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User Friendly: How the Hidden Rules of Design Are Changing the Way We Live, Work, and Play

User Friendly: How the Hidden Rules of Design Are Changing the Way We Live, Work, and Play

Narrative non-fictionArtBusiness
Pages
416
Published
2019
Language
English

Synopsis

An essential primer on how the industry of design has shaped our lives, User Friendly reveals the untold story of a paradigm-shifting movement.

Prose complexity
7/10

Vibe

ComplexInformativeInspiringThought-Provoking
Writing4.0Impact4.0Ideas5.0Logic4.0Clarity3.0

Genres

Art Business Psychology Science Technology

Authors

C
Cliff Kuang

Cliff Kuang is a UX designer and an award-winning journalist. He was previously the design editor at Wired and Fast Company, where he has edited or written over 7,000 articles on design. His writing has also appeared in the New York Times Magazine, Bloomberg Businessweek, and The Economist.

R
Robert Fabricant

Robert Fabricant is a design expert who writes about the influence of technology on daily life. He is the author of User Friendly: How the Hidden Rules of Design Are Changing the Way We Live, Work, and Play.

Frequently asked questions

  • What real-world historical events are used to explain design concepts in the book?

    The authors ground abstract design principles in major historical events, most notably analyzing how the 1979 Three Mile Island nuclear accident was actually a catastrophic failure of control panel design rather than simple operator error [1.2.1]. They also trace how the pressures of the Great Depression, World War II, and early Disney World planning shaped modern user-experience paradigms.

  • How is the book structured to explain the evolution of user experience?

    The narrative is divided into two primary thematic sections: "Easy to use" and "Easy to want". Each chapter focuses on a specific product or historical milestone to show how the industry shifted from making machines functional to making them psychologically desirable.

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