Book Reading #1: Design of Everyday Things

Reaction to the Book in General:
     "The Design of Everyday Things" will forever change the way I look at objects and devices and especially doors for my foreseeable future. Donal Norman does a good job of pointing out flaws in designs (maybe too good of a job), and provides a basis for how things should be implemented if we want a more carefree life with our devices. Although it is clearly set in the past, I think his philosophy still applies to design in today's time.
     His principles of design hold true because they capture not an issue with a certain device but a way of designing. His principles of design are:

1. use both knowledge in the world and knowledge in the head
2. simplify the structure of the task
3. make things visible
4. get mappings right
5. exploit the power of constraints (natural and artificial)
6. design for error
7. standardize if all else fails

When you look at that list, you realize that if it was used more frequently in production of today's devices, life would be a bit simpler. 

     The three principles that really stood out to me from this list, though, were "making things visible", "getting mappings right", and "designing for error." Making things visible is so important because, without providing feedback to the user, there is no way for them to know if what they are trying to do is actually being done. A design can only be successful if the the gulf of execution and evaluation is properly bridged. 

     The freezer/refrigerator model of a poor system image that Norman gives is really a great illustration of a system image gone wrong and therefore a poor conceptual model for the user. This can be seen as poor visibility for the user, or as my second favorite point is, it could be poor mapping. I think getting mapping right is so very important and there is often a struggle with that with devices these days due to the "creeping featurism"(the tendency to add to the number of features a device can do). It is getting harder and harder to provide the functions users want, but also make it where they actually know how to use them. I think the dilemma of "more buttons means more complexity", but "less buttons means poor mapping" is a tough one to figure out, but it is just something that designing with the user in mind entails.

    This idea of designing for the user isn't more relevant than with the issue of designing for error. People are going to make mistakes with devices and use them the wrong way, no matter how well you think you designed it. Designing with this in mind though, as Norman states, makes the device much more useable. By making actions easy to undo or permanent actions harder to do, lots of frustration can be avoided.

     Overall, I think the book was a very good read. At points I did get frustrated with what seemed unnecessary complaining from Dr. Norman, as it seemed he exaggerated the problems of objects to prove his point (i.e. the light switches and faucet examples). I do think his principles of design are excellent as has been proven by their stand of the test of time, and, as I said, I will definitely appreciate the design of everyday things a lot more now.

Chapter 1 Reaction:
     This book brought about many new ways of thinking for me. I have only read chapter one so far, but it is already changing the way I look at "everyday things." Norman makes many great points about the complexity of technology these days and how the many functions of our devices are making these harder as opposed to easier. I completely agree with this view and find that there is a definite need for more research of design when a product is created. With so many functions crammed into devices, operating them is becoming less and less intuitive. My parents just bought a new Ford Explorer with all of the in dash video controls and light and A/C adjustments, it makes me feel like I'm on a space ship. If it makes me -- the computer engineer -- feel overwhelmed, then I know they don't stand a chance of using all the functions. I don't necessarily blame the designers for these difficulties, because I know I would find it hard to please the manufacturer, the stores, the customer and deciding between functionality and usability; but I think Norman is on to something when he points out this great problem that affects most of our everyday things.

Chapter 2 Reaction:
     In chapter 2 of "Design of Everyday Things", Norman  discussed the Psychology of everyday actions. He points out that people tend to blame themselves instead of the design of an object when it comes to operating what should be a simple device. I agree with him on this matter and I think the keyboard and secretary example is a great illustration of this problem. The secretaries were inappropriately using the return/enter key on the keyboard, but did not report anything because they assumed it was their fault instead of blaming the design of the keyboard. As Norman points out, a lot of these errors of everyday actions could be fixed with better feedback and visibility built into the designs of everyday things.

