Reading Response Week 4

In his book “The Psychopathology of Everyday Things,” Norman discusses the significance of design in assisting people in comprehending and utilizing objects in daily life. He outlines many psychological concepts that assist us in understanding what makes a design excellent or terrible. He makes much of the possibility that design can be flawed. Even if we are first unaware of it, an object’s attributes refer to the things it can perform or the ways in which it can be used. The cues that explain how to use something are known as signifiers. These cues can be challenging at times.

Norman sincerely desires that designers consider the users of their creations. Even the coolest designs, according to him, don’t always work out since designers occasionally forget about the people. The notion that machines don’t comprehend things the same way people do is a good one. A machine needs to be aware that people can make mistakes in order to be helpful. Additionally, it should not be overly complicated to use and understand. I agree with Norman’s suggestion to build with the user in mind. Everyone can use the items in this way without feeling lost. Technology can occasionally be overly complex, and that is not useful. Designers must ensure that their works are both clever and simple to understand.

In a similar way, my classmate talks about the same ideas. They mention how sometimes, designers forget about what people really need. This is an important reminder for all designers. They also talk about how technology can be both helpful and frustrating, depending on how it’s designed. This shows that good design is really crucial for making technology that works well for everyone.

Leave a Reply