The Design of Everyday Things - Overall

Reaction: The Design of Everyday Things

I really enjoyed reading The Design of Everyday Things. It  gave me a new outlook on the things that I use in everyday life. It was not exactly from the perspective of computer science or computer engineering, which allowed me to see what people from other fields think about and how they react to things that we design. This book also made me consciously aware that I need to keep the consumer in mind when I design and produce programs. The use of anecdotes really helped me put myself into the person's place and recall my own experiences with similar things. I do wish that Donald Norman had offered more examples in his book. He tended to focus on a few extreme examples. These included the doors, the video projection devices, like the projector and VCR, and sink faucets. It was not a hindrance on conveying his messages, but it would have been nice to have more variety in his examples. Furthermore, his reiteration of his principles helped me further internalize the things that he was explaining. He designed his book well!

Reaction: Chapter by Chapter

Chapter 1: The Psychopathology of Everyday Things

I had never thought about even the most mundane things in my everyday life having such complex effects. For example, I have encountered similar glass swinging doors that Norman told about. I, too, was confused when I thought I was supposed to push a door, but it was actually intended to be pulled. It usually happens at department stores when they have the minimalistic look or at small shops whose handles go horizontally across on both sides, making the implication of pushing or pulling ambiguous. The discussion about the complexity of the simple telephone made me laugh. It reminds me of the telephones that I have to use at my workplace. I work in retail, so the telephones are mostly used when a guest calls or when we must page for someone in the store. It has the standard numberpad and several buttons on the right hand side. Some of the phones have a template attached that shows what each button does, but for some reason or another, some of the phones have lost these templates. All you see is a column of white buttons. When any of the employees encounter these phones, they have to pause and figure out which button to press in order to page someone. Some people actually memorized (it's the fifth button down). Others just avoid those particular phones all together.

Chapter 2: The Psychology of Everyday Things

I have experienced almost everything that Norman had described in this chapter. To this day, projectors completely baffle me. I understand the overall workings of a projector, but I would never even attempt to use one. I do tend to blame myself when I make mistakes--even if they are not really my fault. For example, my laptop has a touchpad that controls the mouse under the keyboard. Sometimes when I type, I occasionally lay my wrist down and accidentally touch the touchpad with part of my left palm. This causes the touchpad to think that I am trying to click something. I had thought I was just doing something wrong. Now, I realize that the real culprit is bad design. The designers should have taken into account a user's hand positions and placed the touchpad strategically away from resting hands. I know a lot of people who have been taught helplessness, especially when it comes to math. I have helped tutor a couple of people in algebra and calculus, and when they get frustrated, they just throw their arms in the air and exclaim, "I won't ever get math!" It is hard to get them out of that mindset, especially because it has been years since they started becoming frustrated in the subject.

Chapter 3: Knowledge in the Head and in the World

I have a job in retail as a cashier. This would imply that I know what U.S. currency looks like. However, after trying for several minutes to figure out what the penny really looks like (without actually pulling out a penny), I noticed that I only take the shape, color, and weight into account when it comes to coins. This is so embedded in my mind that, whenever a dollar coin comes my way, I am usually thrown off. It is not a typical coin that customers pay with. The same thing happens when I get a two-dollar bill. My brain has to pause to process what it is and that it is an acceptable form of currency. When Norman listed all of the things he had to memorize, I realized that I had a lot to memorize, too. I have to remember usernames and passwords to my multiple email accounts, my UIN, social security number, my ID number at my job, birthdays, essential phone numbers, and much more. Knowledge in the world definitely takes a load off my brain, which is much appreciated.

Chapter 4: Knowing What to Do

In contrast to Norman, I find VCRs pretty intuitive in terms of operation. They used standardized symbols for playback; it was even easy to set the time on the VCR. The only thing that I could never figure out was how to record shows on video cassette. The biggest issue was that I had no feedback. Just as Norman said, an onscreen visual of what was going on when setting the VCR to record is necessary. The designs of doors and light switches are extremely important! There is a set of light switches in the living room. There are four little switches on the plate. One is for the ceiling fan, one is for the main light, one is for the light for the hallway, and one is for the light above the fireplace. I still don't remember which goes to what because there is absolutely no logical mapping from one light to the other. I ended up just putting a label for each light, which looks ugly but makes life so much easier.

