (under the title The Psychology of Everyday Things), so the examples he uses are pretty dated, but the basic concepts are as valid now as they have ever been. If anything, it adds an extra dimension to the book to be able to look back after two decades of progress and consider which of Norman's design suggestions have become standard and which bad designs are still unhappily commonplace.
One word of warning, though. I read one of Norman's later, follow-up books many years ago, in which he touches on some of the same basic ideas, and ever since I have been much less tolerant of the examples of bad design I encounter in my daily life. I'm also much more appreciative of the examples of good design, admittedly, but somehow there seem to be a lot fewer of those.
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LibraryThing member Murdocke23
The first book I read when getting into more serious approach to studying usability. I thought it would be dry, but it's actually entertaining. After you read it you'll be looking ad everyday objects in a whole new light, most notably stoves and fancy doors. 'That's clever', 'Why'd they do it that
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way...stupid'. Helps you understand how people (that includes you) approach a problem, why they make mistakes with simple objects, and to maybe avoid problems in your product. Show Less
LibraryThing member billmcn
Design of Everything Things is a classic that holds up well after twenty years. Anyone who tries to build a device that human beings will use is well-advised to pay close attention to Norman's helpful case studies and taxonomies of design successes and failures. Even though all the lessons in here
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apply to computer interfaces, there is very little discussion of computer technology. Though this may seem to date the book, it actually ends up being an asset. Both because computer interfaces change so quickly and because Norman's observations are most effective when applied to objects like doors and dashboards that are so much a part of our daily existence we forget that they have human interfaces at all. Show Less
LibraryThing member jensgram
A classic on design and usability. A must-read for anyone with the slightest interest in design.
LibraryThing member danamckay
This book is a great user experience primer -- it describes the basic principles of designing a good experience, and uses everyday examples to illustrate each point.
Not only is the book crammed with information, though, it is easy to read, often humourous, and very accessible even if you have no
Not only is the book crammed with information, though, it is easy to read, often humourous, and very accessible even if you have no
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prior knowledge of usability or technology. Show Less
LibraryThing member ashishg
Why is it not necessarily your fault when you cannot operate a light switch – analysis of fundamentals of design with everyday examples.
LibraryThing member Pivo1
This is a seminal work in user-centered design—-a must read for any designer. Norman uses many examples from everyday life to support his arguments. He points frequently to failures in design from all kinds of situations. Norman tends to repeat things and ramble at times, but the central tenet of
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this book is clear: the user’s needs are not the same as the designer’s. Covers concepts of affordances and mapping of user interface controls. Show Less
LibraryThing member joumanamedlej
Browsing a good old bookshop can yield glorious finds, such as this understated little book that is in fact a treasure. The cognitive aspect of design is usually something one picks up during training or by experience; I don't know if it's articulated into a course anywhere, and books about it
Norman's book specifically discusses manufactured products, but the same notions apply to 2D design (one could say to life in general). Examples of bad and good design alike are studied, pointing out why they work or not, with users quoted for their reactions to them, a welcome insight. On the basis of each of these illustrations, a principle of cognitive design is then discussed. The 7 chapters are outlined as follows:
1. The psychology of everyday things
2. The psychology of everyday actions
3. Knowledge in the head and in the world
4. Knowing what to do
5. To err is human
6. The design challenge
7. User-centered design
My own experience of this book was like a series of epiphanies. Although cognition was already a personal forte, I feel it has given me insights that improved all my communication-related work. The info doesn't need to be memorized or referred back to – once you understand it, it remains with you. Besides, it's a really fascinating and often fun read.
I would buy this book in a heartbeat for anyone who creates things meant to be used, as well as anyone whose job includes conveying information clearly.
