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The Design Of Everyday Things Paperback – Illustrated, November 5, 2013
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Even the smartest among us can feel inept as we fail to figure out which light switch or oven burner to turn on, or whether to push, pull, or slide a door.
The fault, argues this ingenious -- even liberating -- book, lies not in ourselves, but in product design that ignores the needs of users and the principles of cognitive psychology. The problems range from ambiguous and hidden controls to arbitrary relationships between controls and functions, coupled with a lack of feedback or other assistance and unreasonable demands on memorization.
The Design of Everyday Things shows that good, usable design is possible. The rules are simple: make things visible, exploit natural relationships that couple function and control, and make intelligent use of constraints. The goal: guide the user effortlessly to the right action on the right control at the right time.
The Design of Everyday Things is a powerful primer on how -- and why -- some products satisfy customers while others only frustrate them.
- Print length368 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- Publication dateNovember 5, 2013
- Dimensions5.5 x 0.92 x 8.25 inches
- ISBN-109780465050659
- ISBN-13978-0465050659
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From the Publisher
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| The Design of Future Things | Emotional Design | Things That Make Us Smart | |
| Customer Reviews |
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4.5 out of 5 stars
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| Price | $15.09$15.09 | $10.79$10.79 | $11.99$11.99 |
| Explore the Works of Don Norman | This is a consumer-oriented look at the perils and promise of the smart objects of the future, and a cautionary tale for designers of these objects-many of which are already in use or development. | From roller coasters to robots, sports cars to smartphones, attractive things work better. Whether designer or consumer, user or inventor, this book is the definitive guide to making Norman’s insights work for you. | This book explores the complex interaction between human thought and the technology it creates, arguing for the development of machines that fit our minds, rather than minds that must conform to the machine. |
Editorial Reviews
Review
"This book changed the field of design. As the pace of technological change accelerates, the principles in this book are increasingly important. The new examples and ideas about design and product development make it essential reading."―Patrick Whitney, Dean, Institute of Design, and Steelcase/Robert C. Pew Professor of Design, Illinois Institute of Technology
"Twenty-five years ago The Design of Everyday Things was instrumental in orienting my approach to design. With this latest revised and expanded edition, Don Norman has given me a host of new ideas to explore as well as reminding me of the fundamental principles of great and meaningful design. Part operating manual for designers and part manifesto on the power of designing for people, The Design of Everyday Things is even more relevant today than it was when first published."―Tim Brown, CEO, IDEO, and author of Change by Design
"Design may be our top competitive edge. This book is a joy--fun and of the utmost importance."―Tom Peters, author of the national best-seller In Search of Excellence
About the Author
Product details
- ASIN : 0465050654
- Publisher : Basic Books; Revised edition (November 5, 2013)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 368 pages
- ISBN-10 : 9780465050659
- ISBN-13 : 978-0465050659
- Item Weight : 13.6 ounces
- Dimensions : 5.5 x 0.92 x 8.25 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #2,907 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1 in Industrial & Product Design
- #1 in Retailing Industry (Books)
- #127 in Psychology & Counseling
- Customer Reviews:
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Design Principles Changed the way I Saw The World!
Ray's Reviews

About the authors

Don Norman takes special delight in the interaction of people and technology. "Develop the skill of observation," he says, "and especially pay attention to the obvious, for this is where you will discover many hidden insights. What seems to be obvious often is not."
Business Week has named him one of "the world's most influential designers," the influence from his books, essays, courses and students, lectures, and consulting.
He is a fellow of many organizations, including the American Association of Arts and Sciences. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineers and former lots of things, including VP at Apple Computer, President of a startup, and co-founder of the Nielsen Norman group. He has honorary degrees from the University of Padua (Italy), the Technical University Delft (the Netherlands), and the University of San Marino. He was awarded the Benjamin Franklin medal in Computer and Cognitive Science and the Sir Misha Black medal for contributions to Design Education.
He is known for his books "The Design of Everyday Things," "Emotional Design," "Living with Complexity," and "The Design of Future Things," but he is most proud of his students all over the world, who put into practice his human-centered design philosophy.
His latest book is Design for a Better World: meaningful, sustainable, humanity centered" which draws upon his rich history to address some of the most pressing problems facing the world today. The real issues are not technical, nor can they be solved simply by technology. The most difficult is human behavior, which is why design can play such an important role. Design is a way of thinking, of solving the core underlying issues, combining a knowledge of technology, all areas of human activity, and most important of all, human behavior.
He lives at www.jnd.org, where you can find chapters from his books and loads of essays.

