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The Design of Everyday Things
Norman, Donald A.
Publisher: DoubledayYear Published: 1988 ISBN: 0-385-26774-6 Library of Congress Number: TS171.4.N67 Dewey: 620.82 Resource Type: Book Cx Number: CX8661 A book about the problems of design and how good design can overcome the frustrations of everyday things. Abstract: The Design of Everyday Things outlines how everyday objects should meet the needs and capabilities of the consumers and customers who will purchase and use the products. Drawing on business and psychology, Norman argues that manufacturers must design products for both appearance and efficiency in order to have a competitive edge when selling products. Therefore, long user-manuals and warning labels reflect poor project design and a lack of understanding about the goals of the product. Norman discusses the fallacy of "human error" in the Preface when he claims that errors are caused by equipment and design failure and not the "mechanically inept" user. The problems raised in this book respond to a lack of understanding in business about the impact of product design upon customers. Due to the fluidity of borders in business, although this book provides specific examples from Europe and the US, the topics and products discussed have international relevance. Divided into seven chapters, the first two examine the psychopathology of everyday objects and actions. Chapter three establishes the difference between knowledge in the head and knowledge in the world. As humans we can only hold information in our minds, thus knowledge must be extracted from our environments. This process is dependent on well designed products. Chapter four outlines how knowing what to do in order to operate a technical tool is based on the external clues within the product's design. If an object is poorly designed, one will have trouble figuring out how to use the device or tool. Accordingly, each tool or object possesses four types of constraints that inhibit the user from operating it: physical, semantic, cultural and logical constraints. Chapter five discusses human error and the idea of "slips" in speech, thought and action, which occur due to a lack of concentration and a simple confusion when multitasking. For example, when a person means to unbuckle her seat belt, she may accidentally unfasten her watch strap. The final chapter presents the advantages of Norman's concept of user centered design by providing practical tips to the manufacturer or designer. Finally, the author also includes a useful guide of suggested reading at the end of his book for the intrigued reader who wishes to further pursue an investigation on the design and the psychology of everyday items. [Abstract by Amanpreet Dhami] Table Of Contents Preface to the Paperback Edition Preface ONE: The Psychopathology of Everyday Things TWO: The Psychology of Everyday Actions THREE: Knowledge in the Head and in the World FOUR: Knowing What to Do FIVE: To Err Is Human SIX: The Design Challenge SEVEN: User-Centered Design Notes Suggested Readings References Index Excerpts: 1. In each state of the system, the user must readily see and be able to do the allowable actions. The visibility acts as a suggestion, reminding the user of possibilities and inviting the exploration of new ideas and methods. 2. The effect of each action must be both visible and easy to interpret. This property allows users to learn the effects of each action, to develop a good mental model of the system, and to learn the causal relationship between actions and outcomes. The system images plays a critical role in making such learning possible. 3. Actions should be without cost. When an action has an undesirable result, it must be readily reversible. This is especially important with computer systems. In the case of an irreversible action, the system should make clear what effect the contemplated action will have prior to its execution, there should be enough time to cancel the plan. Or the action should be difficult to do, nonexplorable. Most actions should be cost-free, explorable, discoverable. Design should: Make it easy to determine what actions are possible at any moment (make use of constraints). Make things visible, including the conceptual model of the system, the alternative actions, and the results of action. Make it easy to evaluate the current state of the system. Follow natural mappings between intentions and the required actions, between actions and the resulting effect; and between the information that is visible and the interpretation of the system state. If the explanation leads the person to think or say, "How am I going to remember that?", the design has failed. When major accidents occur, official courts of inquiry are set up to assess the blame. More and more often the blame is attributed to "human error". The person involved can be fined, punished, or fired. Maybe training procedures are revised. The law rests comfortably. But in my experience, human error usually is a result of poor design: it should be called system error. Humans err continually; it is an intrinsic part of our nature. System design should take this into account. Pinning the blame on the person may be a comfortable way to proceed, but why was the system ever designed so that a single act by a single person could cause calamity? An important book on this topic is Charles Perrow's Normal Accidents (1984). Subject Headings
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