If you've ever marveled at the effectiveness of IKEA instructions or complained that it wasn't your fault you couldn't remember how to operate the new washer/dryer, this book is for you. Endlessly thought-provoking and relevant, The Design of Everyday Things lays out Norman's theory of "human-centered design", which puts the user and their experience — their actual, not idealized nor proscribed, experience — at the center of the design process. A simple mantra is this: "It's not human error; it's bad design."

Everyone will find value in this book, but it's given me much to think about as a teacher and instructional designer: making knowledge discoverable, feedback and feedforward, affordances, forcing functions, and more. I'll return to these ideas, and this book, many times.