The Design of Everyday Things

Notes

• Human-centered design - The process that ensures that the designs match the needs and capabilities of the people for whom they are intended
• Affordances - relationship between a physical object and a person. E.g. a chair affords support, therefore, affords sitting. A flat plate on a doors affords pushing while a know affords turning, pushing, and pulling. Affordance is jointly determined by the object and the agent that is interacting with it. To be effective, affordance have to be discoverable. Affordance determines what is possible.
• Signifiers - Signals presence of affordance. Signifiers communicate where an action afforded by affordance should take place. E.g. a “Push” sign on a door.

The Design of Everyday Things — Book Summary & Notes