Visual Systems
The Design of Everyday Things: Revised and Expanded Edition
Don Norman — 2013
This foundational text completely reframes how we interact with the world, arguing that human error is actually a design failure. Don Norman establishes the essential vocabulary of modern design—concepts like affordances, signifiers, and feedback—to explain why some products satisfy us while others frustrate us. It is the definitive guide to Human-Centered Design, teaching you how to bridge the gap between human psychology and technology to solve the right problems, rather than just treating symptoms.
- ISBN
- 0465072992
- ISBN 13
- 9780465072996
- Pages
- 370
- Reading time
- 15
- Level
- Beginner
- Edition release date
- 05/11/2013
Notable Quotes
“Two of the most important characteristics of good design are discoverability and understanding. Discoverability: Is it possible to even figure out what actions are possible and where and how to perform them? Understanding: What does it all mean? How is the product supposed to be used? What do all the different controls and settings mean?”
“Human error? No, bad design.”
“Good design is actually a lot harder to notice than poor design, in part because good designs fit our needs so well that the design is invisible, serving us without drawing attention to itself. Bad design, on the other hand, screams out its inadequacies, making itself very noticeable.”
“Rule of thumb: You can fix it now on the drafting board with an eraser or you can fix it later on the construction site with a sledgehammer.”
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