The Design of Everyday Things

By: Donald A. Norman

Narrated by: Peter Berkrot

Length: 7 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

First, businesses discovered quality as a key competitive edge; next came science. Now, Donald A. Norman, former Director of the Institute for Cognitive Science at the University of California, reveals how smart design is the new frontier. The Design of Everyday Things is a powerful primer on how - and why - some products satisfy customers while others only frustrate them.

Download the accompanying reference guide.

©1988 Donald A. Norman (P)2011 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Provocative." ( Time)

Badly needs updating

The original title for this book was "The Psychology of Everyday Things" and it has not been updated since 1988. It contains mostly pop psychology insights from the '80s rather than design ideas, so if you are looking for information on the actual design process you will be disappointed.

Many of the psychological insights have been refined and unpdated in the two decades since publication and what must have been insightful and modern at the time now seems obvious or too simplistic.

The performance is terrible. The narrator has a Shatner-esque delivery where he randomly speeds up and slows down his reading and then dramatically drops his volume at the end of sentances. I honestly thought there was a problem with my stereo before I figured out he was doing it on purpose.

The author mentions in his new preface that the ideas in the book are timeless and therefore he didn't think it needed updating. However, a significant amount of speculation is done by the author about what computers in the future will be capable of--all of which has already come to pass. There is simply no need for an entire chapter fantasizing about a future where you can have an electronic appointment book.

Apparently, the book is considered a classic in the design and engineering world, but until it is updated it only has value as a historic document.

I`m thinking to write a book because of this one

Now I don`t think I`m stupid when I`m not able to operate something in one go .. Awesome book and now I spend more time finding design problem - I think its a problem ;)

Great book. Skimmed it in the 90s. Still relevany

Addresses many of the issues that we ignore which lead to bad consequences. While a bit dated, the principles can be applied today.

Great book!

Great book, easy to comprehend, great narrator, I would highly recommended this book for software developers and testers,

Great insight on the key components of good design

I really liked all of the examples that he used to illustrate good and bad design. Some examples are outdated and might seem inapplicable anymore but the methodology is still very applicable.

A super text for designers

The lessons and design rules outlined in this book are timeless and relevant to every product designer!

A solid engineering strategy

What did you love best about The Design of Everyday Things?

I particularly like the approach the author has towards the design of systems, as something intended to be used by humans (v.s. perfect, precise manual-reading robots.) The use of examples is also extremely helpful.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Design of Everyday Things?

Probably the explanations behind some of the near-disasters. The fact that poorly designed and somewhat misleading control panels in three mile island contributed to a near-meltdown is a great example of how good (or bad) design can make all the difference in the world.

What about Peter Berkrot’s performance did you like?

Peter's voice is clear, with no major accent, and good tone variation.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No extreme reaction, but it was an interesting read.

Any additional comments?

Some of the topics in this book are covered in later books by different authors. So, in this sense, the book is a little redundant to some other popular books on the strengths and weaknesses of the human mind as a tool for reasoning and decision-making.

Also, towards the end of the book there is some discussion towards future improvements in design in everyday things. As this is an older book (late 80's) and some of those ideas have already made their way into mainstream products. The ideas seem a little silly/obvious 20+ years later, and I had to keep reminding myself of the age of this book when making my way through some of these "forward looking" topics.

A bit dated.

Narration is good and keeps your interest. The idea that we should blame bad design and not ourselves for mistake is stated repeatedly throughout the book. To my disappointment I found the examples to be dated. He discusses VCRs as if they were more commonly used than DVDs. At one point he said he envisioned a portable computer that could be taken anywhere plugged into a phone within 5 years. How long has the iPhone been out? It would have been nice if the book updated before making into an audiobook. Turns out that this audiobook was recently released (making it seem like it was a new book) but had been written several years ago.

Good book

I bought a paperback of this book. But I couldn't find time to read it. So I listened to audio book during my travels.

Good book, but the narrator's tone is pretentious

Would you listen to The Design of Everyday Things again? Why?

I would probably read the book the second time around. This is the first time where the narrator's pretentious and condescending tone really pulled me out of the material.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

The story is great and the writing is insightful.

Which scene was your favorite?

The door story is good.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The design and simplicity of a car versus a radio.

Any additional comments?

My complaint is on the audio and narrator, not the book. I would probably read the book the second time around. This is the first time where the narrator's pretentious and condescending tone really pulled me out of the material.