A collection of 31 posts

If a robot is to use emotions to communicate its underlying state, it should do so naturally, as a byproduct of its operation. Let its motors make noise, when strained. let its eyes search around when confused. let its body be tense (motors all ready to go) when anxious, and let it be relaxed (mo...

Websites and Web applications are meant to be used only once or few times, so are the perceived usability (correlated to aesthetics) more important than the real usability (time for task completion, number

What are your favorite top 15 most important usability principles? Feel free to cite sources and canons to support your answer. The most important consulting rule that I follow is: "Never solve

I've always wondered if the person who designed the first car with the steering wheel on the right hand side was a left handed person. What is your view on that

Dear Dr. Norman; I note that you have researched human memory, attention, learning, and design. As a grad student in Design, Housing & Apparel at the University of Minnesota, I am holding your

Dear Don, Inspired by some of your comments on aesthetics and emotion in design I have been thinking about its application to relationships; here are some thoughts: Are people more tolerant of attractive

Dear Dr. Norman, Do you prefer Macintosh or perhaps Red Delicious? I must admit though, Granny Smith is difficult to top for baking purposes... Chris For years I preferred Macintosh, but then they

Hi Don, Your book "The Design of Everyday Things" opened my eyes to a whole new world of unusable doors, etc. But over the years, as I hear those in our

Oakley is well known for making fashionable and functionable glasses, but I have question on this pair of sunglasses. It looks like a bra. I tried it on, it messed up my hair.

Do you think HCI is a science? If yes, do you think we can have a systematic and forever valid HCI theory in the end? If no, then what is HCI, and what

Why does Jakob make up so many numbers? By Jakob, I assume you are referring to Guru Jakob. It is only polite to use the full title. I have found Guru J. to

Do you consider yourself a guru? What defines a guru? The term "Guru" (please note the use of the upper-case "G") is reserved for those with beard certification. Alas,

I encounter so many people with the mentality that a confusing door isn't that big of a deal. These are the kinds of folks who don't care that the

"Does personalisation of interaction enhance or reduce the quality of the user experience?" Yes, absolutely. And I refer you to the Epilog of "Emotional Design" for proof (available at

I'm at a friend's house in Seaford (in England, near Brighton), and thinking of you because he has a light switch outside the bathroom (I don't know