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Have you ever been frustrated with a product because of its complexity? Do you feel powerless operating a product that's supposed to be straightforward and easy to use? Rest assured, you’re not the only one with this problem. This summary is a guide that outlines the principles of how to create and use designs without much stress.
Donald Norman is an American author, researcher and professor who is widely known for his expertise in design, cognitive science and usability engineering. His works on design have earned him a reputation as one of the best-selling authors of his generation.
“Design is really an act of communication, which means having a deep understanding of the person with whom the designer is communicating.” 〜 Donald A. Norman
Key points
1
Your reaction to the use of designs determine your way of life
Your use of everyday objects is as a result of the designs attached to each one of them. Everything you use has a plan, and its simplicity or complexity determines how well you use them. When something has a sophisticated design, you'd most likely not use it, but when the design is simple, you'd love to use it.
The way things are designed shows the level of attention paid by designers. This also goes to show that designers should be appreciated more for the level of work they do. Many designs are overlooked by users, and this is because the designer has successfully made the product easy to use.
Designs are essential in our daily activities and careers. For instance, athletes can attest to the importance of designs in their lives. The best athletes always have their gears designed by some of the best organizations in the world. This is because the right design enhances performance and makes it easy to improve on one’s talent. Designs are also a key part of an organization’s brand. iPhones are known for their sleek designs, and this contributes majorly to their exponential revenue. Other organizations like Puma, Adidas, Samsung etc., also thrive on their designs, and that’s why they are globally recognized.
In this tidbit, you’ll learn the importance of designs, as well as the methods you can use to create a good design for your brand.
The way things are designed shows the level of attention paid by designers. This also goes to show that designers should be appreciated more for the level of work they do. Many designs are overlooked by users, and this is because the designer has successfully made the product easy to use.
Designs are essential in our daily activities and careers. For instance, athletes can attest to the importance of designs in their lives. The best athletes always have their gears designed by some of the best organizations in the world. This is because the right design enhances performance and makes it easy to improve on one’s talent. Designs are also a key part of an organization’s brand. iPhones are known for their sleek designs, and this contributes majorly to their exponential revenue. Other organizations like Puma, Adidas, Samsung etc., also thrive on their designs, and that’s why they are globally recognized.
In this tidbit, you’ll learn the importance of designs, as well as the methods you can use to create a good design for your brand.
2
Humans spend a considerable amount of time trying to figure out unnecessarily complicated designs
Because the human mind is conditioned to reason and seek solutions, it is difficult to disregard the complexity of a situation. Instead, you'll want to figure out how to fix them.
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3
The human mind reacts to designs and errors in different ways
4
Feedback and a simple conceptual model are essential to understand how to overcome mistakes
5
Information is the basis on which designs thrive
6
To avoid mistakes, designers can limit the placement of the wrong objects into the right places
7
Mistakes can make your designs difficult to understand and use
8
Mistakes come from conscious deliberations and these could be very costly
9
Professional designers mostly oversee the work done by engineers and a host of other staff
10
