The Design of Everyday Things
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 book is part polemic, part science, part serious and part fun. It examines...
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Donald Norman's best-selling plea for user-friendly design, with more than 175,000 copies sold to date, is now a Basic paperback."Provocative."--Time magazine
Preface to the Paperback EditionvPrefaceix1The Psychopathology of Everyday Things12The Psychology of Everyday Actions343Knowledge in the Head and in the World544Knowing What to Do815To Err Is Human1056The Design Challenge1417User-Centered Design187Notes219Suggested Readings237References241Index249
\ From Barnes & Noble\ \ Fatbrain Review\ This book is part polemic, part science, part serious and part fun. It examines the effect of poor design and equipment failure on human behavior. Intended for a general audience, it covers user-centered design, the psychopathology of everyday things and the psychology of everyday actions.\ Highlights:\ \ Explores doors as an example of a product that everyone should know how to use, and yet, when poorly designed can create confusion.\ Discusses slide projectors, telephone systems, refrigerators and car radio speakers.\ Examines people's tendency to blame their own misfortunes on the environment, while others would blame that person's misfortunes on their personality.\ Includes advice on the simplification of task structure: keep the task much the same, but provide mental aids, or automate while keeping the task much the same.\ Covers the typewriter as a case history in the evolution of design.\ \ Advantages:\ \ Contains examples, stories and scenarios to clarify points.\ Discusses a variety of products, many of which are accompanied by photographs.\ \ Related Titles:\ To obtain more information on usability, try An Introduction to Usability. For information on software usability, check out User-Centered Information Design : Improving Software Usability Through Effective Communication.\ \ \
