The Design of Everyday Things

The Design of Everyday Things

  • Downloads:6512
  • Type:Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date:2021-04-09 10:53:44
  • Update Date:2025-09-06
  • Status:finish
  • Author:Donald A. Norman
  • ISBN:0465050654
  • Environment:PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle

Summary

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。

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Reviews

Tyler

The premise and overall concept of the book have changed the way I see the world as both a designer and a user。 I’ll be thinking about this book forever。 The book itself could have been half as long。

Roman Majerský

S niektorými "hypotézami" by sa dalo určite nesúhlasiť, overall ale veľmi dobré čítanie。 Najdôležitejšia myšlienka, ktorú som si zobral, je neviditeľnosť dobrého dizajnu。 Áno, veľa ľudí z brandže to opakuje, ale podstatne menej z nich sa tým aj riadi。 Všetko má svoj dizajn: nie je to len grafika pre web, aplikáciu, zalomenie printu, ale aj pracovné procesy, učenie sa novej zručnosti, varenie podľa receptu, používanie vodovodnej batérie。。。 Do istej miery je dizajnom popretkávaný celý náš život a S niektorými "hypotézami" by sa dalo určite nesúhlasiť, overall ale veľmi dobré čítanie。 Najdôležitejšia myšlienka, ktorú som si zobral, je neviditeľnosť dobrého dizajnu。 Áno, veľa ľudí z brandže to opakuje, ale podstatne menej z nich sa tým aj riadi。 Všetko má svoj dizajn: nie je to len grafika pre web, aplikáciu, zalomenie printu, ale aj pracovné procesy, učenie sa novej zručnosti, varenie podľa receptu, používanie vodovodnej batérie。。。 Do istej miery je dizajnom popretkávaný celý náš život a málokedy si to uvedomujeme。 A ak ten dizajn náhodou nechápeme, hľadáme chybu v nás, nie v dizajne samotnom。Ak by som knihe niečo vytkol, je to overexplaining niektorých banálnych vecí (čo je ale banalita pre mňa, pre druhého byť nemusí)。 。。。more

Roberta Falco

Un ingegnere che mi sta simpatico e non sembra misogino, la conto come vittoria personale。

Sam Powers

To a maker young or old Dons book is life changing

Darren Mutch

Generally, a really good read about everyday products。 A bit dated by today's standard but the principles still definitely hold。 By the time I came to the end I was numb to certain concepts that felt explained to death but they wede really a core concepts of the book so I can see why this is。 Enjoyed it but it's very much for people interested in why things are the way they are and how they can be improved。 Generally, a really good read about everyday products。 A bit dated by today's standard but the principles still definitely hold。 By the time I came to the end I was numb to certain concepts that felt explained to death but they wede really a core concepts of the book so I can see why this is。 Enjoyed it but it's very much for people interested in why things are the way they are and how they can be improved。 。。。more

Melany Vilchynska

Must-to-read book for every designer, engineer, and probably every human being who wants to deep dive into the world of human behavior and its correlation with the surrounding objects。 P。S。: Some parts are a bit boring, but all require concentration。

Connie

3。5 - have been exposed to design-thinking principles already (which likely came from the original publication) so found some parts rudimentary while other parts too dense for my interests/expertise。 Still picked up some good case studies & reminders though。 The chapter on design thinking was best for me

Van Nguyen

Bản tiếng việt tên là "Thiết kế lấy người dùng làm trung tâm" của alphabooks。 Đọc lấy kiến thức làm bài chuyên ngành để còn ra trường。 Cũng hay nhưng vật mãi không xong 😔。 Bản tiếng việt tên là "Thiết kế lấy người dùng làm trung tâm" của alphabooks。 Đọc lấy kiến thức làm bài chuyên ngành để còn ra trường。 Cũng hay nhưng vật mãi không xong 😔。 。。。more

Matt Cannon

Interesting book, draws your attention to things that you otherwise have never thought about when it comes to ergonomics。It is showing its age though, the writer poses several usability problems, especially in the field of computers and technology, that have been largely solved by the multi-functional nature of the smartphone and it's interconnectivity。 From what I can tell this book was published not long after the Apple Lisa computer。 Interesting book, draws your attention to things that you otherwise have never thought about when it comes to ergonomics。It is showing its age though, the writer poses several usability problems, especially in the field of computers and technology, that have been largely solved by the multi-functional nature of the smartphone and it's interconnectivity。 From what I can tell this book was published not long after the Apple Lisa computer。 。。。more

Monserrat

UxUi

Helen

Difference between art and design is that design has a purpose。

Agness。c

A nice introduction and a classic, for anyone interested in UX design or interaction design。 It introduces some of the most basic concept of the field in an easy way, with several examples and anectodes。 It is a nice read, although at times a bit wordy and slightly repetitive。

