Why Are Things So Hard To Use?

Learning From Design Failures
1. Auflage 2026
ISBN: 978-1-041-34399-8
Verlag: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Buch, Englisch, 200 Seiten, Format (B × H): 156 mm x 234 mm

Why Are Things So Hard To Use?: Learning From Design Failures explores the often-overlooked lessons hidden in poorly designed interfaces. While good design tends to go unnoticed, bad design leaves a lasting impression, frustrating users and highlighting what not to do.

Written in an engaging, first-person style, this book challenges UI/UX designers to rethink their approach by examining the critical role of failed designs in shaping better, more intuitive interfaces. Through ten distinct categories of design failures, such as neglecting user capabilities or failing to communicate effectively, the book provides real-world examples that are insightful and easy to grasp. With over 100 pictorial examples of design missteps and more than 40 examples of exceptional design, readers will gain a clear understanding of what works and what does not. The book addresses the challenges posed by emerging technologies like AI and voice interfaces, offering actionable recommendations to help designers create interfaces that truly meet user needs and lead them on a path to better design.

This book is ideal for professionals in human factors and UI/UX design as well as students of these fields.

Zielgruppe

Professional Reference and Undergraduate Core

Autoren/Hrsg.

Kortum, Philip

Fachgebiete

• Mathematik | Informatik EDV | Informatik Informatik Mensch-Maschine-Interaktion User Interface Design & Benutzerfreundlichkeit
• Geisteswissenschaften Design Produktdesign, Industriedesign

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1. The complexity of the modern world. 2. Not considering who your user is. 3. Not considering user capabilities. 4. Failing to consider user goals. 5. Failing to use your words. 6. Using too many words. 7. Making an inconsistent design. 8. Failure to make your design invisible. 9. Failure to make your design visible. 10. Not accounting for the user's mental model. 11. Making things too complex. 12. The future won't save us.13. So many failures. Now what do I do? 14. Let's get out there and design!

Über Autor(innen)

Philip Kortum is a Professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences at Rice University in Houston, Texas, USA His primary interests are in the research and development of highly usable systems in the voting and medical system domains, and in the characterization of measures of usability and usable systems. Prior to joining Rice University, he worked for more than 15 years in the defense and telecommunications industries, where he researched and helped field award-winning user-centered systems. He is the author of more than 140 peer-reviewed papers and conference proceedings and holds 54 U.S. patents. Dr Kortum is a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, and the Association for Psychological Science. He received his MS from Northeastern University and his PhD from the University of Texas at Austin, both USA.