What happens when we rely too much upon external knowledge, be it knowledge in the world, knowledge of friends, or knowledge provided by our technology? On the one hand, there no such thing as too muc...
To the designer, reflection is perhaps the most important of the levels of processing. Reflection is conscious, and the emotions produced at this level are the most protracted: those that assign agenc...
The study of slips is the study of the psychology of everyday errors—what Freud called the psychopathology of everyday life. Freud believed that slips have hidden, dark meanings, but most are accounte...
The meanings of today may not be the meanings of the future.
The best products come from ignoring these competing voices and instead focusing on the true needs of the people who use the product.
Lego Motorcycle. The toy Lego motorcycle is shown assembled (A) and in pieces (B). It has fifteen pieces so cleverly constructed that even an adult can put them together. The design exploits constrain...
In my university, copying machines are purchased by the Printing and Duplicating Center, then dispersed to the various departments. The copiers are purchased after a formal request for proposals has g...
Even as simple a task as picking up a glass with the hand requires feedback to aim the hand properly, to grasp the glass, and to lift it. A misplaced hand will spill the contents, too hard a grip will...
During an incident, there are never clear clues. Many things are happening at once: workload is high, emotions and stress levels are high. Many things that are happening will turn out to be irrelevant...
Blaming a person is seldom appropriate or useful, a
Any time you see signs or labels added to a device, it is an indication of bad design: a simple lock should not require instructions.
We must design our machines on the assumption that people will make errors.
There seems to be a conspiracy, one calculated to destroy our sanity by overloading our memory. Many codes, such as postal codes and telephone numbers, exist primarily to make life easier for machines...
The standards should reflect the psychological conceptual models, not the physical mechanics.
The solution is human-centered design (HCD), an approach that puts human needs, capabilities, and behavior first, then designs to accommodate those needs, capabilities, and ways of behaving.
So we must design our machines on the assumption that people will make errors.
Skeuomorphic is the technical term for incorporating old, familiar ideas into new technologies,
Most of human behavior is a result of subconscious processes. We are unaware of them. As a result, many of our beliefs about how people behave—including beliefs about ourselves—are wrong. That is why...
I have long held the belief—and encouraged it in my students and employees—that failures are an essential part of exploration and creativity. If designers and researchers do not sometimes fail, it is...
How does one discover unarticulated needs? Certainly not by asking, not by focus groups, not by surveys or questionnaires. Who would have thought to mention the need for cup holders in a car, or on a...