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The Design of Everyday Things (Paperback)

by DA Norman (Author) "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..." (more)

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This item: The Design of Everyday Things by DA Norman
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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 (25 customer reviews)

Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 184,953 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)
Popular in this category:
#41 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
First, businesses discovered quality as a key competitive edge; next came service. Now, Donald A. Norman, former Director of the Institute for Cognitive Science at the University of California, reveals how smart design is the new competitive frontier. The Design of Everyday Things is a powerful primer on how--and why--some products satisfy customers while others only frustrate them. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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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

25 Reviews

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

Average Customer Review

4.0 out of 5 stars (25 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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24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's about your brain, not your taps, 11 April 2002

By	Tom du Pr� (UK) - See all my reviews

This book has very little if anything to do with software design, or even door handle to tap design. These examples are given purely to demonstrate what the book is really about, which the Design of the human brain. Although he talks a lot about the physical objects around us, he continually refers back to why the objects are the way they are and how the human brain makes decisions about how it will interact will them. He is trying to explain that the design of objects does not exist in isolation. An object is not in itself functional. It becomes functional when it begins to interact with its surroundings, and that interaction is frequently with humans. As well as interacting physically with objects, human must interact psychologically with them, although this psychological is frequently (and often should be) sub conscious. Understanding the nature of these subconscious psychological interaction with our surrounding's is what this book is about, and it's very interesting, often amusing, and despite the dodgy 1970's photos, it will be timeless.

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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

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

By A Customer

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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Most Recent Customer Reviews

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 2 months ago 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 15 months ago by Mr. Gareth R. Thomas

5.0 out of 5 stars Industrial design in a nutshell
Dome-headed engineering professors call it "human factors engineering," "interaction design" or "usability engineering," but the purpose of this strangely-named discipline is far... Read more

Published 18 months ago by Rolf Dobelli

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice Argument for Usability, But Misses the Application
"The Design of Everyday Things" by Donald A. Norman is said to be one of those great usability books. I bought mine at a major usability conference, believing the hype. Read more

Published on 25 May 2007 by A.Trendl HungarianBookstore.com

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good, but dated
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... Read more

Published on 19 April 2006 by Haeg

3.0 out of 5 stars Finding Problems with Everyday Things
This book was a required textbook for design module in my BSc course. It's a very interesting read, and you'll enjoy Mr Norman's examples and explanations of why some things work... Read more

Published on 22 Dec 2003 by M. Krzysik

3.0 out of 5 stars Design is an underappreciated skill
We all go through life frustrated by stupid design of everyday things. This book reassures you that you're not cracking up, and that there are others out there who feel the same... Read more

Published on 19 Oct 2003 by Keith Appleyard

3.0 out of 5 stars The is the same as 'Psychology of Everyday Things'
If you already own 'Psychology of Everyday Things' by Donald Norman - don't buy this - it's the same book - just in paperback.

Published on 22 Sep 2002 by Cassandra

1.0 out of 5 stars Outdated undergrad course notes
The book reads as a bound set of lecture notes for a US first year undergrad course. Whilst the core thrust of his argument has value, it is spoilt by labouring the point - time... Read more

Published on 24 Jul 2002 by 99999999999999999

5.0 out of 5 stars It's about your brain not your taps
...This book has very little if anything to do with software design, or even door handle to tap design. Read more

Published on 11 April 2002 by Tom du Pr�

› See all 25 customer reviews...

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The Design of Everyday Things

First, businesses discovered quality as a key competitive edge; next... Read more
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