Summary:
There are many factors to be considered in the design process that many people disregard everyday. These are simple factors that are linked to human psychology and the way we use everyday things.
Things we use in everyday life are sometimes overly complicated. It is very common for a user to blame themselves for not using the design properly when in fact, it is just a poor design.
A well done design gives the user clues on how to use it. It considers the fact that the human mind looks for clues to make sense of the world. The visual aspect of the product should not be so complicated that it hides all clues for the user. There are several more things that need to be considered when creating a design.
Having a good conceptual model is important as well as a user model. The needs of the user need to be the basis of the design. Standardizing is also something to be considered based on what type of product you are designing.
Keeping what the user knows or will need to know is important in a design. How will they obtain this information? Will they need prior knowledge or is the information obtainable in the world? These are good questions to ask while considering how the user will interact with a design.
Mapping and feedback should not be complicated. They way the interface is operated and how the functions are laid out are too complicated today. If the interface uses buttons then each button should do something different. If there are two similar functions then the buttons should be separated as not to be confused. Each button should be labeled somehow so the user does not get confused. After a function is executed feedback from the system should inform the user so they are not in question of its functionality.
Designing for error and creating constraints for the user is a subtle aspect of the design process but should not be forgotten. Errors are very common and cannot be avoided. If the design is done well then it will accommodate some of the common mistakes for the system somehow, forcing functions could be one way to improve error handling. By paying attention to the constraints you can prevent the user from doing certain actions. This is a form of clue for the user to figure out what is going on and possibly what needs to be done.
All of these aspects should be addressed when considering design. Psychology and a lot of the designs we deal with everyday affect how users approach and operate products and if this is kept in mind than a more successful design can be created.
Discussion:
I really enjoyed this book and it gave me a different perspective on an aspect of the design process that I had never really given much thought to. What I took mainly from this book was the actual things we can think of when designing something. The psychology just convinced me that what Norman was saying is indeed true and is important to consider.
All of the things described in this book are linked together by what kind of designs we see today, which are sometimes too complicated, and how we as humans approach tasks and todays designs effect on us. When thinking about the book in terms of what I've just described I actually think this book was brilliant.
I agree with what you're saying here about the psychology in the book, but I actually think that in some places you can take more away from the psychology aspects than the design. Many of the design concepts he mentions can only readily be applied to physical objects; if you keep the psychological concepts like mental models and memory limits in mind, you can extend them to more abstract designs like game design.
ReplyDeleteEither way though, there's a lot to learn from this book, and the entertaining way it's written makes it that much easier to digest.