Quotes by Donald Norman

“And to get real work experience, you need a job, and most jobs will require you to have had either real work experience or a graduate degree.”

“I think there is a tendency in science to measure what is measurable and to decide that what you cannot measure must be uninteresting.”

“So what does a good teacher do? Create tension - but just the right amount.”

“We expert teachers know that motivation and emotional impact are what matter.”

“Isn't one of your first exercises in learning how to communicate to write a description of how to tie your shoelaces? The point being that it's basically impossible to use text to show that.”

“It is relatively easy to design for the perfect cases, when everything goes right, or when all the information required is available in proper format.”

“I prefer design by experts - by people who know what they are doing.”

“User-centered design means working with your users all throughout the project.”

“Also note that invariably when we design something that can be used by those with disabilities, we often make it better for everyone.”

“In my opinion, no single design is apt to be optimal for everyone.”

“Everyday people are not very good designers.”

“Readers always seem to think that the author has some control over the design of their books.”

“Beauty and brains, pleasure and usability - they should go hand in hand.”

“I've been looking at the iPod- the Apple iPod. One of the interesting things about the iPod, one of the things that people love most about it is not the technology; it's the box it comes in.”

“People Propose, Science Studies, Technology Conforms.”

“Academics get paid for being clever, not for being right.”

“Although I firmly believe that there is no such thing as a stupid question, there can indeed be stupid answers. 42 is an example. Not only is this a poor ripoff of Doug Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide, b...”

“Serious accidents are frequently blamed on human error. Yet careful analysis of such situations shows that the design or installation of the equipment has contributed significantly to the problems....”

“When you have trouble with things—whether it's figuring out whether to push or pull a door or the arbitrary vagaries of the modern computer and electronics industries—it's not your fault. Don't bla...”

“Good design is also an act of communication between the designer and the user, except that all the communication has to come about by the appearance of the device itself. The device must explain it...”