It is the duty of machines and those who design them to understand people. It is not our duty to understand the arbitrary, meaningless dictates of machines. Donald A. Norman More Quotes by Donald A. Norman More Quotes From Donald A. Norman The hardest part of design ... is keeping features out. Donald A. Norman hardestsoftwaredesign Design is really an act of communication, which means having a deep understanding of the person with whom the designer is communicating. Donald A. Norman deep-understandingcommunicationmean It is not enough that we build products that function, that are understandable and usable, we also need to build products that bring joy and excitement, pleasure and fun, and, yes, beauty to people's lives. Donald A. Norman funmotivationalpeople Technology may change rapidly, but people change slowly. The principals [of design] come from understanding of people. They remain true forever. Donald A. Norman designtechnologypeople 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. Donald A. Norman instructionsimpledoors Also note that invariably when we design something that can be used by those with disabilities, we often make it better for everyone Donald A. Norman disabilitydesignused I'm not a fan of technology . I'm a fan of pedagogy, of understanding how people learn and the most effective learning methods. But technology enables some exciting changes. Donald A. Norman technologyunderstandingpeople In my opinion, no single design is apt to be optimal for everyone. Donald A. Norman designopiniondeath The world is complex, and so too must be the activities that we perform. But that doesn't mean that we must live in continual frustration. No. The whole point of human-centered design is to tame complexity, to turn what would appear to be a complicated tool into one that fits the task, that is understandable, usable, enjoyable. Donald A. Norman frustrationdesignmean Beauty and brains, pleasure and usability - they should go hand in hand. Donald A. Norman designbrainhands How do you discover a need that nobody yet knows about? This is where the product breakthroughs come through. Donald A. Norman breakthroughknowsneeds No product is an island. A product is more than the product. It is a cohesive, integrated set of experiences. Think through all of the stages of a product or service - from initial intentions through final reflections, from first usage to help, service, and maintenance. Make them all work together seamlessly. That's systems thinking. Donald A. Norman reflectionislandsthinking I think a successful company is one where everybody owns the same mission. Out of necessity, we divide ourselves up into discipline groups. But the goal when you are actually doing the work is to somehow forget what discipline group you are in and come together. So in that sense, nobody should own user experience; everybody should own it. Donald A. Norman disciplinesuccessfulthinking 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. Donald A. Norman electronicsfaultsdoors Attractive things work better When you wash and wax a car, it drives better, doesn’t it? Or at least feels like it does. Donald A. Norman attractive-thingscardoe User experience is really the whole totality. Opening the package good example. It's the total experience that matters. And that starts from when you first hear about a product experience is more based upon memory than reality. If your memory of the product is wonderful, you will excuse all sorts of incidental things. Donald A. Norman examplememoriesreality 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. Donald A. Norman innocenceerrorspeople 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. Donald A. Norman errorsdevelopmentuse So what does a good teacher do? Create tension - but just the right amount. Donald A. Norman tensiondoeteacher User-centered design means working with your users all throughout the project. Donald A. Norman projectsdesignmean
