Donald Norman spends the first half of his time at the design company he founded, the Nielsen Norman Group. The second - as a professor of computer technology and psychology at Northwestern University in the USA.
He writes books on the theory and practice of design. He devotes a lot of time to consulting on the boards of companies and organizations, such as the Design Institute in Chicago.
When Norman was a member of various associations, organizations and influence groups, among which he was the vice president of the introduction of advanced technologies at Apple, he began to study the design of everyday things that surround a person, their impact on the quality of life of everyone.
Guilty without guilt: designer and new technologies
Everything that surrounds us has its own appearance. To create a successful design, it must be designed from the point of view of the consumer, with fashion and style in mind.
According to the professor, a good design of any thing should meetthe following user requirements:
- be clear and accessible;
- be functional;
- give status to the owner.
Revelation for an artist
According to Donald Norman, the design of everyday things (at home and at work) may or may not be successful.
A successful idea of any thing should be based on the following simple principles:
- visibility effect - is that at one glance at a thing a person can guess how to use it;
- functions of the new model should be clear and predictable for the consumer, have a clear conceptual idea;
- each item button is responsible for one action, which is understandable and in demand when used, so that there is no incident when no one remembers why this or that function was created (for example, the famous "R" function of the phone button, which no one really knows how to use it, because not everyone has a desire to study the long instructions for its use);
- the user should receive feedback and be informed of the results of their actions in a timely manner.
Designing everyday things
The stages in design development, according to Donald, are to follow a basic list of requirements that will help bridge the gap between the idea and the practical use of a particular device, object, thing. A good design will be created then,when the consumer can easily:
- define the function and understand what the device is used for;
- manage the purchased item;
- combine the intention to use the item with the actual ability;
- know the sequence and number of actions that must be performed to make the device work;
- determine if it is in working order;
- understand the fit of a thing in relation to its design interpretation.
At the same time, critic Don Norman is convinced that in order to achieve successful contact between a thing and a person, it is necessary to influence the emotional signals that an object (device) causes, because it is the successful design of familiar things that makes a person happy.
Don Norman studies how real people interact with a finished device, exploring the gulf between what the designer intends to do and what the average person actually wants. His work has led to some of the classic books on the mutual existence of beauty, aesthetics, and the functionality of an object. He knows exactly what not to do, how to avoid design mistakes.
Daily worries with tips
How can design lead to the right action? Important clues are the natural limitations of objects, that is, those physical limits that narrow the choice of the right actions.
Other clues come from the purpose of things. They talk about their possible functions, intended actions and applications.
Norman identifies the following classes of limiters:
- physical, that is, the correspondence of the design to the functions that are inherent in the subject;
- semantic, hints for determining the purpose of the subject (inscriptions, drawings)
- cultural and logical - these tips come from the user's personal experience and are based on building associations and logical chains.
These constraint classes are generic for different situations.
Sound Features
The book "The Design of Simple Things" advises: do not be afraid to experiment, if something cannot be made visible in the new design of the design of a thing, you can add the influence of sound. After all, he can warn about a malfunction in the device, incorrect actions.
Sound Design Examples:
- the door slammed shut - there was a characteristic click;
- the kettle whistles when the water boils;
- vacuum cleaner clogged - hums loudly;
- ringing a bell if a program on the computer is frozen, etc.
Principles of transition from complex to simple
A simplified system (thing) is one with which the user is not afraid to experiment while exploring the novelty.
Why the user is not afraid:
- He sees the actions available to him, and the visibility and reminders call for exploration of the new.
- Obviousness allows you to study the sequence of steps and get the desired result.
- It is possible to undo incorrect actions without harm to the system.
- There is security and reversibility of moststages.
- There is room for error.
- Standards that are generally familiar to consumers apply.
About the book and more
Speaking of the groundbreaking book "The Design of Simple Things", we can conclude that there are two basic laws of design that are important for the consumer:
- what to do;
- how the system works at the time of use.
This should be enshrined in the design of the thing itself. The clearer and clearer, the better. The concept should take into account the characteristics of a person (user) and the world that surrounds him.
Instructions and their study with this approach will be optional, each person will be able to understand the intricacies of the system or subject empirically.
When a person asks the question: "How to remember all this?", then the design approach is considered incorrect.
Every user should enjoy the design and not be afraid that they will not understand something because they are stupid or not well educated. No, these are design errors that make many things unusable.
Mistakes you can avoid by following Donald Norman's advice.