Chapter 5: To Err is Human

I never really thought about the difference between slips and mistakes, but I guess it is appropriate to distinguish the two. Slips are unconscious and unintentional; mistakes are conscious and deliberate. It seems to be difficult to prevent slips because even preventative measures can become streamlined in many people's minds. For example, when I have to confirm a file's deletion, oftentimes I find myself just hitting the "Okay" button when the confirmation screen comes up. Usually, it is okay if I later find out that I need the file since there is the Recycle Bin which holds everything I delete. Unfortunately, on flash drives, the files are deleted permanently, which has caught me off-guard several times. Norman's discussion on the structure of tasks is interesting; it completely makes sense. Norman did not discuss mistakes themselves as much as I would have preferred, but it was interesting learning about the various ways big companies have tried to fix or prevent mistakes.

Chapter 6: The Design Challenge

This chapter might have been the most out-dated chapter out of all of them. Norman talked about the issues with keyboards, sink faucets, and computers. At present, keyboards, with an occasional slight variation in orientation (ergonomics) and relative size (correlated with the size of of a laptop), have not changed. We know that a sink faucet is sensor activated since there is an absence of sensors. Also, I do not find the lack of a temperature adjustment feature to be a big deal. There are even some sinks that are sensor-activated that include a small lever to temperature adjustment. Finally, computers have come a long way since the 1980s. Everything that Norman said he would have liked is now an integral portion of many people's lives. I am glad that he has gotten to see his hopes come to fruition. It makes me wonder how he would have written this chapter if it was written today instead of thirty years ago.

Chapter 7: User-Centered Design

This final chapter was mostly a recap of the first six chapters. There was not much new content; there was more summary and rewording of several points that Norman wanted to emphasize. He also provided some closing thoughts. His insertion of the Velcro shoes interested me. These days, children seem to be relying more on using Velcro straps before learning to tie their shoes with shoelaces. Of course, they do usually learn to tie their shoes. However, I wonder what kind of implications such a small thing like this has. I wonder if it has been translated to other things? How has the design of everyday things changed in the past couple of decades?

Good Designs of Everyday Things

1) Hole Puncher

This is a standard hole puncher that you can find at a generic office supply store. However, as common as it is, it is very well designed. Everything about it is intuitive. It is so easy to use that it did not even come with instructions at all!

Good conceptual model: One can mentally simulate putting a piece of paper in the only slot available and depressing the lever and, therefore, creating holes. The system image matches the conceptual model perfectly. This is why it is so easy to use.

Good mapping & visibility: The lever with which we depress to actually punch the holes is the most noticeable thing on the hole puncher. It even has a different texture on the middle of it to indicate where you should grip or press down. You know that when you press it down, the the mechanism actually goes down to punch the holes because you can feel the punctures.

Good constraints: There is only one place where a piece of paper can fit. Hence, we know where the piece of paper goes. We know which way to orient the paper because only longer side matches with the length of the hole puncher. We know how far the paper should go because there are raise edges in the hole puncher to stop the paper. There is only one way to move the lever--by pushing it down. There are no additional movements required to punch the holes.

Good feedback: The feedback is very simple and apparent, which is what we want in a hole puncher. You can verify that the paper has been hole punched after you depress the lever by pulling out the paper and you see holes in them.

2) Hot Sauce Dispenser

When we eat, we want the things that we use (i.e., forks, spoons, condiments, hot sauces) to be straightforward. Hot sauce is especially important; you want to control how much you get out, and you do not want it to spill it everywhere when you put it away. This particular hot sauce is great about doing that. Its bottle is squeezable, which allows you to control the flow by the amount you squeeze. Its cap twists to open and close very distinctly. This is another everyday thing that does not need an explicit set of instructions.

