Donald A. Norman Quotes about Design

Technology may change rapidly, but people change slowly. The principals [of design] come from understanding of people. They remain true forever.

The hardest part of design ... is keeping features out.

Beauty and brains, pleasure and usability - they should go hand in hand.

The best kind of design isn't necessarily an object, a space, or a structure: it's a process- dynamic and adaptable.

User-centered design means working with your users all throughout the project.

Attractive things work better.

The world is complex, and so too must be the activities that we perform. But that doesn't mean that we must live in continual frustration. No. The whole point of human-centered design is to tame complexity, to turn what would appear to be a complicated tool into one that fits the task, that is understandable, usable, enjoyable.

A challenge to the designers of the world: Make signs unnecessary.

Good design is also an act of communication between the designer and the user, except that all the communication has to come about by the appearance of the device itself. The device must explain itself.

A good designer will actually design the company.

The design of everyday things is in great danger of becoming the design of superfluous, overloaded, unnecessary things.

In my opinion, no single design is apt to be optimal for everyone.

Behavioral design is all about feeling in control. Includes: usability, understanding, but also the feel.

Also note that invariably when we design something that can be used by those with disabilities, we often make it better for everyone

Any time you see signs or labels added to a device, it is an indication of bad design: a simple lock should not require instructions.

In design it is important to shoe the effect of an action. ... Feedback is critical.

It is relatively easy to design for the perfect cases, when everything goes right, or when all the information required is available in proper format

It is the duty of machines and those who design them to understand people. It is not our duty to understand the arbitrary, meaningless dictates of machines.

In their work, designers often become expert with the device they are designing. Users are often expert at the task they are trying to perform with the device. [...] Professional designers are usually aware of the pitfalls. But most design is not done by professional designers, it is done by engineers, programmers, and managers.

The designer has an obligation to provide an appropriate conceptual model for the way that the device works. It doesn't have to completely accurate but it has to be sufficiently accurate that it will help in both the learning of the operation and also dealing with novel situations.

If you're more susceptible to interruption, you do more out of the box thinking.

Simplicity design axiom: The complexity of the information appliance is that of the task, not the tool. The technology is invisible.

I prefer design by experts - by people who know what they are doing