In my opinion, no single design is apt to be optimal for everyone. Donald A. Norman More Quotes by Donald A. Norman More Quotes From Donald A. Norman If you think the products don't match what you want from a product, don't buy it. Donald A. Norman productswantthinking Scientists are always skeptics. Donald A. Norman skepticscientist 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 arbitrarydesignpeople Only the most sophisticated of beings can lie and cheat, and get away with it. Donald A. Norman cheatsophisticatedlying 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. Donald A. Norman technologypowerfulway A good designer will actually design the company. Donald A. Norman good-designdesignerdesign If you think of the product as a service, then the separate parts make no sense - the point of a product is to offer great experiences to its owner, which means that it offers a service. And that experience, that service, comprises the totality of its parts: The whole is indeed made up of all of the parts. The real value of a product consists of far more than the product's components. Donald A. Norman realmeanthinking Learning should take place when it is needed, when the learner is interested, not according to some arbitrary, fixed schedule Donald A. Norman arbitraryschedulesshould It was always amusing to be inside Apple and read what journalists said we were doing Donald A. Norman amusingapplessaid 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. Donald A. Norman organizationwritingideas 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. Donald A. Norman marketingofficehome Attractive things work better. Donald A. Norman attractive-thingsattractivedesign Readers always seem to think that the author has some control over the design of their books. Donald A. Norman writingbookthinking Am I an Apple bigot? No. I can critique their products and their customer service philosophy. But overall, they do better than any other player. Donald A. Norman applesplayerphilosophy Having the best product means nothing if the people won't buy it. Donald A. Norman businessmeanpeople The problem with emotion was that it was clearly something important, but-at least according to the old philosophy-it was something to overcome. Donald A. Norman importantovercomingphilosophy Forget the complaints against complexity; instead, complain about confusion. Donald A. Norman confusioncomplainingforget In the university, professors make up artificial problems. In the real world, the problems do not come in nice, neat packages. They have to be discovered. Donald A. Norman university-professorsnicereal Simplification is as much in the mind as it is in the device. Donald A. Norman simplificationdevicesmind The design of everyday things is in great danger of becoming the design of superfluous, overloaded, unnecessary things. Donald A. Norman unnecessary-thingseveryday-thingsdesign
