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Don Norman 's The Design Of Everyday Things

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I scribbled context in the margins, for what seemed like the umpteenth time. I was reading Don Norman’s The Design of Everyday Things, a design classic. I’m a big fan of taking notes as I read (nerd alert). I’ll write down my thoughts and key phrases to help me understand the essence of the author’s message. So I kept writing context in Norman’s book. Why is context so important in design and how can we effectively understand it? First, I’ll unpack the case for considering context. What I propose is nothing particularly revolutionary, but nonetheless of utmost importance: you need to understand the circumstances that surround your product in order to effectively design it. What does the scene look like where your product is being used? Are your users in the comfort of their own homes or out on the streets? In a rush or taking their time? Starved or well fed? Let’s take a look at the context of Uber users, for example. What’s the scene? You’re typically in a city, trying to get somewhere as efficiently as possible. You know, you’re antsy to get to Johnny’s pregame. The design of the Uber app reflects this: you’ll only have to press a few buttons to get your ride. When it comes, you’ll understand at exactly what time you’re going to make it to Johnny’s pregame. There are a couple of ways to paint a picture of context. At first, it might be easy and practical to visualize and imagine the experience of your users. Taking a peek into my routine for packing for

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