Response
Something that drives me crazy is the newer car door handles, like the ones on a Tesla. Most of us grew up with the same idea of how a car door works. You grab the handle and pull. The newer handles break that idea completely. There’s nothing sticking out to grab and no clear sign of where to press, so people end up standing at the door confused about how to get in. I think part of the problem is the design, because it chooses a sleek look over being easy to figure out. But part of it is also just habit. People have used the old handle for decades and it works for them, so any change takes time to get used to. Maybe one day people will find the new handles normal and the old ones will feel strange. Still, I don’t think we should just wait for everyone to adjust. A small cue like a subtle dent or a light showing where to press would help a lot, and the design could still move forward while respecting what people already know.
Norman’s ideas fit right into interactive media, because making an interactive piece is really just another kind of design. When I make an interactive artwork, the way I picture people using it is often very different from how they actually see it. That’s the same gap Norman talks about between what the designer has in mind and what the user understands. I can’t stand next to every person and explain my work, so the piece has to explain itself. That can mean the cursor changing or something reacting when you hover over it. It can also mean giving feedback so people know their click did something, or making movements feel natural, like moving the mouse up to make something rise. After this reading I always ask myself two questions when I make something. What are its signifiers, and what idea of how it works does it give the person using it?