Caleb Kirby

Pretty solid read for those interested in psychology of the consumer。 The observations are by and large intuitive, but still worth the time to think on。 Functional, intentional, simple design is beautiful and worth the energy to attain。 There is an upmost emphasis on intuitive usability which I appreciate but surely there are limiting factors? The take that user error should really be considered design error in every circumstance seems a bit far reaching。 The author’s postulation on the future o Pretty solid read for those interested in psychology of the consumer。 The observations are by and large intuitive, but still worth the time to think on。 Functional, intentional, simple design is beautiful and worth the energy to attain。 There is an upmost emphasis on intuitive usability which I appreciate but surely there are limiting factors? The take that user error should really be considered design error in every circumstance seems a bit far reaching。 The author’s postulation on the future of design was a mistake to print also and is skippable。 Fun read though。 。。。more

Roman

I liked this book。 It had interesting sections and he hammered in a few principles that will surely stick with me (natural mappings, and designing to minimize error), however, I didn't love this book as much as I was hoping I would, but I think it's largely a fault of my expectations。I went into this book hoping for either a book to help me as a software engineer, or a fun exploration of objects all around that would help me appreciate them in their well thought out beauty。 What I got instead we I liked this book。 It had interesting sections and he hammered in a few principles that will surely stick with me (natural mappings, and designing to minimize error), however, I didn't love this book as much as I was hoping I would, but I think it's largely a fault of my expectations。I went into this book hoping for either a book to help me as a software engineer, or a fun exploration of objects all around that would help me appreciate them in their well thought out beauty。 What I got instead were solid design principles that used a few everyday things as examples。 I think this book will help me a little bit in design, but maybe not as much as if I had just read a UX book。 I also think if I wanted a more fun read/listen I would just go to the 99% invisible podcast。I still think this book is an important book on design that still holds up today! One of the best things about Don Norman in my opinion is that he has worked in both academia and industry。 Because of this, he is both an expert in design and psychology and has very practical advice for industry。 I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the fundamentals of design, and especially those who are interested in a career in design。 。。。more

Ignacio Pérez

Un libro esencial para los entusiastas del diseño industrial。

Theodora

Good classic

Jolie

Classic read on design。 Norman clearly explained the characteristics of a good design with many real life examples。 Interesting read, although occasionally it gets very technical (for me who has no background in design nor engineering)。

Emiliya Bozhilova

Видя ми се остаряла - поне с 15-25 години - с конкретните примери от технологиите (видеомагнетофони, дискети。。。)。 Иначе посланието към дизайнерите е ясно: направете дизайна на нещото колкото се може по-прост и природно/ биологично ориентиран。 За всеки един контрол предвидете по едно копче, не ги смесвайте твърде много, защото потребителят ще се обърка。 И не оставяйте важни послания единствено в инструкцията - нея никой не я чете。。。в детайли。Хубавите продукти са прости за употреба。 Но, разбира се Видя ми се остаряла - поне с 15-25 години - с конкретните примери от технологиите (видеомагнетофони, дискети。。。)。 Иначе посланието към дизайнерите е ясно: направете дизайна на нещото колкото се може по-прост и природно/ биологично ориентиран。 За всеки един контрол предвидете по едно копче, не ги смесвайте твърде много, защото потребителят ще се обърка。 И не оставяйте важни послания единствено в инструкцията - нея никой не я чете。。。в детайли。Хубавите продукти са прости за употреба。 Но, разбира се, в живота не винаги сработва по този начин отчасти заради липсата на връзка с бъдещия потребител, отчасти заради погрешните мисловни модели, базирани на грешна информация。Цяла книга е твърде много по темата, както я е подхванал авторът, по-скоро средна по обем статия би свършила работа。 И плаче за актуални примери, макар и не непременно за всичко - лопатата например не се е променила много。。。 。。。more

Lindsey

This was a solid book about design, however, it was a bit dense。 I ended up breaking the book into sections to read every week。 It was very informative and had excellent real-world scenarios。 I would recommend this read to anyone interested in learning more about the design process and how to think in terms of user needs。

Quan

Nice intros of everything in design

Nathan Jones

Painfully uninteresting。

Deepika Bandaru

A refreshing read about the science and art behind the design of everyday objects we take for granted。 Tough to look at doors, kettles, and keyboards the same way, after reading this book! Liked the emphasis on inclusive design。 While a few examples such as the computation power of mobile phones or connectivity of home appliances seem outdated, the reasoning stays strong。

