21 quotes
If people keep buying poorly designed products, manufacturers and designers will think they are doing the right thing and continue as usual.
The Design of Everyday Things (1988)
When a device as simple as a door has to come with an instruction manual—even a one-word manual—then it is a failure, poorly designed.
The Design of Everyday Things (1988)
Average a left-hander with a right-hander and what do you get?
The Design of Everyday Things (1988)
Academics get paid for being clever, not for being right.
Innocence lost is not easily regained. The designer simply cannot predict the problems people will have, the misinterpretations that will arise, and the errors that will get made.
The Design of Everyday Things (1988)
Good design is also an act of communication between the designer and the user, except that all the communication has to come about by the appearance of the device itself. The device must explain itself.
The Design of Everyday Things (1988)
Creeping featurism is a disease, fatal if not treated promptly. There are some cures, but, as usual, the best approach is to practice preventative medicine.
The Design of Everyday Things (1988)
The major problems facing the development of products that are safer, less prone to error, and easier to use and understand are not technological: they are social and organizational.
The Invisible Computer (1998)
Computer scientists have so far worked on developing powerful programming languages that make it possible to solve the technical problems of computation. Little effort has gone toward devising the languages of interaction.
The Design of Everyday Things (1988)
People Propose, Science Studies, Technology Conforms.
Things That Make Us Smart (1993)
"It probably won a prize" is a disparaging remark in this book. Why? Because prizes tend to be given for some aspects of design, to the neglect of all others—usually including usability.
The Design of Everyday Things (1988)
As the technology matures, it becomes less and less relevant. The technology is taken for granted. Now, new customers enter the marketplace, customers who are not captivated by technology, but who instead want reliability, convenience, no fuss or bother, and low cost.
The Invisible Computer (1998)
When you have trouble with things—whether it's figuring out whether to push or pull a door or the arbitrary vagaries of the modern computer and electronics industries—it's not your fault. Don't blame yourself: blame the designer.
The Design of Everyday Things (1988)
Change the attitude toward errors. Think of an object's user as attempting to do a task, getting there by imperfect approximations. Don't think of the user as making errors; think of the actions as approximations of what is desired.
The Design of Everyday Things (1988)
In the consumer economy taste is not the criterion in the marketing of expensive soft drinks, usability is not the primary criterion in the marketing of home and office appliances. We are surrounded with objects of desire, not objects of use.
The Design of Everyday Things (1988)
We are victims of our own success. We have let technology lead the way, pushing ever faster to newer, faster, and more powerful systems, with nary a moment to rest, contemplate, and to reflect upon why, how, and for whom all this energy has been expended.
The Invisible Computer (1998)
Hypertext makes a virtue out of lack of organization, allowing ideas and thoughts to be juxtaposed at will. [...] The advent of hypertext is apt to make writing much more difficult, not easier. Good writing, that is.
The Design of Everyday Things (1988)
Go to the bookstore and look at how many bookshelves are filled with books trying to explain how to work the devices. We don't see shelves of books on how to use television sets, telephones, refrigerators or washing machines. Why should we for computer-based applications?
The Invisible Computer (1998)
Serious accidents are frequently blamed on "human error." Yet careful analysis of such situations shows that the design or installation of the equipment has contributed significantly to the problems. The design team or installers did not pay sufficient attention to the needs of those who would be using the equipment, so confusion or error was almost unavoidable.
The Design of Everyday Things (1988)
In their work, designers often become expert with the device they are designing. Users are often expert at the task they are trying to perform with the device. [...] Professional designers are usually aware of the pitfalls. But most design is not done by professional designers, it is done by engineers, programmers, and managers.
The Design of Everyday Things (1988)