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certainly are not a dime a dozen. What do I mean by "cognitive aspect of design"? It is when you design something that is intuitive to use, or at least easy to figure out without having to dig into a user manual. We've all had to deal with thoughtlessly designed things, from a door whose opening doesn't make sense to a website where you just can't find the contact page. Cognition is at the essence of design, whose first function is communication; aesthetics must layer themselves on that without contradicting it.Norman's book specifically discusses manufactured products, but the same notions apply to 2D design (one could say to life in general). Examples of bad and good design alike are studied, pointing out why they work or not, with users quoted for their reactions to them, a welcome insight. On the basis of each of these illustrations, a principle of cognitive design is then discussed. The 7 chapters are outlined as follows:
1. The psychology of everyday things
2. The psychology of everyday actions
3. Knowledge in the head and in the world
4. Knowing what to do
5. To err is human
6. The design challenge
7. User-centered design
My own experience of this book was like a series of epiphanies. Although cognition was already a personal forte, I feel it has given me insights that improved all my communication-related work. The info doesn't need to be memorized or referred back to – once you understand it, it remains with you. Besides, it's a really fascinating and often fun read.
I would buy this book in a heartbeat for anyone who creates things meant to be used, as well as anyone whose job includes conveying information clearly.
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LibraryThing member echen888
My first book to design issues. Easy to read and easy to understand.
LibraryThing member jimmaclachlan
This took me FOREVER to read - but it isn't the book's fault. It was me just picking it up at odd moments & it giving me a lot to think about each time. I don't design every day things, so had absolutely no need to read this book, but found it extremely interesting. If you have any part in
Norman points out the obvious - things I took for granted - & made me think about them in an entirely new light. He breaks down the simplest devices into their basic functions & features, then rebuilds them in a way that is both obvious & yet entirely new. He then points out places where the design elements are good & bad. He gets into the basic aspects of design that I never thought about such as aligning the number of controls with the number of functions. Best of all, he lays all of this out in an interesting manner with common examples as he delves deeper into the problems & solutions.
When you walk up to a door, how do you know how to deal with it? I never thought about it, just used it. Norman points out the clues I use, such as where the handles & hinges are located, as well as the conventions, such as pushing to go out of a commercial door, that I just KNOW & intuitively use. But what happens when designers fiddle around to make look pretty? Can anyone screw up something as mundane & venerable as a door? Unfortunately, yes indeedy!
He relates a funny story about getting stuck briefly in the foyer of a commercial building because of the 'modern' design of the doors. Hidden hinges, lots of glass, & handles that stretched across the entire center of the door gave no clue as to which way they opened. Couple that with one set of doors opening in the opposite direction from the others & a simple task - walking into a building without much thought (actually while thinking of other things, like the upcoming meeting) - became an irritating puzzle. Not a big deal? Actually, it is.
Norman pulls out some truly horrific numbers to make a great point on how important intuitive design is. The average person has something like 30,000 different instruction sets to remember on a regular basis. If each one of these took just a minute to remember, you'd spend several months learning them, assuming a 40 hour week devoted to the task! That we've absorbed these instructions & conventions over decades & are facing an increasing number of them on a daily basis makes it particularly irritating when they get redesigned into a problem.
Note: This book was published in the late 80's. While there are some desktop computing examples given, this book is pre-Internet. Think of how much additional information is required in the wake of that. (Think browsers, email, scams, viruses, ....)
While some of the examples are a bit dated, such as VCR's, they're not terrible. The multifunctional switches, confusing menus, & seemingly random options packed into those machines have carried over into their descendents in spades. Other examples, such as phone systems & stoves, are still so on target that it's absolutely infuriating. OK, phone systems are complicated, extremely proprietary & full of more options than ever, but do they HAVE to be so hard to use? I don't think so.
I know damn well that designers could do a much better job of laying out the controls for something as simple as a stove. They've had over a century & it's still a complete PITA to figure out which knob operates which burner. I can't walk up to any stove & put my hand on the correct knob. I have to read, sometimes even puzzle out symbols to figure out which is which. Even on my own simple stove, which we've had 5 years, I wind up reading to figure out the controls. OK, Marg usually cooks, but that's just STUPID design - one more minor irritation in a world filled with them, but one that could so easily be rectified with just a bit of thought!!! It's just infuriating.
While I was reading this book, a couple of examples of its relevance slapped me in the face.
- Steve Jobs died. Why was he so successful? Many people say that he was an inventor. WRONG. He rarely came up with anything truly new. His forte was in timing & design. Microsoft had a tablet for years before the iPad but their offering never made it. Why? Because the hardware couldn't support the overall expected functionality properly AND the user interface wasn't nearly as well designed as the iPad. Microsoft tried too early, designed it poorly, & FAILED themselves right out of the market.
