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User Friendly

How the Hidden Rules of Design are Changing the Way We Live, Work & Play
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( 2,633 ratings, 289 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
User Friendly by Cliff Kuang and Robert Fabricant explores the history, evolution, and impact of user-centered design. The book examines how making technology more intuitive has shaped our world and highlights the ways in which design thinking can improve future innovations.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you're fascinated by how design impacts our daily lives and want to explore the history and future of user-friendly technology. The authors provide engaging insights into how good design can make complex systems accessible and intuitive, perfect for anyone interested in innovation and design thinking.

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User Friendly

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

User Friendly by Cliff Kuang and Robert Fabricant is a riveting exploration into the world of user experience and the profound impact of design on our everyday lives. Drawing from a blend of historical anecdotes, cutting-edge research, and industry insights, the book delves into the elusive principles that make certain products feel intuitively natural, while others fail to resonate.

This thought-provoking narrative explores the relationship between user experience and human behaviour, revealing the hidden dynamics that influence our interactions with the world. Through engrossing stories, readers will uncover how seemingly unrelated events like the nuclear accident at Three Mile Island provide crucial insights into the logic behind modern smartphones. The book also traces back to pivotal moments like the Great Depression and World War II, illustrating how these periods catalysed a belief in social progress through superior product design.

The authors further examine how a failed vision for Disney World ultimately pioneered a new paradigm in designed experiences, illustrating how experimentation and failure can lead to revolutionary advancements.

Recognised as one of Amazon's Best Books of 2019 and a top pick by Fortune's writers and editors, User Friendly stands out for its ability to make complex ideas accessible and engaging. Critics have hailed it as "a tour de force, an engrossing fusion of scholarly research, professional experience, and revelations from intrepid firsthand reporting" (New York Times).

Ideal for anyone passionate about well-designed products and the visionaries behind them, User Friendly is an essential read. Whether you are a designer yourself, an innovator aiming to create something impactful, or simply a curious reader eager to understand the mechanics behind everyday objects, this book will enlighten and inspire.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

User Friendly is praised as an engrossing fusion of scholarly research, professional experience, and firsthand reporting. It's rich with rarely-told stories and interviews, providing critical insights to make consumers better and smarter about design. The book traces the history of design from the industrial age to the touchscreen era, emphasising the urgent role that design plays today. It is considered compulsory reading for understanding the impact of design on business and society, highlighting the essential role of empathy in the design process.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780753556658

Publisher: Ebury Publishing

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 24 September 2020

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: W H Allen

Audience: General / adult, Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 30.0mm

Width: 126.0mm

Height: 196.0mm

Weight: 280g

Pages: 416

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About the Author

Cliff Kuang (Author) 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. Robert Fabricant (Author) Robert Fabricant is a co-founder of Dalberg's Design Impact Group and former Vice President of Creative for Frog Design. He has won numerous design awards and has written and spoken widely on design and social impact, for outlets including the Harvard Business Review and SXSW.

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