The Design of Everyday Things
by: Donald A. Norman
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Amazon.com Review:
Anyone who designs anythingto be used by humans--from physical objects to computer programs toconceptual tools--must read this book, and it is an equally tremendous read for anyone who hasto use anything created by another human. It could foreverchange how you experience and interact with your physicalsurroundings, open your eyes to the perversity of bad design and the desirability of good design, and raise your expectationsabout how things should bedesigned.
Product Description:
Donald Norman's best-selling plea for user-friendly design, with more than 175,000 copies sold to date, is now a Basic paperback.
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.
Anyone who designs anythingto be used by humans--from physical objects to computer programs toconceptual tools--must read this book, and it is an equally tremendous read for anyone who hasto use anything created by another human. It could foreverchange how you experience and interact with your physicalsurroundings, open your eyes to the perversity of bad design and the desirability of good design, and raise your expectationsabout how things should bedesigned.
Product Description:
Donald Norman's best-selling plea for user-friendly design, with more than 175,000 copies sold to date, is now a Basic paperback.
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.
Alternate Versions:
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Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: 
- Tedious Read
Not exactly a page turner, it took me several months to get through this book.I enjoyed the content but the delivery was excruciating at times.Ultimately it was too textbooky for my liking.If you are looking for something that is engaging (a la anything by Malcolm Gladwell), look elsewhere.
Rating: - Very Revealing - A great read if you build anything from software to houses.
This was a quick, but very fascinating read about the way people interact with the objects and devices that they encounter in their environment. This is a must read for anyone who designs just about anything and wants it to be useful rather than just elegant or attractive. I'd especially recommend it to software developers, hardware developers, and residential/commercial architects.
A word of caution, however. This book will open your eyes to just how badly the things around you have ... Read More
Rating: 
- "Required Reading" that became a favorite
It's not often that a book you are required to read for a college course becomes a favorite, but this one did. In fact, today I did a Google search for "norman door." Sure enough, Google has it cataloged. I even found a discussion on the term on a blog site. Even when the name of the book slips my mind, that term sticks. I Googled it because my copy of the book is packed away in a storage unit somewhere from two moves, and it's cheaper to buy another copy than spending 3 hours digging through boxes. ... Read More
Rating: - Still applicable and a great re-read/reference
I'd read this around 8 years ago and lost my copy, so I purchased it again. It's definately a timeless look at how humans interact with the design of everyday things. When I first read it, the information was an eye opener as I was newly introduced to a field called Human Factors/Usability/HCI etc. For me, it swayed my career choice and made me question the components, instructions, and layout of things humans interact with on a daily basis. Granted, not everyone runs a nuclear powerplant, but simple ... Read More
Rating: - Good Overview of Design Fundamentals
Although I only read about half of this book, what I did read was quite good. This book presents some interesting insight into the design of everyday things, and provides amusing examples. I would recommend this book to engineers, designers, manufacturers, and pretty much anyone that is involved in the design process of any product. Some of the material is common sense, but after reading it from this book it just seems to sink in better.
- Tedious ReadNot exactly a page turner, it took me several months to get through this book.I enjoyed the content but the delivery was excruciating at times.Ultimately it was too textbooky for my liking.If you are looking for something that is engaging (a la anything by Malcolm Gladwell), look elsewhere.
- Very Revealing - A great read if you build anything from software to houses.This was a quick, but very fascinating read about the way people interact with the objects and devices that they encounter in their environment. This is a must read for anyone who designs just about anything and wants it to be useful rather than just elegant or attractive. I'd especially recommend it to software developers, hardware developers, and residential/commercial architects.
A word of caution, however. This book will open your eyes to just how badly the things around you have ... Read More
- "Required Reading" that became a favoriteIt's not often that a book you are required to read for a college course becomes a favorite, but this one did. In fact, today I did a Google search for "norman door." Sure enough, Google has it cataloged. I even found a discussion on the term on a blog site. Even when the name of the book slips my mind, that term sticks. I Googled it because my copy of the book is packed away in a storage unit somewhere from two moves, and it's cheaper to buy another copy than spending 3 hours digging through boxes. ... Read More
- Still applicable and a great re-read/referenceI'd read this around 8 years ago and lost my copy, so I purchased it again. It's definately a timeless look at how humans interact with the design of everyday things. When I first read it, the information was an eye opener as I was newly introduced to a field called Human Factors/Usability/HCI etc. For me, it swayed my career choice and made me question the components, instructions, and layout of things humans interact with on a daily basis. Granted, not everyone runs a nuclear powerplant, but simple ... Read More
- Good Overview of Design FundamentalsAlthough I only read about half of this book, what I did read was quite good. This book presents some interesting insight into the design of everyday things, and provides amusing examples. I would recommend this book to engineers, designers, manufacturers, and pretty much anyone that is involved in the design process of any product. Some of the material is common sense, but after reading it from this book it just seems to sink in better.
