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The Design of Everyday Things [Paperback]

Donald Norman (Author)

4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (33 customer reviews)

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Product details

Paperback: 270 pages
Publisher: MIT Press; Reprint edition (9 Sep 1998)
Language English
ISBN-10: 0262640376
ISBN-13: 978-0262640374
Product Dimensions: 22.4 x 15.2 x 1.6 cm

Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (33 customer reviews)

Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 56,459 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #18 in Books > Health, Family & Lifestyle > Psychology & Psychiatry > Applied Psychology > Environmental

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Product Description

Review

"Norman ... makes a strong case for the needlessness of badly conceived and badly designed everyday objects ... [T]his book may herald the beginning of a change in user habits and expectations, a change that manufacturers would be obliged to respond to. Button pushers of the world, unite." --Los Angeles Times

Product Description

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 lies in product design that ignore the needs of users and the principles of cognitive psychology. A bestseller in the United States, this bible on the cognitive aspects of design contains examples of both good and bad design and simple rules that designers can use to improve the usability of objects as diverse as cars, computers, doors, and telephones.

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Inside This Book (Learn More)
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First Sentence
"You would need an engineering degree from MIT to work this," someone once told me, shaking his head in puzzlement over his brand new digital watch. Read the first page

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Customer Reviews

33 Reviews

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

Average Customer Review

4.0 out of 5 stars (33 customer reviews)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A classic., 14 Jun 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Psychology of Everyday Things (Hardcover)

Same book as the paperback "The Design of Everyday Things". Just as good a book under either title. (You'll find more reviews of it under the other title.)

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26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good, but dated, 19 April 2006

Haeg - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Design of Everyday Things (Paperback)

It's an exceptional book, so why have I given it only 4 stars?

Certainly not the books fault, but this book does tend to get recommended to students as the definitive book for software interface design.

The book is quite dated, being just a renamed reprint of 1989 book "The Psychology of Everyday Things", identical content, except with a new foreword.

The insight into the flawed design of everyday objects is amazing, but could have been so much better if instead of just updating the foreword new chapters were added dealing with modern issues (computers, satellite tv, mobile phones, etc).

Reading this book will still make high tech designers better, but don't expect it to be as relevant to you as it was to your lecturer who read it 17 years ago.

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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Design made easy., 3 May 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Design of Everyday Things (Paperback)

You read this book and then you think aha! - thats why I have trouble with my door/kettle/car. Norman manages to inform the reader with interesting examples, backed up by years of research.

One of the easiest ways to sell good design and usability is by showing people what happens if you don't invest enough time and resources. This book provides ample ammunition to any designers who are confronted with clients who require educating, as well as a design solution.

Why not 5 stars? - well, the book could be longer.

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› See all 33 customer reviews on Amazon.co.uk

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› Go to Amazon.com to see all 187 reviews 4.1 out of 5 stars

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Let's read it
If you are a designer in any field, you need to read it just to understand better how the world around you works.

Published 6 months ago by Mr. Benjamin Parisot

5.0 out of 5 stars Open your mind to usability
The Design of Everyday Things is not a common book. It is a book about thinking how things are made, and more important, why they are made that way. Read more

Published 10 months ago by Kartones

4.0 out of 5 stars I can understand why it's a "must read" for designers
This book is obviously about design and everyday things, like doors, taps and electr(on)ic equipment, but it's also about psychology and not so everyday things, like museums,... Read more

Published 13 months ago by Maarten de Vries

2.0 out of 5 stars Not Very Insightful
I am a bit surprised that this has so good reviews. I read it and found it fairly unenjoyable, not very insightful and often I thought "anybody could have written this. Read more

Published 18 months ago by J

5.0 out of 5 stars Keep it simple, stupid!
Actually, the basic principles outlined in this book can be applied to the design of software systems as well. Read more

Published 20 months ago by M.I.

5.0 out of 5 stars The definitive usability classic
Not at all a how-to handbook, but a reading that should (and will) change your point of view when addressing engineering issues related with users. Read more

Published 21 months ago by Joan Alex Ferre Obiol

3.0 out of 5 stars fun and gives a perspective of things designed
one can have fun reading this book while gaining a perspective how the things in daily life should be written a manual and if one is comprehensive enough they could reflect these... Read more

Published 22 months ago by K. Pehlvanolu

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting book about design language and usability
Mixture of popular account and technical detail sit oddly together. Some powerful insights about why some products/designs don't work, but not enough detailed analyst to be really... Read more

Published on 12 Jan 2010 by Jezza

4.0 out of 5 stars A great book, but needs an update
Norman provides very insightful views on why many everyday things are so infuriating to use. His examples range from inscrutable button-filled remote controls to shower faucets... Read more

Published on 1 May 2009 by Neil

5.0 out of 5 stars Extremely Recommended
Anyone doing any kind of interface design, or in any way interested in the way people interact with technology should read this book.

Published on 9 April 2008 by Mr. Gareth R. Thomas

› See all 33 customer reviews on Amazon.co.uk

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