Why Good Design Matters: The Norman Door Problem

Hey, let me ask you a question:
Have you ever walked up to a door with a handle, instinctively tried to pull it—only to realize you were supposed to push?

There’s that brief moment of embarrassment, where you feel a little silly. You think, “Of course I should have known to push.”
But… should you have? Was that really your fault?

In his book 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐷𝑒𝑠𝑖𝑔𝑛 𝑜𝑓 𝐸𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦𝑑𝑎𝑦 𝑇ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠, author Don Norman describes these as “Norman doors”—a term he coined for designs that work against our expectations.

And in #softwaredesign, this happens way more than it should. Too often, users blame themselves for not understanding how to navigate an interface—when in reality, the designer failed to understand how the user actually thinks and interacts with the system.
This leads to real problems:
• 🤷‍♂️💻 New software that no one wants to use
• 📝 Data entry errors
• 😤 #Workflows that look slick but frustrate users

So what’s the solution?

More training? A better manual?
❌ No.

Design is a lot like a joke: if you have to explain it, it wasn’t a good one.

What we need is #designthinking.

Design Thinking: Starting With the User 👤💡

Design thinking puts the real user at the center. The designer must set aside personal assumptions and start thinking like a new employee.
They need to #empathize with the person who uses the interface every day—and try to see it the way they see it.

If you're a business #stakeholder, this should matter to you. Why?
• 🎯 Because you need #efficiency and #accuracy
• 💸 Because you don’t have time for endless system training
• 🤐 Because employees often don’t report their frustrations—they see them as personal failures

Design thinking isn’t about making things look pretty. It’s about making things work.

The Bottom Line ✅

So, before you sign off on that next big software rollout, ask yourself:
“Does this make sense to the employee who has to use it?”

Because your #Normandoor might look really cool…
…but if people don’t know how to use it,
it’s just a bad joke.

Next up: Design That Leads: Why the Best Tools Tell You What to Do—and What Not To 🚗💸