The Design of Everyday Things (Basic Books, 2013, revised and expanded edition)

Don Norman · c. 2013

Don Norman did not write this page.

Every claim below was made in this book, quoted word for word and numbered in the order the piece makes them, so you can read it there rather than take our word for it. The book prints chapter headings its extracted text does not preserve, so the claims below are in the book's order but not grouped. The sentence above each quote is our reading of the claim, not their wording. Each quote was checked against a stored copy of the page at build time; where the two differ, the quote is the fact.

Our reading
Most radical innovations fail, and even successful ones can take multiple decades to be accepted

Their wordsEveryone wants radical innovation, but the truth is, most radical innovations fail, and even when they do succeed, it can take multiple decades before they are accepted.

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Our reading
Discoverability and understanding are two of the most important characteristics of good design

Their wordsTwo of the most important characteristics of good design are discoverability and understanding.

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It is the duty of machines and their designers to understand people, not people's duty to understand the dictates of machines

Their wordsIt 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.

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Our reading
Human-centered design means starting from a good understanding of people and the needs a design is meant to meet

Their wordsHuman-centered design is a design philosophy. It means starting with a good understanding of people and the needs that the design is intended to meet.

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Our reading
Good design communicates from machine to person what actions are possible, what is happening and what is about to happen, above all when things go wrong

Their wordsGood design requires good communication, especially from machine to person, indicating what actions are possible, what is happening, and what is about to happen. Communication is especially important when things go wrong.

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Our reading
Affordances determine what actions are possible and signifiers communicate where to act, and design needs both

Their wordsAffordances determine what actions are possible. Signifiers communicate where the action should take place. We need both.

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A good conceptual model lets people predict the effects of their actions

Their wordsConceptual models are valuable in providing understanding, in predicting how things will behave, and in figuring out what to do when things do not go as planned. A good conceptual model allows us to predict the effects of our actions.

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However brilliant a product is, if people cannot use it it will be judged poorly, and making it understandable and usable is up to the designer

Their wordsNo matter how brilliant the product, if people cannot use it, it will receive poor reviews. It is up to the designer to provide the appropriate information to make the product understandable and usable.

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Blaming a person for an error without fixing its root cause means the same error is likely to be repeated by someone else

Their wordsWorse, blaming the person without fixing the root, underlying cause does not fix the problem: the same error is likely to be repeated by someone else.

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The most effective way to help people remember something is to make remembering it unnecessary

Their wordsThe most effective way of helping people remember is to make it unnecessary.

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The large share of industrial accidents attributed to human error does not mean so many people are incompetent

Their wordsMost industrial accidents are caused by human error: estimates range between 75 and 95 percent. How is it that so many people are so incompetent? Answer: They aren't.

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Designers understand people's physical limitations well and greatly misunderstand their mental limitations

Their wordsPhysical limitations are well understood by designers; mental limitations are greatly misunderstood.

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It should not be possible for one simple error to cause widespread damage

Their wordsIt should not be possible for one simple error to cause widespread damage.

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Providing a good conceptual model is the most important principle for taming complexity

Their wordsThe most important principle for taming complexity is to provide a good conceptual model, which has already been well covered in this book.

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Technology changes rapidly while people and culture change slowly

Their wordsTechnology changes rapidly, people and culture change slowly.

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Encheiridion of Epictetus, as recorded by Arrian Epictetus · c. 89–135 CE 1 claim worded alike
The Guide for the Perplexed Moses Maimonides · c. 1190 1 claim worded alike
Up from Slavery Booker T. Washington · 18 Sept 1895 1 claim worded alike

Found from what the books talk about: claims worded alike in the archive's hourly pass, and subjects both are filed under. It is not a judgement that they agree — related books often argue the opposite. All books

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The other pieces are the ones whose claims are worded most like this one's. That measures language, not agreement: they may argue the opposite.