Yeah, so this is the first time I've ever blogged!
I'm using Blogger as a tool to keep a journal on my thoughts for
my university class about Tools - their uses, their designs and their impact on
society and culture.
Proper design of tools, everyday items, is difficult. Usability is
the key and even that is determined by various other details. Simple designs
that suggest their use or how to use them are often the most effective.
Scissors are a great example - sharp blades so the users know they are for
cutting and the two holes naturally accommodate the fingers to hold the
scissors. A person could see a photograph of a pair of scissors, without ever
having used scissors before, and be able to guess how the tool should be used -
a conceptual model can be created in the mind and no instruction manual is used.
Certain designs also have affordances, details such as shape or materials that
people associate with particular attributes. Personally I have a rugged,
underwater camera and, like most of the current rugged camera models, has
exposed rubber and a quirky, angled shape - 'Oh, rubber, that's a tough,
durable material, so the camera must be too'.
Sticking with my camera, the other important parts of usable
design can be illustrated. Controls are visible with each button having a
symbol to identify its purpose and there is feedback when each of these buttons
is pressed, maybe a beep, maybe a change of menu on the screen.
Usability is key because you then have a basic product; once you
have a basic product, you can make it beautiful! Beautiful aesthetics are
important to reinforce the positives and to influence the mood. Teapots all
have the same function, yet aesthetics determine whether they are used when
guests come, or if they are used as decoration in the home.
Inspiration for this blogpost and recommended reads are ‘The
Design Of Everyday Things’ and ‘Emotion and Design: Attractive Things WorkBetter’, both by Donald A. Norman 
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