Donald Norman Part 2

1. "Designing well is not easy. The manufacturer wants something that can be produced economically. The store wants something that will be attractive to its customers. The purchaser has several demands.In the store , the purchaser focuses on price and appearance, and perhaps on prestige value. At home, the same person will pay more attention to functionality and usability. The repair service cares about maintainability: how easy is the device to take apart, diagnose, and service? The needs of those concerned are different and often conflict. Nonetheless, the designer may be able to satisfy everyone."

In my opinion, Norman makes a crucial point in this paragraph. Although designing is not easy, he states that it is possible to fulfill the desires and needs of all those involved in the life of a product. He shares who is involved from start to finish.  This is interesting because there are numerous products that are simply a pain to use, and therefore cause problems for the other groups involved in the process.  If we know products can be designed well, why do consumers continue to support designers who do not satisfy everyone? I also found this passage interesting, because I was not aware of how many different areas are involved in a product; it is actually quite amazing.

2. In this chapter Norman makes points that are true and timeless to any product regardless of the time in which it is, or was, produced. I believe these are relevant today because his points are true. In order to design a product well, the designer needs to seek feedback and should also include the aspect of natural design and visibility. Using a product should make sense. Designers glean from Norman's chapter because he addresses these points, because simplicity is really what consumers seek.

3. The simplicity of using the product is definitely important. If the product is too complicated with the amount of controls and functions I would rather save myself the headache. I will also look into the factors I had previously mentioned: appearance, size, comfort, style, durability, cost, quality, and practicality.