Design for Real People
“Designers learn about aesthetics. They seldom learn about human psychology…. Humans are fallible. Learn that. Cherish that…. Design for people as they are, not as you would have them be. Design for inefficient users. Design for creative, imaginative people who will do things with your design that you never have dreamed of, things both good and horrid. Design for people who are tired and stressed, cranky and irritable, sloppy and inattentive. In other words, design for real people.”
A nice quote from Don Norman, pulled from the review of Citizen Designer: Perspectives on Design Responsibility at Social Design Notes, passed along by Anne.