- Amazon took the ebook market by storm. The Kindle wasn't the first ereader & it isn't really all that great hardware-wise, but it has a great interface that leverages a wonderful support system - all good design. It does one thing & does it really well.
Long review, but design is one of the most misunderstood & important concepts of our lives. I was completely shocked by my own ignorance about it. I still don't claim to be any expert, but it sure made me see the world in a different way.
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designing anything, you MUST read this book. Norman points out the obvious - things I took for granted - & made me think about them in an entirely new light. He breaks down the simplest devices into their basic functions & features, then rebuilds them in a way that is both obvious & yet entirely new. He then points out places where the design elements are good & bad. He gets into the basic aspects of design that I never thought about such as aligning the number of controls with the number of functions. Best of all, he lays all of this out in an interesting manner with common examples as he delves deeper into the problems & solutions.
When you walk up to a door, how do you know how to deal with it? I never thought about it, just used it. Norman points out the clues I use, such as where the handles & hinges are located, as well as the conventions, such as pushing to go out of a commercial door, that I just KNOW & intuitively use. But what happens when designers fiddle around to make look pretty? Can anyone screw up something as mundane & venerable as a door? Unfortunately, yes indeedy!
He relates a funny story about getting stuck briefly in the foyer of a commercial building because of the 'modern' design of the doors. Hidden hinges, lots of glass, & handles that stretched across the entire center of the door gave no clue as to which way they opened. Couple that with one set of doors opening in the opposite direction from the others & a simple task - walking into a building without much thought (actually while thinking of other things, like the upcoming meeting) - became an irritating puzzle. Not a big deal? Actually, it is.
Norman pulls out some truly horrific numbers to make a great point on how important intuitive design is. The average person has something like 30,000 different instruction sets to remember on a regular basis. If each one of these took just a minute to remember, you'd spend several months learning them, assuming a 40 hour week devoted to the task! That we've absorbed these instructions & conventions over decades & are facing an increasing number of them on a daily basis makes it particularly irritating when they get redesigned into a problem.
Note: This book was published in the late 80's. While there are some desktop computing examples given, this book is pre-Internet. Think of how much additional information is required in the wake of that. (Think browsers, email, scams, viruses, ....)
While some of the examples are a bit dated, such as VCR's, they're not terrible. The multifunctional switches, confusing menus, & seemingly random options packed into those machines have carried over into their descendents in spades. Other examples, such as phone systems & stoves, are still so on target that it's absolutely infuriating. OK, phone systems are complicated, extremely proprietary & full of more options than ever, but do they HAVE to be so hard to use? I don't think so.
I know damn well that designers could do a much better job of laying out the controls for something as simple as a stove. They've had over a century & it's still a complete PITA to figure out which knob operates which burner. I can't walk up to any stove & put my hand on the correct knob. I have to read, sometimes even puzzle out symbols to figure out which is which. Even on my own simple stove, which we've had 5 years, I wind up reading to figure out the controls. OK, Marg usually cooks, but that's just STUPID design - one more minor irritation in a world filled with them, but one that could so easily be rectified with just a bit of thought!!! It's just infuriating.
While I was reading this book, a couple of examples of its relevance slapped me in the face.
- Steve Jobs died. Why was he so successful? Many people say that he was an inventor. WRONG. He rarely came up with anything truly new. His forte was in timing & design. Microsoft had a tablet for years before the iPad but their offering never made it. Why? Because the hardware couldn't support the overall expected functionality properly AND the user interface wasn't nearly as well designed as the iPad. Microsoft tried too early, designed it poorly, & FAILED themselves right out of the market.
- Amazon took the ebook market by storm. The Kindle wasn't the first ereader & it isn't really all that great hardware-wise, but it has a great interface that leverages a wonderful support system - all good design. It does one thing & does it really well.
Long review, but design is one of the most misunderstood & important concepts of our lives. I was completely shocked by my own ignorance about it. I still don't claim to be any expert, but it sure made me see the world in a different way.
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LibraryThing member sruszala
Everyone who works in book publishing should have this book (or ebook if it is available!) as a reference point.
