Donald Norman Short Quotes

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People Propose, Science Studies, Technology Conforms.

Donald Norman
Academics get paid for being clever, not for being right.

Donald Norman
Simplification is as much in the mind as it is in the device.

Donald Norman
Forget the complaints against complexity; instead, complain about confusion.

Donald Norman
How do you discover a need that nobody yet knows about? This is where the product breakthroughs come through.

Donald Norman
Learning should take place when it is needed, when the learner is interested, not according to some arbitrary, fixed schedule

Donald Norman
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.

Donald Norman
When a device as simple as a door has to come with an instruction manual—even a one-word manual—then it is a failure, poorly designed.

Donald Norman
If people keep buying poorly designed products, manufacturers and designers will think they are doing the right thing and continue as usual.

Donald Norman
Creeping featurism is a disease, fatal if not treated promptly. There are some cures, but, as usual, the best approach is to practice preventative medicine.

Donald Norman
Innocence lost is not easily regained. The designer simply cannot predict the problems people will have, the misinterpretations that will arise, and the errors that will get made.

Donald Norman
The major problems facing the development of products that are safer, less prone to error, and easier to use and understand are not technological: they are social and organizational.

Donald Norman
"It probably won a prize" is a disparaging remark in this book. Why? Because prizes tend to be given for some aspects of design, to the neglect of all others—usually including usability.

Donald Norman
What makes something simple or complex? It's not the number of dials or controls or how many features it has: It is whether the person using the device has a good conceptual model of how it operates.

Donald Norman