One everyday design that frustrates me is a website or app that makes a simple task difficult by hiding the next step in menus. I would make the main actions easier to find and give clear confirmation when a choice has worked. Norman’s door example helped me see why: his friend could not tell where to push because the doors hid useful clues, so he had to guess. A screen can cause a similar problem when its actions are not visible. This made me pay more attention to discoverability. I agree that designers should anticipate likely mistakes rather than blame users immediately. At the same time, Norman writes from a designer’s perspective, so he puts much responsibility on design. I find that useful, but it can underplay how users’ familiarity and practical limits also shape what happens.
I would apply some of Norman’s principles to interactive artwork. I tend to think of interaction as a two-way exchange: the audience does something, and the artwork responds. The artwork could use a visual or sound cue to show what actions are possible, then change in color, movement, or sound to show that it registered an action. It would not need to explain the artwork’s meaning. The reading makes me think that clarity about how to engage can coexist with openness about what the response means. If people have no clue what action is possible, they may not participate; if every response is explained, there may be less room for exploration. I wonder how an artist can make an interaction understandable while leaving its meaning open to the audience.