The Psychology of Everyday Things
by Donald A. Norman · first published 1988
61% recommend39% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Accessible, example-rich look at why everyday products are hard to use and how to design them better without losing functionality; suits engineers, designers and non-designers alike, and the concepts hold up.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
The Design of Everyday Things is a best-selling book by cognitive scientist and usability engineer Donald Norman about how design serves as the communication between object and user, and how to optimize that conduit of communication in order to make the experience of using the object pleasurable. One of the main premises of the book is that although people are often keen to blame themselves when objects appear to malfunction, it is not the fault of the user but rather the lack of intuitive guidance that should be present in the design.
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…Gladwell. Freakonomics, by Levitt and Dubner. Against the Gods by Peter Bernstein. The art of war by Sun Tzu. The 33 Strategies of War by Robert Greene. The Design of Everyday Things (formerly The Psychology of Everyday Things) by Donald Norman. Many HN readers recommend Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs (SICP) and I heartily agree with that recommendation. Code by Charles Petzold. Introduction to Algorithms…
on “Ask HN: Books That Gratify One's Intellectual Curiosity?” ↗…designers and engineers loathe Usability and Accessibility people (like Jakob Nielsen and Don Norman). For me, it all started with Don Norman's excellent book The Design of Everyday Things[0] (nee The Psychology of Everyday Things). Reading that book changed the way that I view the world. I can't walk through a door, anymore, without evaluating its affordances and usability. The challenge (for me) is melding usability and aesthetics.…
on “Audacity Aquired by Muse Group” ↗Don Norman explains this in the latest edition of The Psychology of Everyday Things (amazing book on product and design, btw). Sometimes, it can take centuries before tech goes from idea to everyday reality in the hands of ordinary people. For example, the videophone was depicted in…
on “Your idea is brilliant, your idea is worthless (2016)” ↗…Some people do complain. Many versions of the common objects you mention have really stupid interfaces, which cause delays, mistakes, and lots of frustration. I highly recommend Don Norman’s book The Psychology of Everyday Things (later editions retitled The Design of Everyday Things) which analyzes such objects (doors, telephones, cars, refrigerators, faucets, stoves, etc.) and concludes that many of their interfaces are horribly…
on “My Brain Has No Space For Your User Interface” ↗"Omnivore's Dilemma", Michael Pollan book changed the way I think about food. "The Psychology of Everyday Things" by Don Norman, will change your mind about user interfaces. "Manufacturing Consent" by Noam Chomsky to change the way you see the world.
on “Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?” ↗Yup. That book and Donald Norman’s Psychology of Everyday Things completely changed my trajectory. Great video. I’d never heard Postman speak before. Thanks.
on “‘Culture wars’ are fought by tiny minority – UK study” ↗“The Design of Everyday Things” by Don Norman is excellent; he originally called it “The Psychology of Everyday Things,” but it kept getting misshelved. “Don’t Make Me Think” by Steve Krug is also very good. Neither of these is a specialist’s tome. “Mental Models” by Indi Young is good, one level deeper, mostly about…
on “Ask HN: How did you increase your UX skills?” ↗Based in part off Gibson's work, there's also The Design of Everyday Things by Donald Norman. First published as Psychology of Everyday Things in '88, it's arguable whether it counts as "older" but seems pretty timeless conceptually, even if the specific examples may become dated. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Design_of_Everyday_Things…
on “Ask HN: What’s an older nonfiction title that’s relevant and blew your mind?” ↗I recommend "The Design of Everyday Things" (formely "The Psychology of Everyday Things") by Donald Norman. It's kind of dated and it's focused on product design, but it has some very good ideas about making products that are easy to use and understand.
on “Best Books For a Startup?” ↗If you haven't read Don Norman's book, you should do it. It's called "The Psychology of Everyday Things" and it's a wonderful exploration of how to make products easier to use (without sacrificing functionality). The examples are a bit dated since the book is from the 80s, but the concepts all still apply.…
on “Simplicity Is Not the Answer” ↗Good rant. I'm very sympathetic to your dis-ease. As a kid, I read and embraced Postman's Technolopy and Norman's Psychology of Everyday Things, Things That Make Us Smart (for starters). Transmuted me from a technophile into a humanist. It's been downhill for me ever since. "We are not the machines we use." Elon Musk repeated something very…
on “Why is hi-tech Japan using cassette tapes and faxes? (2015)” ↗Yes, and I give it a full five stars. The Design of Everyday Things (originally "The Psychology of Everyday Things") is incredibly accessible and strikes a very good balance between selling you on the importance of good design, explaining the concepts behind it, and entertaining you with examples both good and ludicrously…
on “Usability” ↗…understand that they need to get design. Seems be effective with both groups. I think it has something to do with it not being written as a "design" book per se. Remember the original 1988 title was "The Psychology of Everyday Things". It's up there with "Peopleware" as a book I keep buying for clients :-)
on “Books Every Entrepreneur Should Read” ↗The Psychology of Everyday Things (later retitled "The Design of Everyday Things") is indeed a great book. I call out the original title, first, to be a hipster but more to point out that his very aim was to talk about things not Human…
on “Reddit launches image uploads, ditching alliance with Imgur” ↗…Norman is updating it, I really hope he drops the 'POET' backronym. It was contrived and awkward, and it's repeated inclusion felt seemed more like a slight to the publisher who changed the name from Psychology Of Everyday Things to its more approachable name.
on “New Course: The Design of Everyday Things” ↗