What makes some designs good and others bad? Why do some designs work while others don’t? Posts in this category offer thoughtful design critiques of modern digital interfaces, with commentary inspired by Don Norman’s “The Design of Everyday Things.”
Yesterday, I wanted to get a cup of tea before I went to work because I have been feeling a little under the weather. I knew there was an Argo Tea on University Place, close to my workplace, so I Googled “Argo Tea” and found myself on their website. And that was about all that …
The GNOME 3 desktop environment is one of many GUIs supported by Ubuntu OS. Upon starting GNOME 3 (which is to say turning on the computer or starting Ubuntu,) the user is faced with an environment that should not be too unfamiliar to any computer user (above.) The interface is minimalist, and the only visible …
The newest version (9.0.2) of the iOS Snapchat application is an example of bad design. And for those who have never used Snapchat before the newest update, it is an example of horrendous design. Trying to navigate this version of Snapchat proves a perfect demonstration of the Norman idea that understandability rather than simplicity is …
Snapchat iOS Application, Version 9.0.2 (Bad Design) Read More »
I have often marveled at the bad design of Pratt’s “Academic Tools,” and now, thanks to Donald Norman and The Design of Everyday Things, I have some vocabulary to explain why the design is so bad. Academic Tools is a section of Pratt Institute’s website that allows students to do the following tasks: accept or …
The Uber iOS application (in its most recent version, 2.58) is an application my mom can use. As a car service request, it saves the user the time and energy of calling and waiting for a regular cab (which, from experience, sometimes does not even show up) and does not require the user to have …
Uber iOS Application, Version 2.58 (Good Design) Read More »
As a working student with a reasonable amount of loans on my back, I recently realized that I was in dire need of a way to track my spending. Like most people, I have multiple bank accounts and credit cards that I use to make my various payments and receive my deposits, not to mention …
Searching for a case of bad design as defined by Don Norman in his book The Design of Everyday Things proved to be far more difficult than finding a case of good design. This is likely due to Norman’s observation that users tend to falsely blame themselves rather than the design when something can’t be …
I believe that the user interface for Gmail is an example of good design. Using concepts discussed in Don Norman’s book, The Design of Everyday Things, and images of my own Gmail account, I will prove my statement. The first screen that you see offers many clues as to the proper operation of your account. …
SelfControl, the most intimidating icon in my laptop’s dock, is the key to my academic success, and, I will argue, an example of good design. It is a free, open source software that allows users to block their own access to websites for a set period of time. Procrastinating, compulsive checkers of social media can …