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The Design of Everyday Things

By Donald A. Norman

(95)

| Paperback | 9780262640374

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Book 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 lies in product design that ignores the needs of users and the principles of cognitive psychology. A bestseller in the United States, Continue

8 Reviews

3 people find this helpful

A book that will change the way you look at the world. Essential for anyone in engineering, product design, software or web site creation. Recommended to anyone who's ever pushed a door with a "Pull" label, or cursed a public bathroom facet that wouldn't turn on (or off).

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JM said on Mar 23, 2009 | Add your feedback

1 person find this helpful

A good introduction to product design and usability. It is full of illustrative real-life examples of what not to do. Some are old but many of them are hilarious (sadly). I suggest you also read its "sequel" Emotional Design in which he talks about the emotional as opposed to function aspects of pro ... (continue)

A good introduction to product design and usability. It is full of illustrative real-life examples of what not to do. Some are old but many of them are hilarious (sadly). I suggest you also read its "sequel" Emotional Design in which he talks about the emotional as opposed to function aspects of product design.

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Greg Sung said on Jan 21, 2006 | Add your feedback

Mind-changing

This book certainly changes one's mind about the small annoyances on everyday objects. I often find myself now appraising or despising an object's design.

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Pablo Rodríguez Madroño said on Jul 25, 2011 | Add your feedback

Very good book for beginners into design, though the latter part of the book is just repeating the same principles over and over again.

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Julian Chu said on May 1, 2011 about the Hardcover edition | Add your feedback

Ever wondered why sliding doors have vertical slots and pulling doors have knobs?

Ever wondered if QWERTY keyboard is better than DVORAK or not?
Ever felt ashamed or embarassed for not being able to use some stuff?
This book is a MUST for everyone involved in development of any kind of tool. Software as well.

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Cerion said on Apr 27, 2010 | Add your feedback