User-Centered Design

02/02/2022 Compiled by Valmeek Kudesia

Principles of Good Design

  • Simplify the structure of tasks

  • Make things visible

  • Get (mental) mapping right

  • Exploit powers of constraint

  • Design for error

  • Explain affordances

Intentions, Actions, and Outcomes

Navigate intentions, actions, and outcomes with help of Principles of Good Design

  • Action Stages

    • Forming the target

    • Forming the intention

    • Specifying an action

    • Executing the action

    • Perceiving the state of the world

    • Interpreting the state of the world

    • Evaluating the outcome

  • The Gulfs

    • Gulf of Execution - Difference between intentions vs allowed actions

    • Gulf of Evaluation - Difference between the effort a person must exert to interpret the state of system vs how well expectations & intentions have been met

    • If Gulfs are too wide, then action or use will not proceed e.g.

      • is more burden to use the object and verify expectations are met vs not using the object at all i.e. "more trouble than is worth"

Reference

Donald Norman, "The Design of Everyday Things"