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About The Design of Everyday Things Book
Design doesn't have to complicated, which is why this guide to human-centered design shows that usability is just as important as aesthetics.
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.
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4.8/5 (2996 reviews)
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There are 2 types of errors:
slips
(a person intends to do an action and ends up doing something else). Can be:
action-based
(correct action applied to the wrong object),
memory-lapse
(forgetting)
mistakes
(wrong goal or wrong plan formed). Can be:
rule-based
(correct diagnose, wrong action),
knowledge-based
(incorrect diagnose),
memory-lapse
(failing due to distraction)
105
There are 3 levels of processing that inform the action a user does:
104
Affordances
- the relationship between the properties of an object and the capabilities of an agent
Signifiers
- an indicator that communicates appropriate behaviour to a person
Constraints
- impediments of using a system
Mappings
- the relationship between the elements of two sets of things
Feedback
- communication of the results of an action
Conceptual model
- explanation of how something works
99
Design principles that generally apply
34
30
Good understanding of people is key. Designs should match the needs and capabilities of the people for whom they are intended. The philosophy of human-centeted design focuses on repeated approximations and avoids specifying the problem as long as possible when it comes to defining the specifications of design.
29
This book was a classic and took me about a month to complete haha
The designer of everyday things must take into account the whole experience of the person using the product or service, not just the product itself.
7
Good design should make it clear what actions are possible and what the current state of the system is.
7
Users should be informed of the results of their actions and the system's current state.
7
When external signifiers - signs - have to be added to something as simple as a door, it indicates bad design.
1
1. Use both knowledge in the world and knowledge in the head.
2. Simplify the structure of tasks.
3. Make things visible: bridge gulfs between Execution and Evaluation.
4. Get the mapping right.
5. Exploit the power of constraints.
6. Design for error.
7. When all else fails, standardize.
1
Good designers never start by trying to solve the problem given to them: they start by trying to understand what the real issues are.
2
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