Lou Fuiano
ITI Spring 2006
Duff

The Design of Everyday Things
Chapter 4
Donald A. Norman

Know Enough

THE ORPHAN GADGET
The opening paragraphs in chapter 4 where Norman talks about the maddening task of programming a VCR, he mentions something of great importance and great debate."When we encounter a novel object, how can we tell what to do with it? Either we have dealt with something similar in the past and transfer old knowledge to the new object, or we obtain instruction." Until the VCR, most people hadn't seen anything like it. A cassette player was probably the closest. The biggest issues are "feedback" and "visibility". Whenever I wanted to program the VCR, I would break out the manual, curl up on the floor in front of the tiny display and go through the programing steps. There was always the off chance that it would actually work.

Much like Norman's refrigerator, the VCR shows it's results over a period of time. How can we possibly know if it's going to work. Wait and see? For most of us, household appliances and gadgets are objects of action and immediate results. While the conceptual model of the VCR may be useful, it was a relative unknown. This makes the design model an even bigger mystery. I'm always impressed at how software designers coddle the user by making tools and other interface seem familiar. Paint brushes, push buttons, music consoles all give us the visual and often aural sense of the days before the interactive screen. Never the less, I have to think that the conceptual model of the VCR will forever cause it to be lost in the nether space of gadgets because it works in a disconnected time.

IF THE PIECE FITS
Norman drives four points that lay the ground work for this and the previous chapter: Physical Constraints, Semantic Constraints, Cultural Constraints and Logical Constraints. All four rely on Norman's previous point of "Knowledge How". This allows the design of things to anticipate the users working knowledge of things or Knowledge How. It counts on the user to be able to the put the puzzle together.

This presents an exciting set of possibilities for a designer. The designer can build in appeal to the design model by making the function of it speak to the users Knowledge How. Thereby building in cultural and semantic sensitivities. These devices are used all the time in marketing and advertising, but when built into how something works and is used on a daily basis, it can be very powerful.

I quickly found a bit of a contradiction in his next points about the problem with switches. His issues with door design and functionality make perfect sense. However, his problems with switches can border on obsessive. The design of the nuclear plant console should be one of pure functionality. The example shown of the beer tap handles is one that uses scale and out of context objects to create a distinguishable anomaly. A design that proves unforgettable, unmistakable and as a result, very successful. That said, the living room in someone's home seems a very different place. Here the designer has the opportunity to work with the cool of Knowledge How. Functionality should speak to the user, but more intimately. The user knows the workings of their home, and if not, there is little risk of an austere light switch resulting in a nuclear meltdown.

top of page