Consider the lowly banana. Its original designer is disputed (nature or Creator, take your pick) but, regardless, it is a study in simplicity of design. Let's analyze it using Norman's criteria:
First of all, it is very visible (Norman: "the correct parts must be visible, and they must convey the correct message"). A ripe banana is bright yellow; what could be more visible than that? And as it hangs from trees, as do many fruits, its message is fairly obvious: I am something you should eat. Norman says affordance "refers to the perceived and actual properties of the thing, primarily those fundamental properties that determine just how the thing could possibly be used." The fundamental properties of bananas are perceived as soft, tasty fruit, and that is exactly what they turn out to be. They can be eaten raw or cooked; even the peel is edible.
An effective conceptual model allows us to predict the effect of our actions. We predict that if we eat a banana it will taste good, and we will be less hungry. And in practice that is our experience. The same could be said about Norman's use of the term feedback. We know we are using a banana correctly when we eat it and our stomach is pleased by the result.
Ah, the banana. If only my new cell phone were half as beautifully designed, I'd be a happy man.
3 comments:
While the peel is edible, do you think it is evident that it should be peeled by design?
Good question, you rotter!
Anyway, many animals (elephants for example) just eat it as it is. Others probably learn from their first experience, or from watching others. Besides, my guess is that when it was first designed, anything that roamed the earth just swallowed it whole.
I think after biting into a banana it would be visibly apparent that the separate textures of the peel and the starchy fruit could be separated with ease. I think that the peel does afford a peeling action. One elephant bite and I would remember to always remove the peel before eating. Thanks to our opposable thumbs and critical thinking skills!
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