A great primer on how people think about and really use things, DOET illustrates how to make things easier for the average person to use with the least amount of effort.
Norman postulates that mistakes while doing everyday things – opening doors, using simple appliances, or even the computer – are not caused by the users inability, but by the faulty design of the device.
Norman explains a few principles which should ease the use of things: visibility, the ability to see what can be done or what is being done; system image, allowing a user to easily comprehend what to do and how to do it; mapping, which allows the relationships between actions and results, controls and effects to be naturally understood by a user; and feedback, which allows a user to see the results of actions taken. 53
Incredibly simplified, and without the detailed description of why and how these goals can be accomplished, here is a list of what is should take to create a well designed object:
1.Use both knowledge in the world and knowledge in the head.
2. Simplify the structure of tasks.
3. Make things visible: bridge the gulfs of Execution and Evaluation.
4. Get the mappings right.
5. Exploit the power of constraints, both natural and artificial.
6. Design for error.
7. When all else fails, standardize.