Response: The Psychopathology of Everyday Things

I found that the author of this reading was able to put into very concise and understandable terms the importance of design and some key concepts that define the field. I find that this was able to provide me with a thorough overview of what designers must take into account when designing new products or experiences.

I find it very fascinating how he argues that despite engineers or developers’ thorough understanding of the product they are creating, they are not able to understand the complex emotions and behavior of people that use their product. I am curious how companies might find a perfect middle ground where their designers understand both the complex technology that they are designing, as well as the behaviour of people who use it.

I also found his discussion of feedback very interesting and thorough, as this is something that I often encounter when using products. I find that numbers and labels are arbitrarily placed and assigned on a product or interface, and not only that, there is no way to determine whether or not what you are doing is correct or nor until it is often too late. These are things I have considered, but Norman put it in simple yet effective terms that allow me to think about design in the things I interact with.