I can also assure everyone that this book is worth reading. Thanks to OP for doing what I wanted to do in a 2nd reading: Make notes. But the most important bits still stayed with me even without writing notes. So just enjoy reading it. You will see the world differently. It will annoy you a bit. But at least now I now why my desk is always cluttered. I choose products more wisely and put more thoughts into designing things. There is always something hidden and this books helps a lot in getting a start in that direction.
The Design of Everyday Things – Book Summary and Notes
21–30 of 128 posts
Re: The Design of Everyday Things – Book Summary and Notes
#22This is definitely one of the books that has shaped my thinking the most. The book argues very strongly for functional design and design that makes usage obvious. “The way you use a thing should be encoded in the way the thing is, not in a manual”. I’ve been told there’s a follow up that concedes some of this and argues for emotional design. Something a long the lines of “this thing doesn’t need this handle, but it m…
Why hasn't Apple ever made a version with a built-in ruggedized case? I hate putting the case on but in practice it's too fragile of a thing for many people's usage patterns. Seems like one of those things, like the flashlight, where they would see how the people are using it and build it in for a more streamlined experience. I don't want to believe the cynical interpretation that they do it to sell more phones/repairs, but I can't think of another reason.
Re: The Design of Everyday Things – Book Summary and Notes
#23I have heard some great things about this book as far as physical design. Has this book inspired any insights on design of software or other engineering related topics?
While the book focuses on physical design, most of the content applies equally when it comes to digital computer interfaces. A heavier focus on affordances, signifiers, mapping (and all the other concepts introduced by Norman) by proclaimed UX experts would make most web UIs so much more usable.
Norman has also been involved in the whole UX movement for interfaces since... well, the beginning, since he was the first person who even had "User Experience" in their job title (when he started working at Apple).
Re: The Design of Everyday Things – Book Summary and Notes
#24This is definitely one of the books that has shaped my thinking the most. The book argues very strongly for functional design and design that makes usage obvious. “The way you use a thing should be encoded in the way the thing is, not in a manual”. I’ve been told there’s a follow up that concedes some of this and argues for emotional design. Something a long the lines of “this thing doesn’t need this handle, but it m…
I wonder how much of that is a user vs designer thing. On the few occasions when I wear suits, I’ve actually removed the cover, because it safely glides in and out of the suit pocket like it was almost designed for it.
That is an interesting observation that I will look out for too now.. Sometimes you need to adapt a "thing" to you.. and the iphone and it's shell are a very simple example of that.
Re: The Design of Everyday Things – Book Summary and Notes
#25This is definitely one of the books that has shaped my thinking the most. The book argues very strongly for functional design and design that makes usage obvious. “The way you use a thing should be encoded in the way the thing is, not in a manual”. I’ve been told there’s a follow up that concedes some of this and argues for emotional design. Something a long the lines of “this thing doesn’t need this handle, but it m…
Why hasn't Apple ever made a version with a built-in ruggedized case? I hate putting the case on but in practice it's too fragile of a thing for many people's usage patterns. Seems like one of those things, like the flashlight, where they would see how the people are using it and build it in for a more streamlined experience. I don't want to believe the cynical interpretation that they do it to sell more phones/repai…
> Why hasn't Apple ever made a version with a built-in ruggedized case?
The evil answer is that doing so would remove an income stream for Apple (repairs).
The less evil answer is that not enough people have said they want it, and Apple don't know if people want it or not. Not that that has stopped Apple from doing things before, but who knows, they do seem a bit more conservative today than before.
Re: The Design of Everyday Things – Book Summary and Notes
#26For me one lesson was that when we fail to properly use a thing we should blame that thing for its bad design instead of ourselves. Another was that obviousness of a feature is how that thing will be used. You don't want people placing stuff on top of walls, don't make them flat.
> For me one lesson was that when we fail to properly use a thing we should blame that thing for its bad design instead of ourselves. I think this is a bit too easy. After all it depends on what problem the thing is solving. E.g. if I think of lab test equipment you failing to use it properly might have nothing to do with the design and everything to do with you not having sufficient knowledge in the given domain. I…
> But not every design needs to be usable without instruction, because not every tool/object should be usable without instruction.
This is actually covered in the book. It's really worth a read. It's only ~300 pages with lots of those pages being pictures and diagrams.
Re: The Design of Everyday Things – Book Summary and Notes
#27Earlier quoted context omitted.
I agree. But the context here is a book called The Design of Everyday Things . You know, cups and door handles.
Yeah I know the book. Yet: your comment made it sound like this idea is universally applicable (which as I demonstrated it isn't). Knowing which thing is meant to be an everyday thing and which is meant to require some domain specific knowledge is key. Trying to make some specialized tool easier to use than it should be, can harm the usability of the specialized thing. Treating an everyday object as a specialized thi…
> Yeah I know the book. Yet: your comment made it sound like this idea is universally applicable (which as I demonstrated it isn't).
The comment might read so if you don't have the context, but the context here is everyday things, as is obvious by the title (and the book).
The book also talks (which probably you're familiar with already then) about discerning what is a everyday thing vs not.
Dieter Rams is also mentioned in the book if I remember correctly, as examples of good user experience, especially since Rams mostly created designs for everyday things.
Re: The Design of Everyday Things – Book Summary and Notes
#28Warning: this book leaves some permanent imprints in your mind that will forever cause you to be annoyed at badly designed doors and other things.
definitely: handles on push doors
Re: The Design of Everyday Things – Book Summary and Notes
#29I have heard some great things about this book as far as physical design. Has this book inspired any insights on design of software or other engineering related topics?
I'm not sure how directly, but the old User interface Hall of Shame lists it in its recommended reading section...
Re: The Design of Everyday Things – Book Summary and Notes
#30Well the reality of industrial designers is quite interesting. I have a good friend who is doing this (his own small studio) and as someone with a software background the processes are mind boggling. The politics involved are amazing. Weeks of debating color choices. Back and forth between departments (including the realization at a couple of month in that production costs would be through the roof...something mentioned on slidset 1, week 1) etc. etc.
It was also eye opening for my naive world view that awards are simply bought. A red dot award is basically pay sum x and you are guaranteed to "win".