THE DESIGN OF EVERYDAY THINGS

Donald M Norman (1988)

History and Theory of Interior Design 3

19 MAY 2020
Introduction: What is the aim of this book?

In the previous lecture we reflected on the patterns of design and asked

the following question: Why are designers interested in everyday life
objects? Follow-up questions were presented to understand what the
role of designer are in everyday patterns and design objects.

The book written by Donald Norman urges designers to study people

1 and take the needs of people in considerations when we design

objects, products, spaces.

Interior Designers are in the position to create a better world. Norman

2 explains that people are clumsy when things are badly designed.
Designers can improve the frustrations of everyday life and objects
and assist in improving the experience and life quality of the users.

Interior Designers should not develop insular thinking. This book

explains that knowledge is in the world and we need to observe
3 people to understand how we use objects, spaces in order to
understand the users needs.
The hidden frustrations of everyday life

We are confronted with objects everyday that is intended to make our

lives easier and more pleasant. But often this is not the case

An example is a door handle (see image). We should close a public

toilet door without much thinking and with ease. It should save time
and happen effortless. What happens if we need additional
1 instructions to guide us through using a lock that should be done
without much thinking?

Norman ask important questions in relation to frustrations

associated with the use of every day objects;
2 • Why do we need product manuals?
• Why do so many product features go unused?
• Why do some objects or devices add to stress rather than reduce
stress?
• Why are designers not sensitive to the problems people
experience when they use everyday objects, such as doors,
phones, furniture, cars etc.

Photo by timoni on flickr(cc)

 Labelled as bad design – what were you thinking?

https://za.pinterest.com/pin
/276901077059615784/

https://za.pinterest.com/pin/305611524694547449/
We laugh – but the joke is on the designer

https://za.pinte
rest.com/pin/4
https://www.lucidpress.com/blog/11-hilarious-examples-of-bad-design 906109531565
44386//
 We laugh – but the joke is on the design team

https://medium.com/ab-tasty/what-door-design-can-show-us-about-
https://pleated-jeans.com/2014/11/10/24-examples-of-extremely-crappy-design/ website-usability-465ceb1a1e1e
Universal design – do you understand the problem?

https://universaldesignfail.wordpress.com/2011/03/12/accessibility-winfail/ Better Design to the right.

 Good design? – Why then does it have so many functional problems?

https://i.redd.it/j9r0ej2z1gnz.jpg

“The alternative to good design is always bad design. There is no such thing
as no design.” — Adam Judge, author

The famous Juicy Salif by Philippe Starck (to the right)

• Is it possible for something to look like a good design but it is
remains to be a bad design?
• Functionally it is not working.
.
 What is good design?

“10 Principles for Good Design” by Dieter Rams

What is good design?
Good design is usable design

“Quality has to be designed into a product” Donald Norman (1988)

Example of good design – used since 1963

The Polyprop chair by Robin Day is in production since 1963. It is an everyday

design that is not often mentioned in design discussions but it is a well-
known chair throughput the world. The following qualities are being used to
describe the chair:

“Cheap, hard-wearing, lightweight, comfortable and good looking, the

Polyprop is an extraordinary ordinary design. It was the first successful, mass-
produced injection-moulded polypropylene chair of its type, with the seat and
back formed as one seamless unit and resting on a tubular steel frame”.

http://www.guardian.co. uk/artanddesign/artblog/2007/jun/04/classicsofeverydaydesignno20

Robin Day Polyprop Chair - 1963

Criteria for good design

Reflect on this imagine and identify objects/tools/ furniture/ structure/

transport mechanisms that is required to execute your daily life patterns

Criteria for well-designed objects

• Easy to interpret and understand

• Contains visible clues to the operation

• Are easy to use and eliminate frustration and stress

• Parts of the design and operation is clearly visible. You can immediately
distinguish the salt from the pepper pot.

• There are strong clues for the operation of things. Simple things should
not require an explanation in everyday objects.

• Watch out for the paradox of technology: New technology presents

many difficulties for designers. We can add more function and make it
more complex or it can improve the function of the design.
Internal knowledge and external information

Norman explains that in everyday situations, behaviour is determined

by the combination of internal knowledge and external information and
constraints. For this reason people can deliberately engage in the
following activities;

People can deliberately organize the environment to support their Knowledge of – declarative knowledge. Knowledge of facts and
1 behaviour. rules. Example – stop at a red light.

People follow behaviour of co-workers, fellow students or co-
2 participants in activities.
We find short-cuts to doing tasks and reduce the need for us to learn
3 (take in information). We can recognize objects, but lack deep
understanding to the meaning of the objects. Commonly known and
commonly used.
Knowledge how – procedural knowledge. Knowledge that enables
us to perform an activity such as stop car smoothly, speak and
articulate sentences properly. Procedural knowledge is taught
through demonstration and best learned through practice. This form
of knowledge is often subconscious.
Memory is knowledge in the head.

4 We engage in a tradeoff between speed and quality of performance

and mental effort. Refer to System 1 and System 2 thinking. The
information you internally code in your memory needs to be precise
enough to sustain the quality of your behaviour. Knowledge of and
knowledge how is required.
 Forces that works against evolutionary design

• Designers need time for the design process to be carried out properly.

• Modern designers are limited or subjected to forces do not allow slow,

careful thinking when we engage with the design process.

• Design problems can be very complex, with too many variables.

• Designers have the pressure to be distinctive, to stand out, to make

each design look different from what was done before. Each product
need to be better than the previous product

• Designers have “the curse of individuality”. Designers have to make an

individual mark, a stamp, their signature. But customers want
something that they can recognize and that is familiar. How to we link
these concept with everyday products?

https://www.architecturendesign.net/46-magnificent-examples-of-creative-
furniture-design/
Communicating instructions correctly – subconscious observations

https://www.reddit.com/r/CrappyDesign/comments/71rb15/w
hat_are_some_examples_of_bad_design/
Assignment 3: Everyday life patterns

Read more?

2009 – The design of future things

Submit on date 26 May 2020

Good luck with the assignment