Wait, How Do I Open The Door

After reading the first chapter of this book, the author seems to be hitting a few key points for the guidelines of design. The first would be visibility. Since the human mind needs clues to interpret use and functionality, the design must have some visible aspects in order for people to figure out how to work it. The door example that Norman gives makes sense, since it has happened to many people before. If there is no door handle or indication of how it should be opened, then the user will be lost and might just walk away. Basically, great quality design needs an easy interface in order to allow consumers to use the product with ease instead of struggling with frustration and confusion. The next key point that Norman discussed was affordance, as in what the product looks like it is for versus its actual function. Designers have to take in account what each material can be used for and make the product accordingly. Another key point was the amount of parts that society considers "everyday" things. Also, the functions need to be clearly mapped out in terms of design. If a consumer can not distinguish what each part's function is, the simplicity is lost. The product needs to have a high degree of usability, and the concept must match the product. The last key point would be feedback. With the feedback, the designing team will know what works and what does not.

One object of difficult use would probably be the Epson printer that was purchased for this laptop. Just to load paper, there were at least 7 steps. The whole set-up process was ridiculously confusing. After the paper was loaded, the cartridges needed to be loaded. Instead of having the normal "black" and "color" cartridges, it has the old school CMYK cartridges. After all of that, the paper jammed during the print test. The problem is that Epson printers are not user-friendly. The conceptual model was not the same as the one in practice.

The designers of the iPod addressed the principles that Norman discussed, but in reverse order. The feedback from other MP3 players were the most important concept for Apple, since the designers would have the edge of history on its side. Apple would be able to captialize on the strengths while improve on the weaknesses. Also, the interface is user-friendly, so consumers of all ages will be able to enjoy it.