Donald Norman Quotes


"Readers always seem to think that the author has some control over the design of their books."
- Donald Norman
(Related: Design, Control, Books)

"Scientists are always skeptics."
- Donald Norman
(Related: Scientists)

"Market segmentation s a natural result of the vast differences among people."
- Donald Norman
(Related: People, Result)

"Knowing how people will use something is essential."
- Donald Norman
(Related: People, Will)

"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."
- Donald Norman
(Related: Design, Information, Right)

"Also note that invariably when we design something that can be used by those with disabilities, we often make it better for everyone."
- Donald Norman
(Related: Design)

"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."
- Donald Norman
(Related: Being, First, Learning)

"I prefer design by experts - by people who know what they are doing."
- Donald Norman
(Related: Design, People, Experts)

"AS for all those mistakes I make - they are on purpose - to teach you how to deal with them."
- Donald Norman
(Related: Purpose, Mistakes)

"Beauty and brains, pleasure and usability - they should go hand in hand."
- Donald Norman
(Related: Beauty, Pleasure)

"Everyday people are not very good designers."
- Donald Norman
(Related: People)

"Our information lives will be better served when we are free to get to our information from wherever we are, with any device available."
- Donald Norman
(Related: Information, Will)

"I believe that robots should only have faces if they truly need them."
- Donald Norman
(Related: Faces)

"I believe that the Apple Shuffle is an excellent compromise among the conflicting requirements of simplicity, elegance, size, battery life, and function."
- Donald Norman
(Related: Life, Compromise, Elegance, Simplicity)

"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."
- Donald Norman
(Related: Experience, Work, Job, Jobs, Will)

"A big ethical question is what happens after people stop using the device. Does it degrade the environment? Could it have been designed so it would actually be good for the environment?"
- Donald Norman
(Related: People, Environment, Question)

"I think there is a tendency in science to measure what is measurable and to decide that what you cannot measure must be uninteresting."
- Donald Norman
(Related: Science, Measure)

"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."
- Donald Norman
(Related: Love, People, Technology)

"If you think the products don't match what you want from a product, don't buy it."
- Donald Norman
(Related: Want)

"In my opinion, no single design is apt to be optimal for everyone."
- Donald Norman
(Related: Design, Opinion)

"User-centered design means working with your users all throughout the project."
- Donald Norman
(Related: Design, Project)

"To me, error analysis is the sweet spot for improvement."
- Donald Norman
(Related: Error, Improvement)

"We expert teachers know that motivation and emotional impact are what matter."
- Donald Norman
(Related: Motivation, Teachers)

"So what does a good teacher do? Create tension - but just the right amount."
- Donald Norman
(Related: Right, Tension)

"Sure, one can always get the students to relax and be happy - entertained, but although being laid back and relax can also lead to creativity, mostly it means that nothing much gets done."
- Donald Norman
(Related: Creativity, Being, Nothing, Relax, Students)

"The problem with emotion was that it was clearly something important, but-at least according to the old philosophy-it was something to overcome."
- Donald Norman
(Related: Emotion, Old, Philosophy)

"You won't catch me giving clear lectures."
- Donald Norman
(Related: Giving)