Donald A. Norman
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.Collection: Home
If you think the products don't match what you want from a product, don't buy it.Collection: Thinking
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.Collection: Philosophy
If you're more susceptible to interruption, you do more out of the box thinking.Collection: Thinking
Isn't one of your first exercises in learning how to communicate to write a description of how to tie your shoelaces? The point being that it's basically impossible to use text to show thatCollection: Writing
I believe that the Apple Shuffle is an excellent compromise among the conflicting requirements of simplicity, elegance, size, battery life, and functionCollection: Believe
Simplicity design axiom: The complexity of the information appliance is that of the task, not the tool. The technology is invisible.Collection: Technology
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.Collection: Successful
Products were once designed for the functions they performed. But when all companies can make products that perform their functions equally well, the distinctive advantage goes to those who provide pleasure and enjoyment while maintaining the power. If functions are equated with cognition, pleasure is equated with emotion; today we want products that appeal to both cognition and emotion.Collection: Want
What makes something simple or complex? It's not the number of dials or controls or how many features it has: It is whether the person using the device has a good conceptual model of how it operates.Collection: Simple
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.Collection: Doors
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.Collection: Errors
Also note that invariably when we design something that can be used by those with disabilities, we often make it better for everyoneCollection: Design
Attractive things work better When you wash and wax a car, it drives better, doesn’t it? Or at least feels like it does.Collection: Attractive Things
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.Collection: Technology
To me, error analysis is the sweet spot for improvement.Collection: Sweet
The design of everyday things is in great danger of becoming the design of superfluous, overloaded, unnecessary things.Collection: Everyday Things
Complexity is acceptable as long as it is intelligible and necessary. We want to avoid needless complications.Collection: Long
Rule of thumb: if you think something is clever and sophisticated beware-it is probably self-indulgence.Collection: Clever
If people keep buying poorly designed products, manufacturers and designers will think they are doing the right thing and continue as usual.Collection: Thinking
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.Collection: Powerful
AS for all those mistakes I make - they are on purpose - to teach you how to deal with themCollection: Mistake
Scientists are always skeptics.Collection: Scientist
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?Collection: Book
The current paradigm is so thoroughly established that the only way to change is to start over again.Collection: Starting Over
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.Collection: Powerful
Academics get paid for being clever, not for being right.Collection: Clever
It is relatively easy to design for the perfect cases, when everything goes right, or when all the information required is available in proper formatCollection: Perfect