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more
Customer reviews
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the book insightful, interesting, and good for anyone involved in product usability. They also say the examples are up to date and tie in concepts. Opinions are mixed on the writing style, with some finding it well-written and simple, while others say it's hard to get through and the author repeats himself a lot.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the book insightful, covering a lot of the basics. They also appreciate the good use of tables and charts to complement the narrative. Readers also say the book is important, seminal, and a good primer for the design field. They say it gives a different perspective to user interface designs.
"...My point is that this book provides an EXCELLENT perspective on the things we SHOULD be paying attention to when we design things... and it's great..." Read more
"...There is a particularly illuminating chapter explaining why fridge controls and stove controls (among many other things) come in so many different..." Read more
"...5. Good use of tables and charts to complement the narrative.6. Throughout the book there is an emphasis on what constitutes good design...." Read more
"...The readability is much lower but the content depth is far more extensive...." Read more
Customers find the book design good and eye opening.
"...of thinking into print, to remind us that designs need to be both attractive, functional, and practical, before we forget that little detail entirely." Read more
"...19. Many great examples of sound design thinking. The Human-Centered Design Process. “..." Read more
"...I’d say this book has poor intellectual design, which says enough about a book that is supposedly a classic in the design field...." Read more
"...Do not misunderstand me, The Design of Everyday Things is a good book...." Read more
Customers find the book interesting, fun, and poignant. They also say the author is brilliant and the jokes are rare and delivered with a deadpan.
"...What else? It's also short, well-written and entertaining. The jokes are rare, poignant, and usually delivered with a deadpan snark...." Read more
"...Good conceptual models are the key to understandable, enjoyable products: good communication is the key to good conceptual models.”..." Read more
"...This is a very interesting subject; a subject that I have read about extensively. However, this just was not the book I was looking for...." Read more
"Its not often you find a book that is both entertaining and informative at the same time but this one does it...." Read more
Customers have mixed opinions about the writing style of the book. Some find it well written and easy to understand, while others find it patronizing, condescending, and repetitive.
"...It also walks you through the typical interaction cycle, from the idea of action that user wants to perform, to the interpretation of feedback they..." Read more
"...The readability is much lower but the content depth is far more extensive...." Read more
"...21. Notes, references, and so much more…Negatives:1. I would have liked to have seen more examples of product failure...." Read more
"...layman's book for the curious and design-conscious, this book is terribly pedantic, repetitive, and dry...." Read more
Customers are mixed about the humor in the book. Some find it well-written and humorous, while others say the tone is irritatingly narcissistic and brain-raping.
"...What else? It's also short, well-written and entertaining. The jokes are rare, poignant, and usually delivered with a deadpan snark...." Read more
"...First, I found his writing style to be patronizing and even condescending at times...." Read more
"...Well written and humorous, a great read for founders, product managers, designers, engineers and others." Read more
"...despite the massive knowledge bombs being dropped on your head, it's a humorous book. I think this will be a book that I return to yearly." Read more
Reviews with images
Good book so far.
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Top reviews
Top reviews from the United States
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I've read a few reviews that essentially accused the author of being a cranky old guy complaining about how the world has changed - and I must agree with them. However, as far as I'm concerned, it's a message that needs to be heard. Not all change is good... and, many times, change makes the world more complicated to navigate... often in ways that are not at all helpful. Many modern products are very poorly designed when it comes to little details like practicality and usability. And too many designers of modern equipment and software expect their users to either already know how to use their product - or to be willing to do extensive research, or read a long detailed manual, before being able to use it. When I purchased my last new car I didn't need to read a book before being able to drive it off the lot. So why DID I need to look up the details about how to make a phone call on my new phone? Shouldn't how to make a simple phone call be simpler and more obvious than how to drive car? And, likewise, shouldn't it be obvious how to turn a lamp on and off? Doesn't this seem like a bit of a step backwards to you?
Advanced features are very nice, and can be really handy once you understand them, and set them up, but you shouldn't need a manual to make a simple phone call. (If you were trapped in a burning building, and you found a phone lying on the floor, but it wasn't the same brand as the one you normally use, would you be able to figure out how to call 911 on it? And, for that matter, could you even trust that a modern hotel room would have a plain old light switch located at the normal spot on the wall next to the door?)
My point is that this book provides an EXCELLENT perspective on the things we SHOULD be paying attention to when we design things... and it's great that someone is putting that sort of thinking into print, to remind us that designs need to be both attractive, functional, and practical, before we forget that little detail entirely.
Developers love this book, because it's good (duh!) and also because it comes with recommendations from several luminaries in the field, most notably Jeff Atwood, the co-founder of StackOverflow. I'm no exception. It helped shift my focus from making software that does its job well, to making software that helps its users do their jobs well. It explains in very simple terms why you should care about how users experience and interact with the things you make and how to start thinking about making their interactions more satisfying and rewarding. It also walks you through the typical interaction cycle, from the idea of action that user wants to perform, to the interpretation of feedback they receive; it is a tremendous help when you are trying to 'debug' the interactions and figure out the exact reason why users find your design distracting, irritating or counter-intuitive.
There are sections clarifying the terms you might have heard elsewhere but don't know exactly what they mean (A/B testing, root cause analysis, iterative vs. waterfall approach) or how they might help you improve your design. There is a particularly illuminating chapter explaining why fridge controls and stove controls (among many other things) come in so many different and incompatible designs, how companies are trying to solve this problem with standardization and why standards sometimes create more problems than they solve.
What else? It's also short, well-written and entertaining. The jokes are rare, poignant, and usually delivered with a deadpan snark. To give you an example,
"The typewriter was a radical innovation that had a dramatic impact upon office and home writing. It helped provide a role for women in offices as typists and secretaries, which led to the redefinition of the job of secretary to be a dead end rather than the first step toward an executive position".
Nice, huh?
To summarize: buy this book if you want to know more about design in general and/or become a better designer to complement your other skills. Don't buy this book if you expect a huge how-to manual or a cookbook aimed at experienced designers.
Top reviews from other countries
About the book, its a revolutionary book that will make you think. Some examples given are outdated but you can still benefit from the core idea the author discuss.






























