The Design of Everyday Things

About this book

The book argues that when people can't work out a light switch, stove burner or door, the fault lies with design that ignores users' needs and psychology, not with them. It traces the trouble to hidden or unclear controls, arbitrary links between controls and what they do, missing feedback, and too much to remember. Its rules are to make things visible, use natural relationships between controls and functions, and apply constraints so people reach the right action at the right time.