The Design of Everyday Things book club questions

1. 1.

   Norman argues that blaming the user for errors is almost always wrong. Think of a recent time you were frustrated by a product. Was the problem your error or a design failure?

2. 2.

   Pick one object in the room you're in. What affordances does it communicate? Does it have any false affordances — things that suggest it can do something it can't?

3. 3.

   Norman writes about 'doors that look like they should push but actually pull.' Where does your workplace or home have the equivalent of that design failure?

4. 4.

   How does the idea of conceptual models help explain the difficulty of learning new software? What conceptual model did you arrive with that turned out to be wrong?

5. 5.

   The book distinguishes slips from mistakes. In your own work, which kind of error do you make more often? How does the environment you work in help or hinder you?

6. 6.

   Norman updates the 1988 edition for the digital age. Where do you see the affordances framework applying — or breaking down — in app or software interfaces you use regularly?

7. 7.

   Feedback is one of Norman's key principles. Think of a digital interface that gives you good feedback versus one that gives you almost none. What's the difference in your experience of using them?

8. 8.

   Norman suggests that good design feels obvious in retrospect but is actually very hard to achieve. Can you think of a product that achieves this? What makes it work?

9. 9.

   The book's constraints chapter discusses physical, cultural, semantic, and logical constraints. Which type of constraint do you rely on most in the systems you use?

10. 10.

    Norman's framework is about everyday objects as much as digital interfaces. How does thinking about affordances and signifiers change how you look at physical objects in your environment?

11. 11.

    If you had to redesign one thing in your home or workplace using Norman's principles, what would you choose, and what would you change?

How to run the discussion

• Pick six to eight, not all of them. An hour of real discussion covers fewer questions than anyone expects, and racing the list is what makes a book club feel like homework.
• Open with what people noticed, not what they concluded. Asking for a verdict first hardens opinions before anyone has heard each other.
• Let the disagreement run. The questions below that split a room are the ones worth the time; the ones everyone answers the same way can be skipped.
• Ask the quiet person a specific question. A direct, narrow question is far easier to answer than an open invitation to contribute.