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The Psychology of Everyday Things

By Donald A. Norman

(94)

| Hardcover | 9780791716106

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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, argues this fascinating, ingenious--even liberating--book, lies not in pourselves, but in product design that ignores the needs of usContinue

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 fascinating, ingenious--even liberating--book, lies not in pourselves, 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.

New edition has slightly different title: "The Design of Everyday Things" (ISBN: 0385267746).

8 Reviews

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  • 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 about the Paperback edition | 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 about the Paperback edition | 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 about the Paperback edition | 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 | 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 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

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