10 Rules Designers Should Know

10 Takeaways From The Design of Everyday Things Have you ever pulled a door that was meant to be pushed, or stuck your finger in dirty water to relieve a sink of its contents? We often feel that we are to blame when we don't use a product in the way that it was intended. In The Design of Everyday Things [https://jnd.org/the-design-of-everyday-things-revised-and-expanded-edition/], Don Norman sheds light on the gap between products and their users, and reminds us of the importance of design thinking at every stage of development.

1. Reframe errors as design problems

Reframe errors as design problems - Machine operators monitor devices for long hours at a time, employees repeat the same precise tasks, over and over. People are put in boring environments for hours, and then expected to be fully alert. When systems fail, we are quick to attribute the cause to "human error" instead of redesigning systems so that they no longer occur.

2. Take advantage of external aids

Take advantage of external aids - The best chess players today are teams of humans and computers combined. Norman argues that society progresses by the number of operations that it is able to perform without deliberate attention. People are creative and exploratory, while machines are robust and precise. In combination, the two are greater than the sum of its parts.

3. Don't stop there

Don't stop there - Theodore Levitt, Harvard Business marketing professor once said, "People don't want to buy a quarter inch drill. They want a quarter- inch hole!" but Norman extends this further: "Once you realize they don't really want the drill, you realize perhaps they don't really want the hole either: they want to install their bookshelves. Why not develop methods that don't require holes? Or books that don't require shelves." When we find an answer, we tend to stop there, but the brightest solutions often take another step.

ie. e-readers are books that don't require bookshelves4. Utilize knowledge correctly Utilize knowledge correctly - If I have a tendency to forget my keys, then I might decide to leave them in my shoe, somewhere I cannot fail to find them. Placing objects where they're most likely to be used is a classic example of leveraging knowledge in the world, versus knowledge in the head. Attention is a limited resource, so it's good to keep this in mind when designing products. The best user experiences come from a combination of the two.

5. Jidoka: Automation with a human touch

Jidoka: Automation with a human touch - Toyota automobile manufacturers promote culture of error reporting through the philosophy of jidoka. Workers are supposed to report their concerns, even if they result in entire assembly line haltages. Of course, this is disconcerting for the worker that reported the error, but the idea is to ask why, as many times as necessary, to get to the root cause of a problem so that it never occurs again.

6. Practice Poka-Yoke, or "fool proofing"

Practice poka-yoke, or "fool proofing" - The aim of Poka-Yoke, adopted by Shigeo Shingo, which roughly translates to fool proofing or error proofing, similar to Jidoka, seeks to prevent errors at their root. We often put blame on the user, but this practice acknowledges the tendency for human slip-ups, and treats errors instead as opportunities for improvement. Do you find yourself making the same mistakes over and over? Don't blame yourself, instead think of ways you might apply error-proofing to your situation.

7. Design for inclusivity

Design for inclusivity - Original potato peelers were difficult to use. They had no plastic handles, and barely did their job. Modern day potato peelers, on the other hand were originally designed for folks with arthritis. When they were introduced to the market, were they targeted to only those with joint problems? No! When it comes to web design, deeper contrast ratios and larger font sizes make it easy for everyone to read the page, not just the visual impaired. Simply put, universal design benefits everyone.

"Would you use a walker, wheelchair, crutches, or a cane? Many people avoid these, even though they need them, because of the negative image they cast: the stigma. Why? Years ago, a cane was fashionable: people who didn’t need them would use them anyway, twirling them, pointing with them, hiding brandy or whisky, knives or guns inside their handles. Just look at any movie depicting nineteenth-century London. Why can’t devices for those who need them be as sophisticated and fashionable today?" - Don Norman

8. The Law of Product Development

The law of product development - states that as soon as a product development cycle begins, it is already underfunded and behind schedule. So, when a printer works without argument, take stock of your good fortune. When it fails, remember the law of product development.

9. Focus on strengths, not weaknesses

Focus on strengths, not weaknesses - Companies devote a lot of time and resources to fixing weaknesses in a product, leading to a phenomenon known as featuritis [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feature_creep]. This is the wrong approach, Norman concludes. Rather, the best products often listen to customer feedback, double down on strengths, and "focus all marketing and advertisements to point out the strong points."

10. In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice,

there is. In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice, there is - Above all, keep moving. Life is short. Don't worry if you don't get everything right at first. Treat errors as learning experiences and remember to enjoy yourself along the way.

👋 Thanks for making it to the end!