Donald Norman spends the first half of his time at the Nielsen Norman Group design company he created. The second - as a professor of computer technology and psychology at Northwestern University.
He writes books on design theory and practice. He devotes a lot of time to consultations on the boards of companies and organizations, such as, for example, the Design Institute in Chicago.
When Norman was a member of various associations, organizations and influence groups, among which he held the position of vice president for the introduction of advanced Apple technologies, he began to study the design of familiar things that surround a person, their impact on everyone's quality of life.
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, taking into account fashion and style.
According to the professor, a good design of any thing should meet the following user requirements:
- be understandable and accessible;
- to be functional;
- give status to the owner.
Revelation for the artist
According to Donald Norman, the design of familiar things (at home and at work) may be successful or not successful.
The following simple principles should be used at the heart of a successful idea of any thing:
- visual effect - consists in the fact that with one glance at a thing a person can guess how to use it;
- the functions of the new model should be clear and predictable for the consumer, have a clear conceptual idea;
- each button of an item is responsible for one action that is understandable and in demand when used, so that there is no incident when no one remembers why a particular function was created (like, for example, the famous “R” function of a phone button that nobody really knows how to use , because not everyone has a desire to learn a long instruction on its use);
- the user should receive feedback and will be informed in a timely manner of the results of his actions.
Creating the design of familiar things
The stages in the development of design are, according to Donald, in compliance with the basic list of requirements that will help bridge the gap between the idea and practical use of a device, object, thing. A good design will be created when the consumer can easily:
- Define the function and understand what the device is used for;
- manage the acquired item;
- combine the intention to use the item with the actual opportunity;
- Know the sequence and number of actions that must be completed in order for the device to work;
- determine if it is in working condition;
- understand the conformity of a thing with respect to its design interpretation.
Moreover, the critic Don Norman is convinced: in order to achieve a successful contact between a thing and a person, it is necessary to influence the emotional signals that the 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 gap between what the designer intends to do and what the average person really wants. His work led to the appearance of some classic books on the mutual existence of beauty, aesthetics and functionality of the subject. He knows exactly how not to do it, how to avoid mistakes in design.
Everyday care with tips
How can design push for the right action? Important clues are the natural limitations of objects, that is, the physical framework that narrows the choice of the right actions.
Other clues come from the purpose of things. They talk about their possible functions, proposed actions and methods of application.
Norman identifies the following classes of delimiters:
- physical, that is, the conformity of the design to those functions that are inherent in the subject;
- semantic, hints for determining the purpose of the subject (inscriptions, drawings)
- cultural and logical - these tips arise from the personal experience of the user and are based on the construction of associations and logical chains.
These limiter classes are universal for various situations.
Sound features
The book "Design of simple things" advises: do not be afraid of experimentation, if something cannot be made visible in the new design of the design, you can add the influence of sound. After all, he can warn about a malfunction in the device, incorrect actions.
Examples of using sounds in design:
- the door slammed shut - there was a characteristic click;
- the kettle whistles if the water is boiling;
- the vacuum cleaner is clogged - it buzzes loudly;
- ringing a bell if the program on the computer hangs, 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 a novelty.
Why the user is not afraid:
- He sees the actions available to him, and visibility and reminders call for the study of the new.
- Evidence allows you to study the sequence of steps and get the desired result.
- It is possible to undo the wrong actions without harming the system.
- There is safety and reversibility of most stages.
- There is an opportunity to make mistakes.
- Standards that are generally familiar to consumers apply.
About the book and not only
Speaking about the groundbreaking book “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 fixed in the design of the thing. The more clear and understandable the better. The concept should take into account the characteristics of the person (user) and the world that surrounds him.
Instructions and their study with this approach will be optional, each person will be able to figure out the intricacies of the system or object empirically.
When a person asks himself: “How to remember all this?”, Then the design approach is considered incorrect.
Each user should enjoy the design and not be afraid that something will not understand, because it is stupid or not sufficiently educated. No, these are design errors that make it impossible to use many things.
Mistakes to avoid if you follow the advice of Donald Norman.