Don Norman - Design Psychology

Apply cognitive psychology to interface design. Users don't read manuals - the interface must teach itself.

Core Concepts

Affordances

What an object suggests it can do. A button affords pressing. A slider affords dragging.

Rules:

• •Buttons must look pressable (raised, colored, bounded)
• •Links must look clickable (underlined or colored)
• •Draggable items need grab handles or visual cues
• •Text fields must look editable (bordered, lighter background)

Signifiers

Visual indicators that reveal affordances.

Rules:

• •Hover states show what's interactive
• •Cursor changes (pointer, grab, text) signal interaction type
• •Icons with labels > icons alone
• •Placeholder text shows expected input format

Feedback

Every action needs a visible response.

Rules:

• •Button press: visual depression or color change (<100ms)
• •Form submit: loading state, then success/error
• •Async operations: progress indicator
• •Errors: specific, actionable message at the point of failure

Mapping

Controls should relate spatially to what they affect.

Rules:

• •Left arrow goes left, right arrow goes right
• •Volume up is up, volume down is down
• •Related controls are grouped together
• •Scroll direction matches content movement

Constraints

Prevent errors by making them impossible.

Rules:

• •Disable buttons until form is valid
• •Date pickers prevent invalid dates
• •Number inputs prevent letters
• •Destructive actions require confirmation

Mental Models

Users have expectations from past experience.

Rules:

• •Logo in top-left goes home
• •X closes things
• •Shopping cart icon shows cart
• •Save icon is still a floppy disk (unfortunately)
• •Don't fight convention without good reason

Prescriptive Rules

Interactive Elements

/* Buttons */
.button {
  min-height: 44px;        /* Touch target */
  min-width: 44px;
  padding: 12px 24px;
  border-radius: 4px;
  cursor: pointer;
  transition: all 0.1s;    /* Instant feedback */
}

.button:hover {
  transform: translateY(-1px);  /* Subtle lift */
}

.button:active {
  transform: translateY(1px);   /* Press down */
}

/* Disabled state */
.button:disabled {
  opacity: 0.5;
  cursor: not-allowed;
}

Form Fields

/* Text inputs */
.input {
  min-height: 44px;
  padding: 12px 16px;
  border: 1px solid #d1d5db;
  border-radius: 4px;
  background: #ffffff;
}

.input:focus {
  border-color: #3b82f6;
  outline: none;
  box-shadow: 0 0 0 3px rgba(59, 130, 246, 0.1);
}

/* Error state */
.input.error {
  border-color: #ef4444;
}

.error-message {
  color: #ef4444;
  font-size: 14px;
  margin-top: 4px;
}

Feedback Timing

Error Messages

Bad:

• •"Error"
• •"Invalid input"
• •"Something went wrong"

Good:

• •"Email must include @ symbol"
• •"Password must be at least 8 characters"
• •"Could not save. Check your internet connection and try again."

Rules:

• •Say what went wrong
• •Say how to fix it
• •Place the message near the problem
• •Use red but also an icon (for colorblind users)

Review Checklist

• • Every clickable element has hover/active states
• • All form fields have focus states
• • Errors appear at point of failure with fix instructions
• • Loading states exist for all async operations
• • Touch targets are at least 44x44px
• • Related controls are visually grouped
• • Dangerous actions have confirmation

The Gulf of Execution

The gap between what users want to do and how to do it.

Narrow this gulf:

1. •Make actions visible (don't hide in menus)
2. •Use familiar patterns (don't innovate on basics)
3. •Provide shortcuts for experts
4. •Show current system state

The Gulf of Evaluation

The gap between system state and user understanding.

Narrow this gulf:

1. •Show what just happened
2. •Show what can happen next
3. •Show current state clearly
4. •Provide undo for mistakes

Norman Score

Integration

Combine with:

• •/design - Philosophy behind why this matters
• •/mobile - Mobile-specific psychology (thumb zones)
• •/interaction - Input/interaction fundamentals