To create a successful design, it must be designed from the viewpoint of the user and considering human-centred design. Factors in HCD such as the affordance determining if the user can understand how the object can be used, even more vital is the signifier communicating what the user should do. The layout of the mapping should be easily understandable and Read more →

It is interesting how good design is all about communication between machine and man. never thought about it this way. I always thought that good design means being instinctive, that people can use products instinctively, like when you see a knobs, you turn it, and when you see a button, you push it. there is no other. but communication is Read more →

The design of everyday things play an important part of our lives, from doors to lights. As we go through our daily lives, we may or may not recognise or appreciate how some everyday things are designed to suit users needs. An example would be the water coolers around us, where red and blue tabs intuitively lets us know the Read more →

Response: Designers should really take into consideration the user’s point of view when creating a product. Be it a door, a refrigerator or a technological product, the user experience is important when comes to creating a user-friendly product. In Don Norman’s book, he analysed that designers should incorporate principles of interactive design as much as possible when creating a product. Affordance, Read more →

Chapter 1 mentioned that designers often misuse the term “affordance”. Much rather than affordance, the focus should be shifted towards “signifiers”. Signifiers are simple indications to bring awareness of a certain function to the users. However, with too many signifiers, it might lead to confusion and a complicated design. Simplicity of apple products is probably the reason why it is Read more →

Reflection:

As an engineer, I admit that when I build things, I like to think about the functionalities first before the design or how can the product serve the users’ need without causing much trouble. From this chapter, I understand that as engineers, we tend to think logically, and it is true that we assume people also think as logical as Read more →

The principle of design – Form follows function