Chapter 3 Reaction:
     Chaper 3 got a little philosophical on me, and I was worried he would not tie it back into the design of things, but in the end, Norman brought together how Knowledge in the Head and in the World relates to design. As he points out, if something is out of sight, it is out of mind. You can't expect users to remember arbitrary things (rote learning). One good point that I think Norman made is that "if it needs labels, then you should rethink your design because it is flawed." You can give subtle hints with knowledge in the world (such as the stove top switches having mapping that is equal to location of the burners), but expecting the user to have knowledge in the head about all the devices these days is bad design. (Side note: I did not appreciate how he did not say which penny was the correct version. I had to go look it up because I did not know either.)

Chapter 4 Reaction:
     In chapter 4, Norman starts to talk about "knowing what to do" when it comes to using devices. I think his viewpoint of making everything more visible and with better feedback, but I think in this chapter he takes it a little too far. I think Norman starts to totally disregard style in his designs and aims completely for functionality instead. I just do not think this is a plausible way of doing things. Everything should not have to be completely self explanatory at the cost of everything else. I think he underestimates people and their ability to deduce how an item is used. Just because some people make a mistake every once in a while, does not mean that a component is a failure.

Chapter 5 Reaction:
     Chapter 5 discusses how "to err is Human", which is essentially saying that everyone makes mistakes. Norman discusses how it is the designer's job to make those mistakes less costly. Some good points he makes are putting yourself in the user's point of view and assume that every possible mishap will happen (which is key, because users are not always the smartest when it comes to operating devices). He also talks about making actions reversible, which I think is a great point and also very applicable to CHI and my work in Computer Engineering as a whole. This cannot always be done though, and that is why I think Norman's point of making irreversible errors less costly as a great philosophy.

Chapter 6 Reaction:
I think chapter 6 is one of the chapters that actually starts to point out the difficulties of being a designer. I feel in the earlier chapters so far, Norman has just complained about how hard devices are to use and disregarding style, costs, etc. Chapter 6 references the design challenge and the difficulties of finding the right balance between costs, usability, and style. His take on the computer was very impressive, considering the time written. The amazing thing is that even today, his remarks still apply in the sense that the goal of computing is to make the computer disappear.

Chapter 7 Reaction:
    This final chapter of the book was very thoughtful and somewhat tied everything discussed before it together. Chapter 7 focused on user-centered design, which is essentially what the book is all about -- providing a product the user can use efficiently and learn easily. I found the mention of standardization an important topic and I think Norman addressed it well (as he points out, the keyboard and analog clock have always bothered me with their designs). I also liked the section on deliberately making things difficult, because this is something that is not often thought of even though security and other factors he mentions are very prevalent. The ending to his book also drives home the point of his book. He wants to stop not only bad design, but the support of it. He obviously has a lot of peeves when it comes to designs (as he mentions many), and it has a lot to do with the fact that we keep buying the poorly designed products like he says. I will definitely send weeds to the next designer who doesn't practice good design.

5 Examples of Good Design:

Glow in the Dark Light Switch
This light switch is very good design because it's off mode provides both good feedback to the user that it is off as well as a helpful indicator as to where it is. This is great because if a light is off, that means it is usually dark. This was great foresight by the designer for thinking ahead to how the object would be used. This was a very simple but eloquent design feature, not too obtrusive, but jus the right amount of indicator light.







Apple Laptop Charger

The Apple laptop charger is a great device for many reasons and you can definitely tell some serious thought went into what would otherwise seem a trivial device. First off, the plug in is magnetic, so as to aid in the proper placement of the charger; try to plug it into the ethernet port (right by it) and it does not click in. It also has the physical constrains of only fitting two ways, and both ways work. The third reason it is of good design is because of its indicator light. It provides a visual to the user to let them know that the laptop is charging, along with changing from orange to green when fully charged. This way the computer does not even have to be opened to know if it is charging and/or completed charging.

Styrofoam Cooler
This styrofoam cooler is proof that just because something is made to be bought for cheap, does not mean it has to be cheap. Some solid design was put into this simple device, as it has the physical constraint of not opening and spilling while being carried. The handle puts pressure on the lid latches to keep the lid locked. For an object that did not cost a lot, it was designed to prevent error and does a good job of it.