Rachna

Have you ever read through a book and met each chapter with a resounding I don’t care? If you haven’t and ever find yourself in the position of wanting to, The Design of Everyday Things is for you。 I felt my eyes glazing over multiple times while reading this work and the infrequent interesting topics didn’t make up for the overall feeling of “okay, and?”。 Overall wouldn’t really recommend to people interested in learning more about design, it felt vey *every day*, commonplace, and tedious to go Have you ever read through a book and met each chapter with a resounding I don’t care? If you haven’t and ever find yourself in the position of wanting to, The Design of Everyday Things is for you。 I felt my eyes glazing over multiple times while reading this work and the infrequent interesting topics didn’t make up for the overall feeling of “okay, and?”。 Overall wouldn’t really recommend to people interested in learning more about design, it felt vey *every day*, commonplace, and tedious to go through。 。。。more

DAVID VILLEGAS

Conceptos muy generales y valiosos para desarrollar producto。

Clare Bowyer

What a great book! So simple yet so effective, I now look at everything and think about how it's user experience can be improved。 What a great book! So simple yet so effective, I now look at everything and think about how it's user experience can be improved。 。。。more

MlleGabrielle

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it, click here。 Książka mogłaby być o kilkadziesiąt stron krótsza (jak nie więcej), dużo informacji niepotrzebnie się powtarza。 Rozczulił mnie przykład z korkiem click clack, mam tu zupełnie przeciwne zdanie niż autor。

Haktan

İsminin de onerdigi gibi bu kitap gunluk hayatimizda yer alan nesnelerin tasarimlarinin ne gibi ozelliklere sahip oldugu ve olmasi gerektigi uzerine harika bir kaynak。 Hani kimi kitaplar ya da fimler icin "artik hayata ayni gozlerle bakmayacaksiniz" denir ya。 Bu kitap da tam oyle。 Hem de kelimenin birinci anlamiyla。 Yani nesnelerin tasarimi daha ilgi cekici gelmeye basliyor。 Tabi bir kitapla her sey degismez ama bakis asinizin zenginlesecegi kesin。 Tasarim, kullanilabilirlik, kullanici deneyimi İsminin de onerdigi gibi bu kitap gunluk hayatimizda yer alan nesnelerin tasarimlarinin ne gibi ozelliklere sahip oldugu ve olmasi gerektigi uzerine harika bir kaynak。 Hani kimi kitaplar ya da fimler icin "artik hayata ayni gozlerle bakmayacaksiniz" denir ya。 Bu kitap da tam oyle。 Hem de kelimenin birinci anlamiyla。 Yani nesnelerin tasarimi daha ilgi cekici gelmeye basliyor。 Tabi bir kitapla her sey degismez ama bakis asinizin zenginlesecegi kesin。 Tasarim, kullanilabilirlik, kullanici deneyimi gibi kavramlar is ya da ozel sebeplerle ilginizi cekiyorsa bu kitabi okumanizi siddetle oneririm。 。。。more

G Vivek

I picked up this and thought It might help me with my curiosity and maybe at work too, with the principles of design and usability。 And the author does a good job at pointing out the obvious - things I took for granted - & made me think about them in an entirely new light。 But the pace at which the world and technology are improving, the shared examples are more or less obsolete。 But we get to glean the principles behind the good design and bad design。Definitely a great read, worth it for sure, I picked up this and thought It might help me with my curiosity and maybe at work too, with the principles of design and usability。 And the author does a good job at pointing out the obvious - things I took for granted - & made me think about them in an entirely new light。 But the pace at which the world and technology are improving, the shared examples are more or less obsolete。 But we get to glean the principles behind the good design and bad design。Definitely a great read, worth it for sure, but don't buy into the "everyone who makes software should read this book" hype。 It does’t work like that。 In other words, I think a great many UX-centered books are vastly superior in this regard。 But as the title suggests, it is about everyday things。On a side note, I found it odd that a book about user-centered design had line-broken right-justified headings and baffling use of italics。I was expecting more of "smart" designs, more fun and strange and inspiring stories, but Norman isn't there to entertain but to educate and so there are examples mostly to illustrate concepts and processes。 Naturally I was a bit disappointed, but still in general a book is a good read。 。。。more

Arwen Sadler

I'm a UX Designer, and I keep this book on my desk because of how frequently I use it to look something up。 If you're a designer, or frankly anyone making any kind of product or software, this should be required reading。 There's really only one bit--about video calling still not being a thing that exists--that's comically out of date circa 2021。 Everything else in this book is incredibly helpful for understanding how people interact with things in the world。 I'm a UX Designer, and I keep this book on my desk because of how frequently I use it to look something up。 If you're a designer, or frankly anyone making any kind of product or software, this should be required reading。 There's really only one bit--about video calling still not being a thing that exists--that's comically out of date circa 2021。 Everything else in this book is incredibly helpful for understanding how people interact with things in the world。 。。。more

Brooke Lopez

Whew。 I wasn’t sure I’d finish this one, but I did。 It’s interesting, with though-provoking examples, but a pretty dry read。 I would have liked many more examples of both good and bad design。