HOW PIZZA COULD SAVE THE WORLD
The platform known as pizza has empowered people all over the world allowing them to satisfy their unique cultures and desires. It is a model for societal platforms that can indeed change the world.... Read more
COMMUNITY-BASED, HUMAN-CENTERED DESIGN
We propose a radical change in design from experts designing for people to people designing for themselves, leveraging the creativity of communities to solve their own problems. People in communities best understand their problems and the impediments and affordances that impede and support change.... Read more
January 2019: Books worth reading
Books I have read in the past few months: Eleven of them. At the end of the list, I select three (Papanek, Easterly, and Ramalingam) and explain why.... Read more
If you can think of a clever solution in a few hours, assume many others have already done so.
If you can think of a clever new concept or solution to an existing problem in a few minutes or hours, then you should recognize that many people all over the world, many... Read more
Unusable Objects
The design of unusable items has become a meme, or perhaps a fetish. I started with Jacques Carelman's wonderful books, where his Coffeepot for masochists" became the cover of my book. Since then, many others have followed.... Read more
Failures? No -- Learning Experiences
We scientists (and designers) learn from our failures. In fact, scientists seldom fail. Instead, they say "that didn't work. Time to try something new." I prefer never to talk of failure. Instead, I... Read more
I learn more by being wrong than by being right
When people praise my ideas it is nice to hear, but I don't learn anything. If people disagree, I learn. If they convince me, I am thankful and I change. If I believe... Read more
Design for real people
We must design for people the way they are, not the way we wish them to be. Also see "Don't be logical." Half the people in the world are below average.... Read more
Democratizing Design: A Lecture.
A one-hour lecture on bottom-up or community-driven-design, citizen science (citizen design) and then, bottom-up and top-down design). Presented on April 6, 2018 at the Washington Philosophical Society, held at the Cosmos Club, Washington DC.... Read more
Simplicity is in the mind
Simplicity is in the mind. It is the designer's job to take complex requirements and make them so understandable and appropriate that they are pronounced "simple."... Read more
Welcome to jnd.org
I live several lives: University Professor Company advisor and board member; Keynote speaker; Author of books and columns. I am: Director of the newly established (2014) Design Lab at the University of California,... Read more
Don't be logical
I frequently must explain to designers that their designs are too logical. "The problem with your design," I explain, "is that it is too logical. Logic is an artifical way of thinking, invented... Read more
The Design of Everyday Things, Revised and Expanded Edition
Norman, D. A. (2013). Design of Everyday Things: Revised and Expanded. New York: Basic Books. London: MIT Press (UK edition) What has changed from the earlier book? A lot. The preface explains why... Read more
Living with complexity
Published: May 2010If only today's technology were simpler! It's the universal lament, but it's wrong. We don't want simplicity. Simple tools are not up to the task. The world is complex; our tools... Read more