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The Design of Everyday Things

Revised and Expanded Edition

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The Design of Everyday Things

By: Don Norman
Narrated by: Neil Hellegers
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About this listen

 Design doesn't have to complicated, which is why this guide to human-centered design shows that usability is just as important as aesthetics.
Even the smartest among us can feel inept as we fail to figure out which light switch or oven burner to turn on, or whether to push, pull, or slide a door.
The fault, argues this ingenious -- even liberating -- book, lies not in ourselves, but in product design that ignores the needs of users and the principles of cognitive psychology. The problems range from ambiguous and hidden controls to arbitrary relationships between controls and functions, coupled with a lack of feedback or other assistance and unreasonable demands on memorization.The Design of Everyday Things shows that good, usable design is possible. The rules are simple: make things visible, exploit natural relationships that couple function and control, and make intelligent use of constraints. The goal: guide the user effortlessly to the right action on the right control at the right time.

The Design of Everyday Things is a powerful primer on how -- and why -- some products satisfy customers while others only frustrate them.
 Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Science Career Business Technology Computer Science Product Design

Critic reviews

"Even classics can be updated and improved ... Highly recommended."—Choice
"This book changed the field of design. As the pace of technological change accelerates, the principles in this book are increasingly important. The new examples and ideas about design and product development make it essential reading."—Patrick Whitney, Dean, Institute of Design, and Steelcase/Robert C. Pew Professor of Design, Illinois Institute of Technology
"Twenty-five years ago The Design of Everyday Things was instrumental in orienting my approach to design. With this latest revised and expanded edition, Don Norman has given me a host of new ideas to explore as well as reminding me of the fundamental principles of great and meaningful design. Part operating manual for designers and part manifesto on the power of designing for people, The Design of Everyday Things is even more relevant today than it was when first published."—Tim Brown, CEO, IDEO, and author of Change by Design
"Design may be our top competitive edge. This book is a joy--fun and of the utmost importance."—Tom Peters, author of In Search of Excellence
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Great narrator giving life to book and very easy to understand but poor audio quality, voice sounds distorted.

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I enjoyed the book, a great overview at the fundamentals of design thinking.
I have experienced many of the same things that he discusses in his anecdotes although I don’t agree with his conclusions I will leave it to others to make up their mind.

Useful thought provoking

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I'm glad to have read the design of everyday things, it's offered numerous ideas which I will try to implement in my work. I will admit however that I found it a bit of a struggle to finish. Many of the concepts discussed are similar. The repetition caused me to find this book a little boring.

Great content, but a little boring

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Very useful for all design disciplines.
Great resource to learn about the Double Diamond design process.

The best book about design you need to read!

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I loved this book, it’s very informative and gave me new perspectives on design and general thinking. I would recommend this to any kind of designer, manager or programmer!

Amazing book

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