The Design of Everyday Things

De: Donald A. Norman

Narrado por: Peter Berkrot

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

Reseñas de la Crítica

"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.

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.

Absolutely Applies to Today!

Many of the examples seem dated. However, I've felt that the concepts are better understood because the problems are older and it's easy to see how people have tried to solve them. If you really pay attention, you'll notice that these problems are not solved. Also, these problems are still ignored by designers whether it's a smart phone, smart thermostat, AI assistant, or anything that's leading-edge technology today. This is not a how-to guide to design your next product. It presents the psychology of users. It also provides important tools to help you design for them. It's good to refer to the images in the book, so you'll want to get a physical copy from the library or look them up online. If you pass this book up, you'll regret it!

Design issues!

This is a fascinating subject matter, and the reader is excellent. However, this presentation suffers from one of the fundamental flaws of design that the book describes. There are many references throughout the text to figures, tables, and illustrations that are obviously present in the printed material. Unfortunately, no considerations were given to adapt this information to the format of the audio book. I have listened to science books before where the reader references an illustration that is present in the printed book and then describes the illustration for the listener. I was shocked to find that this is not the case in this lovely manual of good design. The reader simply reads the references, and the listener is left in the dark. Great subject and great read, but disappointingly executed where the design of the visual aspect of the material is concerned.
EDIT: I have just now discovered that there is a link to a .PDF which contains the figures and illustrations. It is buried in the book's description/summary section on the Audible Store AFTER the book has been purchased. I also found that it cannot be downloaded via the mobile app. I had to log in on a PC to get the material. Again, this is an embarrassment of design according to the material presented in the book. At least I eventually found it, though.

Wonderful book. Loved it and learned a lot from it

I am absolutely satisfied with this book. I learned a great deal of tactics and strategies that will ensure the success of my designs. I even purchased a paper book of it for reference. I hope all the designers read or listen to this book too.

It's okay, but...

This text is often required reading for design and usability students, however in 2016 this text is very dated. I would highly suggest just reading chapters one, two, and the last chapter; everything else is just a lot of stories and examples. There are some great takeaways in this book, but they are few and far in-between.