References:
Title: Design of Everyday Things
Author:Donald A. Norman
Venue: Edited by ; 1990
Chapter #1:
Summary:
In this chapter, Norman indicates design problems that he has faced in his travels and indicates some valuable concepts for design. Some of these concepts include mapping and conceptual models.
Discussion:
This chapter gave me a positive feeling about the book. By starting out with stories of bad design and then explaining where they went wrong, you get a better idea of what a good design might be.
Chapter #2:
Summary:
In this chapter, Norman describes the natural though processes of human beings and shows through examples how not considering these processes can cause usability issues. He then gives a checklist to use when designing to alleviate such issues. He also discusses the psychology of why people blame themselves rather than products when errors due to design occur.
Discussion:
I enjoyed this chapter because it explained something that I have found curious -- the reason non-technical people such as my mother find technology so frustrating. Knowing this, I have a good reason to use these ideas when I design my own projects.
Chapter #3:
Summary:
In this chapter, Norman talks about the ways our minds work, and the advantages and disadvantages of relying on the user remembering how to use the product versus giving them the information on your device. He describes how people remember and for how long, and then recommends not relying upon the user's memory if possible.
Discussion:
I found this chapter interesting just from a psychological perspective. Hearing how people put things in their minds to remember things was fun to read. However, I don't feel that I learned anything in particular in regards to design; instead, he reiterated his design concepts in the frame of this new information.
Chapter #4:
Summary:
In this chapter, Norman talks about providing useful visual data in product design. He mentions concepts such as imposing proper constraints on the user as well as giving correct physical feedback. Finally, he discusses some design ideas that appear to be ahead of their time, such as using displays on common objects to ease their use.
Discussion:
I found this chapter interesting mainly because of some statements that Norman's students make about design concepts that they would like to see in the future. The concepts include having track and artist information on CDs, as well as channel and program information on TVs. These concepts are widely used today, and it makes this chapter seem quite prophetic.
Chapter #5:
Summary:
In this chapter, Norman describes how the human mind itself lends itself to everyday errors. He describes errors in two categories, slips and mistakes, and describes why people think they happen. Finally, he gives a few brief rules to help designers mitigate errors that their users will make.
Discussion:
This chapter interested me because it gave justifications for errors that I know I have made in the past. I was slightly disappointed in the low amount of design tips in this chapter, but I am sure that the next chapter will give more pointers.
Chapter #6:
Summary:
In this chapter, Norman describes the many perils of the designer throughout the design process. He further explains by showing good and bad examples of design from the real world again. Finally, he discusses computer designs past and present and talks about what he would like to see in the future.
Discussion:
There were actually a lot of things I liked about this chapter. First of all, he again gave solid examples of his design concepts that I understood. Also, I liked the call-outs to the Xerox Star and classic Macintosh. Finally, his "electronic calendar" concept reminded me in a way of Google Calendar, because I use it in a similar fashion.
Chapter #7:
Summary:
In this chapter, Norman reviews the tenets of good design and gives pointers on intentionally designing things poorly for security purposes. He then looks forward to the designs of the future and also describes his fears of it.
Discussion:
I really liked this chapter not only because it wrapped the book up nicely, but also because the section on intentionally making things difficult will be useful for game design. He mentions the applications in Dungeons and Dragons briefly, but I think it will have even more uses in other games as well.
Title: Design of Everyday Things
Author:Donald A. Norman
Venue: Edited by ; 1990
Chapter #1:
Summary:
In this chapter, Norman indicates design problems that he has faced in his travels and indicates some valuable concepts for design. Some of these concepts include mapping and conceptual models.
Discussion:
This chapter gave me a positive feeling about the book. By starting out with stories of bad design and then explaining where they went wrong, you get a better idea of what a good design might be.
Chapter #2:
Summary:
In this chapter, Norman describes the natural though processes of human beings and shows through examples how not considering these processes can cause usability issues. He then gives a checklist to use when designing to alleviate such issues. He also discusses the psychology of why people blame themselves rather than products when errors due to design occur.
Discussion:
I enjoyed this chapter because it explained something that I have found curious -- the reason non-technical people such as my mother find technology so frustrating. Knowing this, I have a good reason to use these ideas when I design my own projects.
Chapter #3:
Summary:
In this chapter, Norman talks about the ways our minds work, and the advantages and disadvantages of relying on the user remembering how to use the product versus giving them the information on your device. He describes how people remember and for how long, and then recommends not relying upon the user's memory if possible.
Discussion:
I found this chapter interesting just from a psychological perspective. Hearing how people put things in their minds to remember things was fun to read. However, I don't feel that I learned anything in particular in regards to design; instead, he reiterated his design concepts in the frame of this new information.
Chapter #4:
Summary:
In this chapter, Norman talks about providing useful visual data in product design. He mentions concepts such as imposing proper constraints on the user as well as giving correct physical feedback. Finally, he discusses some design ideas that appear to be ahead of their time, such as using displays on common objects to ease their use.
Discussion:
I found this chapter interesting mainly because of some statements that Norman's students make about design concepts that they would like to see in the future. The concepts include having track and artist information on CDs, as well as channel and program information on TVs. These concepts are widely used today, and it makes this chapter seem quite prophetic.
Chapter #5:
Summary:
In this chapter, Norman describes how the human mind itself lends itself to everyday errors. He describes errors in two categories, slips and mistakes, and describes why people think they happen. Finally, he gives a few brief rules to help designers mitigate errors that their users will make.
Discussion:
This chapter interested me because it gave justifications for errors that I know I have made in the past. I was slightly disappointed in the low amount of design tips in this chapter, but I am sure that the next chapter will give more pointers.
Chapter #6:
Summary:
In this chapter, Norman describes the many perils of the designer throughout the design process. He further explains by showing good and bad examples of design from the real world again. Finally, he discusses computer designs past and present and talks about what he would like to see in the future.
Discussion:
There were actually a lot of things I liked about this chapter. First of all, he again gave solid examples of his design concepts that I understood. Also, I liked the call-outs to the Xerox Star and classic Macintosh. Finally, his "electronic calendar" concept reminded me in a way of Google Calendar, because I use it in a similar fashion.
Chapter #7:
Summary:
In this chapter, Norman reviews the tenets of good design and gives pointers on intentionally designing things poorly for security purposes. He then looks forward to the designs of the future and also describes his fears of it.
Discussion:
I really liked this chapter not only because it wrapped the book up nicely, but also because the section on intentionally making things difficult will be useful for game design. He mentions the applications in Dungeons and Dragons briefly, but I think it will have even more uses in other games as well.
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