Donald A. Norman Quote
Warning messages are surprisingly ineffective against mistakes (even nice requests, such as the one shown in Chapter 4, Figure 4.6, page 143). Was this a mistake or a slip? Both. Issuing the close command while the wrong window was active is a memory-lapse slip. But deciding not to read the dialog box and accepting it without saving the contents is a mistake (two mistakes, actually). What can a designer do? Several things: • Make the item being acted upon more prominent. That is, change the appearance of the actual object being acted upon to be more visible: enlarge it, or perhaps change its color. • Make the operation reversible. If the person saves the content, no harm is done except the annoyance of having to reopen the file. If the person elects Don’t Save, the system could secretly save the contents, and the next time the person opened the file, it could ask whether it should restore it to the latest condition.
Warning messages are surprisingly ineffective against mistakes (even nice requests, such as the one shown in Chapter 4, Figure 4.6, page 143). Was this a mistake or a slip? Both. Issuing the close command while the wrong window was active is a memory-lapse slip. But deciding not to read the dialog box and accepting it without saving the contents is a mistake (two mistakes, actually). What can a designer do? Several things: • Make the item being acted upon more prominent. That is, change the appearance of the actual object being acted upon to be more visible: enlarge it, or perhaps change its color. • Make the operation reversible. If the person saves the content, no harm is done except the annoyance of having to reopen the file. If the person elects Don’t Save, the system could secretly save the contents, and the next time the person opened the file, it could ask whether it should restore it to the latest condition.
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About Donald A. Norman
Much of Norman's work involves the advocacy of user-centered design. His books all have the underlying purpose of furthering the field of design, from doors to computers. Norman has taken a controversial stance in saying that the design research community has had little impact in the innovation of products, and that while academics can help in refining existing products, it is technologists that accomplish the breakthroughs. To this end, Norman named his website with the initialism JND (just-noticeable difference) to signify his endeavors to make a difference.