The Design of Everyday Things

In his book, Donald Norman gives his thoughts on good and bad design, using common objects as his examples. The first chapter gives some important considerations when designing objects:

• Affordances - Does the design indicate the proper use?
  
• Conceptual models - Does the design make it easy to determine how the device works?
  
• Visibility - Does the design make its functions apparent?
• Mapping - Does the design of the device's controls have a strong correlation with the action they perform?
• Feedback - Does the device indicate to the user the result of his/her action?

He covers multiple things that hinder and aid good design, as well as how a designer should approach a new (or old) design problem. He applauds doors designed to indicate where to push and derides light switches and stove controls laid out in 1D to control items in 2D. He also points out how people are quick to decide why their computer crashed or why the projector doesn't work, and how this is usually a result of a problem with the above list of design principles.

Towards the end of the book, he begins to extend his points to the design of computers and applications. Many of his earlier points relate as much to the design of doors as they do to the design of computers. He concludes with a message to the designers (and users) of the future, to not ignore design as devices become more powerful and feature-filled.

I felt like Norman's book was an interesting and easy read. (Perhaps it was well designed!) Norman was able to get his point across in a very understandable way by using our own experiences with confusing appliances and easy-to-use (though complex) cars. I learned a lot from his book, or rather, it brought what I already knew into my conscious thought process. I believe that his book will be a good reference for user interface design in the future, as it provides a reminder that design is not just a shiny GUI you slap onto an application; instead, it is a crucial part of the development process that should not be forgotten.