Design of Everyday Things [0]
Title Page
PREFACE TO THE 2002 EDITION
PREFACE
CHAPTER ONE - THE PSYCHOPATHOLOGY OF EVERYDAY THINGS
You Would Need an Engineering Degree to Figure This Out
The Frustrations of Everyday Life
The Psychology of Everyday Things
Principles of Design for Understandability and Usability
Pity the Poor Designer
The Paradox of Technology
CHAPTER TWO - THE PSYCHOLOGY OF EVERYDAY ACTIONS
Falsely Blaming Yourself
Misconceptions of Everyday Life
Blaming the Wrong Cause
The Nature of Human Thought and Explanation
How People Do Things: The Seven Stages of Action
The Gulfs of Execution and Evaluation
The Seven Stages of Action as Design Aids
CHAPTER THREE - KNOWLEDGE IN THE HEAD AND IN THE WORLD
Precise Behavior from Imprecise Knowledge
Memory Is Knowledge in the Head
Memory Is Also Knowledge in the World
The Tradeoff between Knowledge in the World and in the Head
CHAPTER FOUR - KNOWING WHAT TO DO
A Classification of Everyday Constraints
Applying Affordances and Constraints to Everyday Objects
Visibility and Feedback
CHAPTER FIVE - TO ERR IS HUMAN
Slips
Mistakes as Errors of Thought
The Structure of Tasks
Conscious and Subconscious Behavior
Designing for Error
A Design Philosophy
CHAPTER SIX - THE DESIGN CHALLENGE
The Natural Evolution of Design
Why Designers Go Astray
The Complexity of the Design Process
The Faucet: A Case History of Design Difficulties
Two Deadly Temptations for the Designer
The Foibles of Computer Systems
CHAPTER SEVEN - USER-CENTERED DESIGN
Seven Principles for Transforming Difficult Tasks into Simple Ones
Deliberately Making Things Difficult
Design and Society
The Design of Everyday Things
NOTES
SUGGESTED READINGS
REFERENCES
INDEX
Copyright Page
PREFACE TO THE 2002 EDITION
“Norman Doors”
“I just found a Norman door: It was really difficult to open.”
I am famous for doors that are difficult to open, light switches that make no sense, shower controls that are unfathomable. Almost anything that creates unnecessary problems, my correspondents report, is a “Norman thing”: Norman doors, Norman switches, Norman shower controls.
That wasn’t what I had in mind when I wrote this book. I thought my ideas would stand for good design, for objects we could use easily and efficiently—with delight and fun. And without having to read complex instructions or ask for help. Sigh. All those years spent studying fundamental principles of the human mind, of memory and attention, learning, motor control—only to be remembered for bad doors.
But then again, the interest shows that I made my point. Far too many items in the world are designed, constructed, and foisted upon us with no understanding—or even care—for how we will use them. Calling something a “Norman door” is recognition of the lack of attention paid by the maker to the user, which is precisely my message. I am delighted by the letters I receive, including yet more examples. I am delighted that many wonderful products now do exist, and that in numerous cases designers have stated that The Design of Everyday Things was required reading for their staffs. This book has succeeded.
So show me more of those Norman doors, those faucets, those plastic bags of food that can be opened only by ripping them with the teeth. Show me more of those automobile radios, such as the one in my own car, with rows of tiny identical buttons that can’t possibly be operated while driving.
The problems sound trivial, but they can mean the difference between pleasure and frustration. The same principles that make these simple things work well or poorly apply to more complex operations, including ones in which human lives are at stake. Most accidents are attributed to human error, but in almost all cases the human error was the direct result of poor design. The principles that guide a quality, human-centered design are not relevant just to a more pleasurable life—they can save lives.
The Hidden Frustrations of Everyday