Living With Complexity

Summary:
Complexity is necessary because our lives and the things we do are complex. However, complex does not mean difficult; rather, that is the definition of complicated that Norman uses. The key is eliminating unnecessary complexity which can lead to complications or confusion.
Simplicity is not the answer. Humans say that they want things simple, but yet prefer to buy items with more features and buttons. Perceived complexity decreases as the user becomes more experienced with the particular item or system.
Simple things aren't always so simple. When multiple simple things are combined, like passwords for several different things, the task suddenly becomes very complex. The solution is to put the information in the world rather than in our heads. 

Different signals mean different things to different cultures. Designs should be made to reduce the impact of these social differences, such as adding an S or P to salt and pepper shakers. Social signifiers are what allow people to "follow the crowd" so they know what is the proper action to take.Discussion:
I'm so sick of reading Donald Norman books. He is just a boring writer. I don't think anything he writes is that useful. The idea of affordances is really the only useful thing. This book was pretty awful. As it always is with Norman, it was very repetitive and boring. My favorite part by far was when he said his own university thinks he's a crackpot. Easily the best moment of all his books. He makes some good points in this book, but could have reduced the number of pages by at least half. Overall, I would never read this book again, and will try to sell all of Norman's books on Amazon shortly. I don't even want to see them again.