Chunk3

"The devices always come with instruction manuals, often big, thick, heavy ones, but these manuals are neither explanatory not intelligible."

The new generation of intelligient devices usually have complex features. People should clearly know how to operate it before actually using it. Instruction manuals of devices meet this demands of first-time users. Unfortunately, most instruction manuals are poorly designed. They are so big, thick and heavy that some people are even unwilling to open it, let alone carefully reading it. Most users prefer to know a brief introduction of a device's funtionality, usability, problems may occur and corresponding solutions rather than profound theory of how a device works. Not everyone wants to become a professional of such devices. Designers should consider offering alternative manuals for users, including small, thin, light ones that contain simple content and can be easily understood.

"Think of the brain as having three levels of processing: visceral, behaviroral and reflective."

Norman mentioned the three things as the levels of design in another book. I wonder whether they can also be applied to present levels of learning. Visceral (It is what nature does): abilities which people are born with. Behaviroal: people learn exsiting knowledge and apply what they learn to solve problems in daily life. Reflective: it is the level of creating new knowledge. It is based on continual practise in the behaviroal level. I am not sure whether I correctly interpret the three levels in this way. 

Reference

Norman, D. (2005). Emotional Design: Why We Love (or Hate) Everyday Things. Perseus Books Group.
Norman, D. (2007). The Design of Future Things. Philadelphia, PA: Basic Books.