Notes for DOET Chapter One

design/the-design-of-everyday-things.md

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+# The Design of Everyday Things
+
+https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Design_of_Everyday_Things
+
+## Chapter One: The Psychopathology of Everyday Things
+
+Well-designed things do not need explanatory signage or trial-and-error.
+
+Two important characteristics of design:
+
+1. Can the user discover what action are possible and how to do them?
+2. Can the user grok the meaning of the actions and the purpose of the thing?
+
+Designers must design for humans, who are not perfectly logical creatures.
+
+Discoverability is done with
+
+- Affordances
+- Signifiers
+- Constraints
+- Mappings
+- Feedback
+
+Understanding comes in the form of a conceptual model of the thing.
+
+**Affordances** (and non-affordances) are the ways in which a user can (and
+can't) interact with a thing. The set of interactions is a function of both the
+thing and the user, so different users will have different affordance with the
+same thing.
+
+**Signifiers** tell user how to interact with a thing. They aren't necessarily
+intentional. Signifiers are defined by effect, not intent. Perceived
+affordances can act as signifiers.
+
+**Mappings** are the relationships between controls and their effects. Natural
+mappings exploit mappings we use naturally, such as spatial mapping and natural
+expressions of concepts (e.g. intensity).
+
+**Feedback** tell the user that the system is working; and it must be immediate
+and clear.