Good conceptual model: My conceptual model of how this hot sauce bottle matches the system image. You twist open the cap in the standard counterclockwise direction to open it. Then you squeeze the bottle itself to make hot sauce dispense. Finally, you twist the cap clockwise to close it and store it away.

Good constraints: It is easy to distinguish when the bottle is open and when it is closed. In both cases, it does not let you twist the cap more than a certain amount before it stops turning. There is a limit on how much you can squeeze out also because of the properties of the plastic that comprises the bottle.

Good mapping & visibility: For the twisting cap, there is a grip with which one can use to twist the cap to open and close. You know that it is open because the piece of plastic that appears when closed appears to recede. Likewise, you know that it is closed because the piece of plastic reappears and blocks the nozzle from dispensing the hot sauce.

Good feedback: The feedback for this device is very apparent and very delicious. I know when it is open because of the plastic piece that recedes. Also, I know that it is dispensing when I see hot sauce on my tasty meals.]

3) Air Freshener Spray

When a room stinks, you want to make it smell better immediately. Fortunately, this air freshener spray made sure that it was easy to use in emergency situations such as this. With an elegant design and a great spray mechanism, we can see good design of everyday things at its best.

Good conceptual model: This can of air freshener does exactly what you think it should. When you point it in the direction that you want to spray in and pull the trigger, it dispenses a mist of freshness. The direction in which you spray is clear from how you must position your hand in order to use the trigger. Even the shape of the top part of the spray indicates the direction in which the spray will disperse.

Good constraints: There is only one way to use the trigger: by pulling it! It is positioned so that it sprays in the direction indicated by the trigger. There is no other way to comfortably use the spray.

Good mapping & visibility: As explained earlier, the positioning of the trigger allows one to know in which direction the spray will disperse. The trigger is easy to see, too, which aids in its ease of use.

Good feedback: We know that we have used the air freshener spray correctly when we see a mist coming from the nozzle, hear a small sound from the dispensing mist, and smell the fresh air. This sort of feedback is also useful when we find out that the air freshener has run out.

4) Lip Balm

Lip balm is great to use when you have chapped lips. It is even better when it is well-designed novel packaging. Its egg shape makes it easier to apply the lip balm. Furthermore, the designers included a couple of flat parts in order for it to stand on its own and in order for it to be gripped and twisted open easily. This is an extremely popular product among several circles of people.

Good conceptual model: When I first took the lip balm in my hand, I could tell that I open up the egg by twisting it. Once I open it, I know I can use the lip balm stored inside. This conceptual model matches the actual functioning of the lip balm. It was also very smart to give the egg a flat base so it can stand on its own.

Good constraints: The lip balm uses a twist off motion in order to expose the lip balm itself. You predictably twist the top half clockwise to open the egg. You know it is closed when you twist counterclockwise until you feel and hear a click.

Good mapping & visibility: It is really easy to twist off the cap. There is a small indentation which allows you to naturally grip the egg with both of your hands and twist it off. The indentation is also large enough to find without looking for it but small enough not to detract from the packaging. You know which side is the top and the bottom of the egg from the flattened base (which is clearly the bottom).

Good feedback: The feedback is straightforward. If you are able to twist off the top, then you will be presented with lip balm. If you want to make sure the top is secured back in place, then you twist the top until it stops letting you twist and makes a small clicking sound. Also, the indentations of the top and bottom halves will line up nicely.

5) Rice Cooker

Rice cookers provide a convenient and quick way of making lots of rice. Because of they are supposed to be convenient, rice cookers need to be easy to use, too. I think this particular rice cooker is an everyday item full of good design.

Good conceptual model: When I look at the rice cooker, I think that it will cook my rice. If the "Rice Cooking" light is not lit, I need to press the lever to change the state. This intuition is what the rice cooker does. It has two functions: cook rice and keep the rice warm. There is only one lever needed then. When depressed, it cooks. Otherwise, it is keeping the rice warm.

