The following will be an overview of the points I have gathered throughout the reading, and with these points, I have come to criticize our campus design—or more specifically, campus doors.
Chapter 1 begins by reflecting on how a simple concept or thing like a door could be so confusing. We know that the design of a door should indicate how to operate it without any need for signs, certainly without any need for trial and error (Page 7). Norman emphasizes on page 3 that the two most important characteristics of good design are discoverability and understanding, something the C2 building doors don’t seem to have. Although equipped with sensors, these so-called ‘automatic’ doors require more strength and patience than any regular door. There have been many instances where people have gotten ‘squished’ or ‘trapped’ trying to walk through them. Additionally, the sensors installed above the doors are not precise at all; they are intended to sense motion straightforwardly facing the palms, yet people tend to approach from either the left or right, rarely from the center, so that’s another issue. That being said, and in Norman’s definitions, I would say that NYUAD doors have failed in industrial design, interaction design, and experience design (Page 5). Hence, we say that when designs are done badly, it leads to frustration and irritation (Page 5), and the reason behind that, I believe, is that engineers are trained to think logically (Page 6). They don’t really take into account the possibilities of how people other than themselves would interact with a product, in other words, user testing. Because at the end of the day, design presents an interplay of technology and psychology, and designers must understand both (Page 7).
Further, Norman introduces HCD or human-centered design, which is an approach that puts human needs and capabilities first, then designs to accommodate those needs (Page 8); something I stand by, especially in terms of accommodating people of determination in their day-to-day activities like battling D2 doors. So, in line with HCD’s philosophy, it is important to start with a good understanding of people and the needs that the design is intended to meet (Page 9). Moreover, the chapter “The Psychopathology of Everyday Emotions” highlights the importance of affordance (Page 11), defining what actions are possible, and signifiers, specifying how people discover the made possibilities (Page 12). In line with the author’s statement, I believe that signifiers are of far more importance to designers than affordance (Page 19). In addition, Norman mentions how it’s important to give feedback to users because how else would I know that something worked? So, it is important to provide confirmation & immediate feedback, but not too much feedback (Page 23).
Overall, I believe that the reading contains many of the most fundamental things a designer must know. I have come across these topics through other classes I’ve taken, such as UX Design and Wayfinding, so this book covers a great intersection and gives a proper overview of key points. With proper design comes a great product, and with great products comes happy customers; it can be done, says Norman (Page 36). However, in the eye of the campus designers, it’s a different story.