Don Norman’s observations regarding the design of everyday objects, such as doors, were so interesting for me to read as they raise the issue in technology: engineers and designers sometimes get so caught up in logical thinking that they forget about the end user’s perspective. I liked how this idea can actually relate to what we read last week about Crawford’s idea of “interactivity” as a conversation. It’s almost like technology and users speaking a different language, and this disconnect can lead to a host of problems. In a good conversation, it’s not just about speaking; it’s about listening, understanding, and responding thoughtfully. This same principle applies to human-machine interactions. Users need to “listen” to the machine by deciphering its controls and understanding how it works, while the machine must “listen” to the user’s commands and respond appropriately. When there’s a breakdown in this dialogue, things can quickly go awry.
What particularly interested me is how the difficulty users face in comprehending a machine’s interface can be likened to the “listening” aspect of interactivity. Users struggle to figure out how a machine functions, which makes it harder for them to effectively communicate with it. This can result in the machine misinterpreting their intentions or causing confusion, essentially a conversation that’s gone off the rails. So, my take on this connection between Norman and Crawford is that intuitive and straightforward design is non-negotiable for fostering better interactivity. It’s about designing technology that speaks the user’s language, aligning with their mental model and expectations. But it’s also about making sure the machine can “listen” and understand the user’s commands without any issues.
With all of this, I realized the critical importance of UX design: considering the end user when creating technology. We can’t simply assume that users will figure things out the way we do; we need to empathize with their needs, thought processes, and limitations. And user experience and user testing must be a part of my work when I start working on my midterm project.