Good constraints: As mentioned before, there is only one lever. By physical constraints, it just needs to be pushed to start cooking. Another constraint is the button at the top of the rice cooker. You can see which way the lip opens by the placement of the button. Also, you know that the lid opens by pushing down on the button.

Good mapping & visibility: The button at the top of the rice cookers maps the area where the lid must be opened. The button and the handle also indicate the hand placement in order to open the lid. Both the button and the lever to make the rice cooker are very visible. The button is large on top of the rice cooker, and the lever is on the front of the rice cooker itself.

Good feedback: We know the rice cooker is actually cooking with a light on the front. We also know that the rice is being kept warm by the other light. These are the only two states that the rice cooker can be in when plugged in. When it is not plugged in, there is no light on. Also, we know the lid is open or closed because there is a clicking sound from the locking mechanism.

Bad Designs of Everyday Things

1) Keyboard's Key Placement

I love this laptop. It has great battery life. The screen is gorgeous. The specifications are amazing. The keys are pretty. Unfortunately, not all of the keys are usefully placed on the keyboard. The keys boxed above give me so much trouble! When I want to scroll through a page or want to jump to the beginning or end of a line, I am hindered by having to consciously figure out which key I am supposed to use. This is a clear case of bad design.

Bad conceptual model: When I type, I do not usually look at the keyboard because it is time-consuming and tedious. Therefore, I expect the keys to placed in strategic locations so that when I need to use the Delete button or the Page Up button, the keys are placed strategically well. Unfortunately, they are not. I usually press the wrong button or I have to actually look at the keyboard to figure out which key is which. Where my finger thinks the key does not match where the key actually is.

Bad Constraints: There are no constraints stopping me from pressing the wrong button. There is no spaces between the related keys nor are there any sort of raised segments like those placed on the 'F' and 'J' keys.

Bad mapping & visibility: The  mapping of these six keys illogical. I have to arbitrarily remember that the left key (of the two related keys) is the one that will take me back to the beginning or top of the page and that the right key takes me to the end or bottom of the page. It would be more logical to place them vertically, so I can see that to go up or to the beginning, I choose the top button and vice versa.

Feedback: The feedback of the keys is fine, since they do perform the actions indicated. However, it is not the feedback I want. This causes a delay in completing the task or accomplishing my goal.

2) Math Equation Clock

I have a terrible reputation for not waking up when my alarm rings. I tend to sleepily hit the snooze button too much. So when I found this alarm clock, I had to get it. When the alarm goes off, I have to solve a simple arithmetic (addition or subtraction) equation in order to turn it off. However, as cool as it is, it is poorly designed. What a terrible way to start my day!

Bad conceptual model: The use of the clock to turn off the alarm is pretty intuitive: just twist the numbers until you satisfy the equation. This is where the the conceptual model and system image agreements stop. Usually alarm clocks have a snooze button to allow people extra time to work on waking up or to continue sleeping. This clock does not have a snooze option, even though on the '=' sign there is the text "snooze on." So the first few nights when I thought I could set a snooze, I was quite mistaken. This frustrated me a lot.

Bad constraints: Fortunately, the twisting motions are limited to the numbers and the mode of the clock (time set, alarm set, alarm on). However, it is not constrained enough. Sometimes when I am sleepy and trying to turn off my alarm, I twist into a different mode, making it frustrating to turn off the annoying buzzing sound. Also, I sometimes try to circumvent the lack of a snooze option by setting the alarm for ten minutes later. Unfortunately, I have changed the time itself instead of the alarm because the images of the clock and alarm on the clock is hard to distinguish.

Bad mapping & visibility: The little buttons to the right of the clock allow to you to set the time and alarm themselves. However, if I am not careful, as mentioned before, I might set the alarm in the time mode and vice versa. Also, it took a little while to realize that the first button was "set" button, that the second was "+," and the last button was"-." Then I realized that they were actually written in really tiny print on the actual buttons.