LibraryThing member raschneid
Finally read the usability classic! I didn't take a lot of concrete lessons from this, but I've been up to my ears in usability texts for a while now, and some of this doesn't translate well to web design. Still, a great read and lives up to the hype.
LibraryThing member bunwat
Loved the premise, the execution left me a little cold. There was much here that was interesting but then it would start turning into a text book. I'm sure that for an engineering student or a doorknob designer an analysis of the eight or nine distinct actions and decisions involved in opening a
I still think its worth a read. I liked the really excellent argument that much of what is termed human error is in fact poor design. And that one sign of a well designed product is that you don't need a multi page instructional manual to figure out how to use it. There were lots of interesting things like those in here, I liked the idea that designers should plan for operator mistakes and wherever possible make them easily reversible. I liked the point that almost no truly new product or idea really works all that well on the first try because hey, its new nobody knows how yet! So if we want innovation, we have to give new ideas some room to fail a time or two.
There is a whole lot in this book that is really interesting, but it does suffer from a confusion of tone. Is it a textbook for engineers and designers or is it for a general audience? It teeters back and forth and never does really decide. But I guess if I want innovation, I have to give this book some room to be dull in spots.
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door are probably of use. For me, less so. I still think its worth a read. I liked the really excellent argument that much of what is termed human error is in fact poor design. And that one sign of a well designed product is that you don't need a multi page instructional manual to figure out how to use it. There were lots of interesting things like those in here, I liked the idea that designers should plan for operator mistakes and wherever possible make them easily reversible. I liked the point that almost no truly new product or idea really works all that well on the first try because hey, its new nobody knows how yet! So if we want innovation, we have to give new ideas some room to fail a time or two.
There is a whole lot in this book that is really interesting, but it does suffer from a confusion of tone. Is it a textbook for engineers and designers or is it for a general audience? It teeters back and forth and never does really decide. But I guess if I want innovation, I have to give this book some room to be dull in spots.
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LibraryThing member Crenel
I read this edition in 2013 and now see that a newer edition is available, so one comment I would have made about outdated examples is probably redundant. I'll have to check out the recent revision to know for sure. Overall, this is a thought-provoking book about how we interact with stuff and why
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we interact the way we do (i.e., the psychology behind it). The material was more weighty than I expected, but I appreciated it anyway, and it has given me a new perspective on design in general. Show Less
LibraryThing member castiron
When you have trouble operating an ordinary household item, the problem may not be you; it may be that the item is badly designed. An interesting and logical look at how poor design complicates everything from doors to audiovisual equipment. While the examples are a little dated (most of us aren't
My one quibble: The author gives a lot of emphasis to the visual and barely notes in an aside that designing something to work for blind as well as sighted people takes some extra thought, though he does often mention that certain items should be designed so they can be operated in the dark. Having seen a neighbor attempt to enter the code on his home alarm by touch, when there was nothing on the flat keypad to indicate where his fingers should go, I'd say that aspect of design is even more neglected than designing something to make sense when you look at it.
Still, overall a thought-provoking book.
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concerned about how to program a VCR anymore, and the pocket computer that can remind you of events is now a reality), it's still very much a timely topic.My one quibble: The author gives a lot of emphasis to the visual and barely notes in an aside that designing something to work for blind as well as sighted people takes some extra thought, though he does often mention that certain items should be designed so they can be operated in the dark. Having seen a neighbor attempt to enter the code on his home alarm by touch, when there was nothing on the flat keypad to indicate where his fingers should go, I'd say that aspect of design is even more neglected than designing something to make sense when you look at it.
Still, overall a thought-provoking book.
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LibraryThing member PatienceFortitude
We were assigned the first three chapters for an upcoming class reading. I got so engrossed, I wound up reading the whole thing. I really like the way Morgan explains concepts of usability such as knowledge in the head versus knowledge in the world, affordances and constraints. Some terms he uses,
I flagged something as interesting, or underlined, on nearly every page.
Later chapters struck me as a touch quaint, as we were assigned to read a book that has since been updated. The text we were reading relies on describing and discussing technology that predates smart phones.
