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The Psychology of Everyday Things (Hardcover)

by Donald A. 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)
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
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Even the smartest among us can feel inept as we fail to figure our which light switch or oven burner to turn on, or whether to push, pull, or slide a door. The fault, argues this fascinating, ingeniouseven liberatingbook, 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 book presents examples aplentyamong them, the VCR, computer, and office telephone, all models of how not to design for people. But 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. But the designer must care. The author is a world-famous psychologist and pioneer in the application of cognitive science. His aim is to raise the consciousness of both consumers and designers to the delights of products that are easy to use and understand.


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This is the only updated edition, and the only one to include Don Norman's brand new introduction. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
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Inside This Book (Learn More)
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"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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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews

25 Reviews
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A classic., 14 Jun 1999
By A Customer
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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15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Very good, but dated, 19 April 2006
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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25 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars It's about your brain, not your taps, 11 April 2002
This review is from: The Design of Everyday Things (Paperback)
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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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 6 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 19 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 22 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

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 18 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 Pré

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect for anyone with even the slightest interest in usab.
This was recommended reading in my undergrad psychology course, and it has changed my life. After reading this book I decided to continue research into usability. Read more
Published on 19 Jan 2001 by Caylus

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