Bad feedback: The alarm clock uses a series of beeps every time you do anything with it--except when you turn the numbers. So every time I change modes, it beeps, for every minute that I adjust when setting the alarm, it beeps. It beeps too much. Norman warned about the abuse of sounds of feedback, and this is the perfect example.

3) Clothes Washer

It is an all-day affair to wash all of my clothes. I am thankful that I have a washer and dryer in the place where I live. However, sometimes I cannot help but feel very frustrated when I use this particular washer. I remember my first time using it; it took about ten minutes to figure it out. Even now I still have to take a significant amount of time to set it and start it. This is a clear case of too many functions.

Bad conceptual model: When you wash clothes, you just think about whether you need hot or cold water, if the clothes are lights or darks, and the intensity of the cycle. This thing offers way too many options for spin cycle speed, whether you want extra cycles, and different modes. I just simply do not understand the significance of them or do not understand their function at all.

Bad constraints: Each of the options are able to be selected discretely, through dial or button. However, they offer way more options than needed in an at-home washer. It confuses me and I have to consciously go through each option to make sure everything looks okay (I hope).

Bad mapping & visibility: While the knobs are pretty decent mappings for those options, I think a couple of the other options should be knobs, too. It was hard to recognize that I had to just press the button again and again to cycle through my options. A dial would have been more intutive. Also, it took a long time to figure out how to put in the detergent. It is actually on the far left side of the washer. Thre is a thing that I have to push to the right so that I can pull it out.

Bad feedback: I am still unsure about whether or not the washer does what I want it to do. At the very least, it does clean my clothes, but I am always unsure whether or not I used the right settings for each load.

4) Light/Fan Switches

I know Norman talked about light switches already, but I really had to show mine. This set of switches goes to four things. One goes to a spotlight above the fireplace, one is for the ceiling fan, one is for the light right under the ceiling fan, and one is for the hallway light. It is just one big mess. Do you like my masking tape labels?

Bad conceptual model: Without the masking tape labels, I simply had no clue about which switch turned what on. I only know that the switches were for the living room area. Nothing could be determined from the system image.

Constraints: The constraints were not really an issue here. There was only two options: flip the switch up or flip the switch down.

Bad mapping & visibility: As I made clear, I had no idea which switch controlled what device. It is so difficult to remember the arbitrary "mappings," that I ended up making the labels for them.

Feedback: Feedback is not really an issue here either. If I flipped a switch, something turned on or off. If the feedback was poor, I would have never been able to figure out which switch controlled what.

5) Window Blinds

I think I have had bad luck with window blinds all of my life. When I moved to my current residence, I thought my troubles were over. Boy, was I wrong. They cause a lot of trouble for me, too! For such aesthetically pleasing blinds, they are a design nightmare. I cannot pull them up or bring them down without having unnecessary issue with them.

Bad conceptual model: There are three main pieces to these blinds: the blinds themselves, the rod, and the pair of strings. It is easy to conclude that you turn the rod to turn the blinds. However, which string pulls the blinds up? Which one brings them back down? There is no way of realizing this without guessing (and usually being wrong).

Bad mapping & visibility: All three parts of the blinds were visible, but it was not clear what maps what to what. From experience or through logical conclusions, one can figure out that the rod is used for opening and closing the blinds; they both rotate to accomplish their tasks. However, I have to pull one of the strings to pull up the blinds and pull another one to bring them back down. Pulling a string does not exactly map to bringing the blinds back down. If the string to pull up the blinds were distinguished from the mechanism to bring down the blinds, this product would not create such headaches.

Bad feedback: We know that turning the rod and pulling the strings (even together) will open the blinds and pull the blinds up respectively. When I try to bring the blinds down, though, I have to pull the string in a certain way, and it does not always work. I have to stumble around with each string and trying to pull down the blinds manually to see if it is the right one. There is a clicking sound, but it does not always indicate success in pulling the blinds down.