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like mental mapping and schemas were already familiar, applied to a design perspective.I flagged something as interesting, or underlined, on nearly every page.
Later chapters struck me as a touch quaint, as we were assigned to read a book that has since been updated. The text we were reading relies on describing and discussing technology that predates smart phones.
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LibraryThing member topps
A classic but the points are still as relevant today. Door handles!
LibraryThing member nmarun
I had this book on my list for quite some time, but somehow it was getting postponed. Now that I've read it, I'm glad I did.
The concepts mentioned by Donald were no doubt very interesting, but the examples given were kinda too 'obvious'. I wish the author chose more current products to make his
The author hit the nail when he compares the knowledge in the world versus the knowledge in the head. Even before I started with the book, I was somewhat aware of the pros and cons of one or the other.
"Gaining the advantages of knowledge in the world means losing the advantages of knowledge in the head."
The concepts mentioned by Donald were no doubt very interesting, but the examples given were kinda too 'obvious'. I wish the author chose more current products to make his
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point.The author hit the nail when he compares the knowledge in the world versus the knowledge in the head. Even before I started with the book, I was somewhat aware of the pros and cons of one or the other.
"Gaining the advantages of knowledge in the world means losing the advantages of knowledge in the head."
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LibraryThing member jcopenha
Wow, while the examples are dated, VCRs and Voicemail, the ideas lay the foundation of all of the design stuff I've been hearing for the last five years. As with most "classics" that I've read in the last couple of years the ideas in then have been repeated in numerous ways in numerous books since,
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hence the "classics", so I don't think I got much new from it, but it was still an enjoyable read. And if anyone knows where I can get a copy of "Catalog of Unfindable Objects" let me know! Show Less
LibraryThing member martialalex92
Very thorough and well formulated. Guy is an expert in his field, and he manages to keep it interesting despite some of the dry subject matter
LibraryThing member PatienceFortitude
We were assigned the first three chapters for an upcoming class reading. I got so engrossed, I wound up reading the whole thing. I really like the way Morgan explains concepts of usability such as knowledge in the head versus knowledge in the world, affordances and constraints. Some terms he uses,
I flagged something as interesting, or underlined, on nearly every page.
Later chapters struck me as a touch quaint, as we were assigned to read a book that has since been updated. The text we were reading relies on describing and discussing technology that predates smart phones.
Show More
like mental mapping and schemas were already familiar, applied to a design perspective.I flagged something as interesting, or underlined, on nearly every page.
Later chapters struck me as a touch quaint, as we were assigned to read a book that has since been updated. The text we were reading relies on describing and discussing technology that predates smart phones.
Show Less
LibraryThing member MartinBodek
What a wonderful and fascinating discussion of the good, the bad and the ugly design of the objects we use and that surround us. To think, this was written before the advent of the tech boom. His mind must be spinning like a top when faced with all the new stuff. if he writes an updated book, I'll
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be first in line. His politeness in particular makes this a great read. He has every reason to rail against some seriously bad design examples, but instead he makes genteel suggestions. Enjoyed very much. Show Less
LibraryThing member iffland
Stayed for a long time on my pile of shame but quite old already anyway. Good thing. Ages very well even if VCRs are not around anymore the basic principles are still important the same nowadays.
Read it and you will see door handles with different eyes!
Read it and you will see door handles with different eyes!
LibraryThing member PattyLee
Interesting, but be warned- there is some heavy going here- not a light read.
LibraryThing member untraveller
I enjoyed much of the book. Problems were: it reads like a textbook, more examples are needed, it is definitely pro business and pro engineering - two activities I am not fond of, and the author is just a little too positive about his pronouncements. I do think that there is more to operator error
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than just being tired, etc. I do think there are more important things than caving in to fashion just because someone has come up with a better design of ____. And, finally, I do think life is more than the acquisition of goods under a capitalistic system. I do enjoy looking at the design of an entity and figuring out what is wrong with it. Always have. On the other hand, I see no reason why, as the author suggests, I should have a solution if I have a criticism. Neanderthal thinking. Finished 05.04.2020 in Malta. Show Less
Subjects
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1988
Physical description
xxi, 257 p.; 5.5 inches
ISBN
0465067107 / 9780465067107