Harsh Makadia

One of the world's great designers shares his vision of "the fundamental principles of great and meaningful design", that's "even more relevant today than it was when first published" (Tim Brown, CEO, IDEO). Even the smartest among us can feel inept as we fail to figure out which light switch or oven burner to turn on, or whether to push, pull, or slide a door. The fault, argues this ingenious -- even liberating -- book, lies not in ourselves, but in product design that ignores the needs of users and the principles of cognitive psychology. The problems range from ambiguous and hidden controls to arbitrary relationships between controls and functions, coupled with a lack of feedback or other assistance and unreasonable demands on memorization. The Design of Everyday Things shows that good, usable design is possible. The rules are simple: make things visible, exploit natural relationships that couple function and control, and make intelligent use of constraints. The goal: guide the user effortlessly to the right action on the right control at the right time. The Design of Everyday Things is a powerful primer on how -- and why -- some products satisfy customers while others only frustrate them.

Celebrate the 10th anniversary of a groundbreaking book on creativity with this limited anniversary hardcover, with a new afterword, color endpapers pulled from Austin Kleon’s sketchbooks, and a ribbon marker. Ten years after its initial publication, the message of Steal Like an Artist remains powerful: embrace influence, follow interests wherever they take us, forget old clichés like writing about what you know—instead, write the book that you want to read, make the movie you want to watch. And above all, find the space you need to be wild and daring in your imagination and your work. This 10th anniversary edition includes a new afterword by the author, discussing the book’s influence and how “stealing” has been misunderstood, and offering a unique, personal perspective on a book that’s touched so many. Unlock your creativitySteal like an artist.Don’t wait until you know who you are to get started.Write the book you want to read.Use your hands.Side projects and hobbies are important.The secret: Do good work and share it with people.Geography is no longer our master.Be nice. (The world is a small town.)Be boring. (It’s the only way to get work done.)Creativity is subtraction.