This journal documented an exploration into user-centered design principles and the psychology of interaction, applying insights through exercises that emphasized empathy and accessibility in digital spaces.
This project was completed in Fall 2024 as part of my User Experience class. The assignment was to create a usability journal featuring two examples of poor usability and two examples of good usability that we’ve found in our everyday lives. This document also discusses Donald Norman’s Levels of Emotional Design and references his teachings from The Design of Everyday Things.
When beginning this assignment, I sat down to brainstorm the interactions that I’ve had with products recently. Right away, a negative interaction I had with a racquetball door came to mind. It was much easier for me to find products with poor usability, as those tend to jump out at me more due to the frustration they cause. However, once I started viewing my surroundings through a usability perspective, good examples of usability started to become more apparent.
The Usability Journal project allowed me to explore the design principles behind both effective and ineffective user interfaces. I documented usability encounters with four different products, two of which were intuitive and user-friendly, while the other two presented usability issues. Applying theories of affordance, cognitive load, and signifiers, I assessed how each product aligned with or detracted from user expectations.
This exercise expanded my understanding of user-centered design principles and the psychological factors that influence interaction. My entries required precise, observational language to capture both functionality and user frustration, as well as clear visuals that highlighted design issues. By revisiting and refining each entry, I developed a stronger eye for detail and deepened my ability to articulate how design impacts user experience, further equipping me with the tools to assess usability from a critical, user-first perspective.