don norman's book the design of everyday things

One path led me to mathematics another to more fine art and another led me to product design and Don Norman’s book. I wanted to learn more of the hows and whys of what made things work well, and figure out what made me tick as a designer. Of course, you can’t squeeze geopolitics, sociology, and cultural history into a fashion course, but some encouragement to look beyond fashion history would have been nice. A big chunk of HE tuition includes exploring your individuality and aesthetic or handwriting as a designer, and how you express that visually, but for me, it wasn’t well integrated with culture, society and technology.

Much of the fashion design training at colleges and universities grooms you for a career in industry or running your own business. I came across The Design of Everyday Things after I’d finished my course at the London College of Fashion, having got the start I needed insofar as design development and realisation. Much of his design philosophy is rooted in things we already know or sense about ourselves as human beings, but it’s articulated in a way that’s constructive and enlightening. Norman’s book is chock-full of anecdotes – some tragic, some humorous – and as you read through, you’ll find yourself feeling vindicated on every page – if not fascinated by his insights and revelations. The focus on product design, engineering and empathy was refreshing because of the focus on people, and designing products and systems that work for the people using them, not the other way around. This was the book that made me see that perhaps I could be a designer after all. This does not affect you in any way, but for me, the pennies add up! You can read more about my support of here.

This is an affiliate link, which means that I earn a small commission as a result of supporting. PLEASE NOTE: If you’d like to purchase this book and support independent bookstores, you can do so via this link to my page. Don Norman, The Design of Everyday Things, revised and expanded edition (MIT Press, 2013) preface, p. Bad design, on the other hand, screams out its inadequacies, making itself very noticeable. Good design is actually a lot harder to notice than poor design, in part because good designs fit our needs so well that the design is invisible, serving us without drawing attention to itself.

The image is of a masochistic teapot, about which more in the book.

Front cover of Don Norman, The Design of Everyday Things, revised and expanded edition.

Don norman's book the design of everyday things