As a Product Manager, I’ve always been curious about design of everyday objects.
Why certain design works whereas certain others don’t?
The Design of Everyday Things is precisely the book on the topic.
Ever wondered if you should push or pull a door to open?
Ever turned on the stove burner only to realize few minutes later, you turned on the wrong burner?
Ever got confused in a room with dozens of similar electric switches, which ones is for which light, and which is for fan?
Ever pressed pedestrian street lights multiple times in the doubt, it might not have worked the first time?
Ever got confused using Mac and Windows’ trackpads? Should scrolling down will move the window up or down?
Don Norman talks about ideal design of everyday objects such as doors, elevators, cooktops, sinks, and electric switches. He extends it further to the design of softwares and talks about why close of every word document should have a `save` pop-up to ensure users don’t lose their work.
Don is one of the pioneers of Design Thinking and Human Centered Design, and he ends the book shedding light on these principles and how businesses can use it to make better products.
Great book, everyone can learn something from it!
Rating: 5/5
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