The Design of Everyday Things
by Donald Norman
2002 Basic Books
Chapter 1: The Psychopathology of Everyday Things
Summary
In this chapter, the author laments how unintuitive many simple, everyday objects have become. He notes how many people often are unable to use or are unaware of the existance of the useful features of their gadgets. He concludes by giving examples that intuitively mapped and visible controls, such as the controls for a vehicle, are far easier to learn and use than arbitrarily mapped controls, as might be found in a typical office telephone.
Discussion
Mr. Norman is right on the money with this chapter. I can't count how many classes I've attended where the lecture stalled while the instructor had to wait for tech support. Rule of thumb: never buy a gadget that is smaller than the instruction manual.
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| Poor design can lead to user error |
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