MaroonBike (Chain-less & Air-less)

The maroon bike makers definitely had their users in mind when they were creating their design. With airless tires (solid polyurethane), flats are not an issue. With no chain, there is nothing for your pants to get caught in while riding. It also has a built in bike lock and bike powered LED lights. It just seems everything was thought of when this bike was designed for the casual college student just trying to get around campus, but all these features kept the same operation of a normal bike and very useable.





Helpfully Shaped Key:

This key is a very great design. It solves the problem of keys looking ambiguous and yet only fitting one way. With the black portion, it affords a grip like a pistol, and therefore the correct orientation for insertion into the ignition. This is very helpful at night when scrambling for the key and being able to know that it correctly held for proper placement.














5 Examples of Bad Design:

Ceiling Fan
Which String Controls the Light...and Which Fan Speed am I On?

I think all ceiling fans have this issue and it has tricked me many times over the years. The draw strings seem identical and it is very hard to tell which controls the light and which controls the fan. I have on many occasions pulled the fan string hoping to turn off the lights. You then have to pull the fan string multiple times until you get back to the proper speed. That brings me to my second issue with the ceiling fan -- there is no indication of which fan speed you are currently on -- no feedback. You have to just wait for the fan to either slow down to make sure it is off or speed all the way up and guess by the sound of it that it is at full speed. Poor design that seems to go unnoticed.



Fishing Lure Box

Don't forget to lock before lifting handle...

The fishing lure box is a great invention. You can store all sorts of different lures and hooks and bobbers etc. in it. It conveniently pops out so you can view all of these easily. My complaint is that the handle is on the lid. You may only do this once, because it is so frustrating, but if you ever forget to latch the front lock on the box before picking up by the handle, the lid pops open and spits out everything. The trays are supposed to easily slide out, and so when given this opportunity, they will gladly pop out and spill all contents inside. So while the inside of the box is a great idea, location of the handle could maybe be reconsidered.

Surge Protector

This surge protector has a couple problems in my mind. First off, the 3-prong plugs afford you to plug in your devices vertically. This is great except for when you have a full protector with multiple 3-prong plugs because these types of plugs generally then take up two sockets  because they cover up the second one with where the cord is trailing (or in the case of the Apple charger, the box covers up a socket). I do not know if this is the fault of the surge protector or the plug designers because now there are plugs that point out sideways, and so there now seems to be no fully compatible way to orient the sockets on the surge protector. This seems to be an issue of no standardization. A second problem with this surge protector's design is that the on/off switch is on the same side as the sockets. This gives way to the problem (as illustrated in the picture) of larger plugs completely blocking the on/off switch. It seems this popular version of the surge protector could use some better design.

Toaster Oven

The toaster oven has a two features that I think merit bad design. The first problem is the timer (bottom right knob). In order to operate on times longer than 10 minutes, you just turn the knob to the choice, but to operate for less than 10 minutes, you must first turn the knob to 10 minutes and then back to the lesser value. Nowhere does the toaster indicate that this would be necessary. It just provides a poor conceptual model to the user because no one would think to turn past and then back to the time they want. Also, the feature of having to reach into a small hot oven to get out your food is poor design as well. A possible solution would be to have the oven tray slide out with the door when it is opened so there would be less burning of the top of the hand.

The Wii-Mote = Broken TV Screen

The wii controller is an example of bad design because of it's smooth grip. The designers were obviously focusing more on style instead of thinking about how the device would be used. The smoothness of the controller creates the issue of it flying out of the user's hand because of the rapid movement involved in wii gaming. Yes, Nintendo did try to solve this by adding the strap, but as can be seen in the pictures, it breaks quite easily due to it's thin nature (and that is if the user even takes the time to put it on). This could have been solved with a simple rubber grip, but the designers did not design with error in mind, but instead with style and looks in mind.