Customer Reviews

Designing for People

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This book, written in 1955, is relevant today in the same way that Fred Brooks' Mythical Man Month has retained its relevance over time.

I found this book very pleasant to read, because Dreyfuss explains his approach to design consulting in an almost anecdotal way without sacrificing the seriousness of the subject. For example, while discussing the importance of investigating users needs, he tells stories about having driven locomotives, spread manure, and performing service calls for the phone company. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the tone of the book lacked the kind of egoism often seen in books like this. Dreyfuss uses language like "we," "our contribution," and "the industrial designer," and includes examples of mistakes and missteps as well as good design examples. In fact, chapter 15, "Not by Design," is devoted to instances where the practitioners made errors and mistaken assumptions.

I recommend reading this book; the design principles put forth transcend many years, and it is as entertaining as it is informative..

Dreyfuss' "Designing for People" proved an inspiring collection of anecdotes and stories exemplifying the true functions of an industrial designer. Nostalgia combined with some sage-like advice, Dreyfuss reminds the designer of his or her role in the product development field. To paraphrase Dreyfuss: the industrial designer is a person who wears many hats; one who is part artist, engineer, businessman, researcher, politician, builder, and guinea pig. His assessment is accurate and proven, and his words of wisdom should be used as a guideline for all industrial designers in modern times.

That said, Dreyfuss does tend to come across very matter-of-factly at times, leaving little gray area in his black and white world. As a result Mr. Dreyfuss sides with the Bauhaus approach where form follows function-indeed, he often mentions the resulting form of a product as a side-note, if he mentions it at all. Whereas this may be an annoyance for some readers, the lessons you take away from his life experiences are truly informative and insightful.

As the amount of 3D design in product development grows, designers today are faced with the difficulty of "skin designing" verses thoughtful, foundation-based designing. If nothing else, this book should serve as inspiration for those of us in the field to design based on function and aesthetics-we have a duty and responsibility to client and society to base designs on research and thoughtfulness, not simply the known tools in a computer program. In any case, DFP should be on the required reading list for industrial design students to teach the history and guidelines of our profession. "Designing for People" serves as not only a reminder of the way it used to be, but it also inspires the designer to believe how it should be now.

Henry Dreyfuss is among the top industrial designers ever, and here he shares many of the experiences from his industrial design projects, many of them dealing with everyday objects that we take for granted.

This book gives insight on many of the thought processes involved in the face of the many projects where he had essentially zero direct experience in. His unrelenting focus on "Joe and Josephine" -- the human actually using the product -- has resulted in an array of user-friendly products, even before that term was used.

He also covers almost anything to do with industrial design, or running an industrial design firm, including starting off, relationships with clients, payment issues, staff management, etc.

This book would be interesting for anyone interested in design in general, or even the merely curious who would like to know why some everyday objects are the way they are.

An easy and interesting read.

I come from the engineering world of embedded systems that have small, and seemingly minor, human interfaces. 25 years ago, I began learning that the "minor" human interface, whether a display or keypad or set of buttons, was a large factor in acceptance of the entire device or system. Even in military equipment, a good interface goes a long ways toward ready evaluation and acceptance by the users of the equipment.

This book is well written and easy to read. It provides rationale for good product design - from the outside looking in. For most users of appliances, equipment, or devices, the human interface IS the system. A failure of the human interface, even a perceptual failure that it is not "right" or "good enough," is a failure of the entire system.

I would encourage every engineer and product developer to take several nights and read this book. Then they should keep it on a bookshelf and take it down and re-read it occasionally.

really nice easy to follow chapters, a simply way to understand and learn about design. great for design clients and buyers.

This book is a peek into the mind of one of America's leading industrial designers of the 20th century. In a surprisingly down-to-earth and highly readable style, Dreyfuss recounts how he got into the field, how he started his company, how the design process works, and the designer's relationship with clients, money, and users. The book is full of examples and anecdotes. Although there are many important lessons to be learned from Dreyfuss' wisdom, the book is superficial, not delving into any details.