Chapter 4
Reference Info:
Design of Everyday Things
Donald Norman
Summary:
THis book starts out by explaining the difficulties of working everyday machines that should be simple to use. He gives the example of the VCR to illustrate this. Norman then gives an example of knowing how to work things out using a Lego motorcycle. He brings up the constraints associated with this task which guide the user to build it successfully without ever having seen the finished model. These four constraints are physical, semantic, cultural, and logical. Norman then goes on to describe doors and their flawed design. There are so many doors, some that open and function differently, to the point where instructions are needed on the door. THe author also argues about the difficulty and ambiguity of switches. He proposes we switch a a 2d layour of the area with lights with a switch placed at each of the corresponding points. Norman then finishes off the chapter by informing us about the need of visibility and feed back. We consantly need visual representation that something is working and get a feedback from a machine.
Discussion:
Norman seems to hate switches and doors. I feel like this chapter was really more a rant on the "complexity" of doors. The truth is, there is never going to be one exact switch or door to accomadte all needs. I have never had any issues with light switches in or around my house. It is a matter of knowing how it works. Why do I need a stranger coming into my home and being an expert with lights.
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