The Hidden Frustration: Common yet not so common

Cover of the book (Image by author)

Description

Recently, I picked up a book from the library at LCC called "The Design of Everyday Things" by Donald A. Norman. In short, the book talks about how even the smartest people still have trouble using simple everyday objects such as microwaves, ovens, washing machines, etc. A frustration that even the people with brains of unanimous knowledge suffer.

I, as an individual, now coming university student, still to this day struggle with using a washing machine. A few weeks ago, when I was doing laundry for the first time at my accommodation's laundry room, it took me almost 30 minutes trying to figure out how to start the washing machine. I mean, there is a silver lining, plain stupidity of not knowing how to use the washing machine or that it was just poor button design.

Though I have just started reading this book and I have barely even finished the first chapter, the first few pages of this book already caught my eye.

Analysis

Common yet not so common, it all boils down to understanding the human mind and how it works, which is probably the hardest to comprehend. The frustration that we face with our everyday interactions with people and objects. How industrial design impacts the way we use everyday objects.

"Consider the objects - books, radios, kitchen appliances, office machines, and light switches - that make up our everyday lives. Well designed objects are easy to interpret and understand. They contain visible clues to their operation. Poorly designed objects can be difficult and frustrating to use." (Norman, 1998, p. 2)

This is so funny to me because even my dad struggles with using certain home appliances at times and he is an engineer. Sometimes even the simplest things are the hardest to understand.

Our ever rapid growth in technology has also affected the way we design. With learning design being more accessible since the creation of the internet, anyone can pick up a skill and because of that, it has affected how we design.

"Rapid technological change during the late 20th century has brought many benefits but has itself also led to increasing design exclusion, as new products and services are introduced that are not readily understandable or intuitive to use. The public has become frustrated and disillusioned with technology products like the video recorder, which offer much but prove excessively complex to set up and operate." 
(Norman, cited in Microsoft, 2003, 2004; Philips, 2004).

Reflection

As the years go by, things get more complicated. However, the whole basis of why I chose this particular quote from the book "The Design of Everyday Things" is because it boils down to the basics of visibility. Making sure that we are functional. With the rise of social media, aesthetics plays a huge role in design (it does) but making it functional and practical for even the smartest people in the world to understand is something that we all struggle.

This book truly sums up how design affects the world regardless of how smart each individual is.

Bibliography

Norman, D. A. (1998) The Design of Everyday Things. 1st MIT Press edn. New York: Basic Books, p. 2