Principle

Universal
of Design
William
Lidwell
Kritina
Holden
JillButler

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125Waysto Enhance
Usability,
Influence
Perception,
Increase
Appeal,
MakeBetter
Design
Decisions,
andTeachthroughDesign

Affordance
A property
in whichthe physical
characteristics
of an
influence
obiector environnrent
ils function.
Objects
andenvironments
arebettersuitedfor somefunctions
thanothers.Round
wheelsarebettersuitedthansquarewheelsfor rolling;
therefore,
roundwheels
aresaidto betteraffordrolling.Stairsarebettersuitedthanfencesfor climbing;
stairsaresaidto betteraffordclimbing.
therefore,
Thisis notto saythatsquare
wheelscannotbe rolledor fencesclimbed,ratherthatthe physical
characteristics
of roundwheelsandstairsbetteraffordthefunctions
of rollingandclimbing.'
Whentheaffordance
of an objector environment
corresponds
withits intended
function,the designwillperformmoreefficiently
andwillbe easierto use.
whentheaffordance
Conversely,
of an objector environment
conflicts
withits
intended
function,the designwillperformlessefficiently
and be moredifficultto
pulling.
use.Forexample,
a doorwitha handleaffords
Someiimes,
doorswith
handles
aredesigned
to openonlyby pushing-theaffordance
of the handle
withthedoor'sfunction.
Replace
conflicts
thehandle
witha flatplate,andit now
affordspushing-theaffordance
of theflatplatecorresponds
to thewayin which
thedoorcanbe used.Thedesignis improved.
lmages
of commonphysical
objects
andenvironments
canenhance
theusability
of a design.Forexample,
a drawingof a three-dimensional
buttonon a computer
screenleverages
our knowledge
of the physical
characteristics
of buttonsand,
therefore,
appears
to affordpressing.
Thepopular"desktop"metaphor
usedby
is basedon thisidea-imagesof commonitemslike
computeroperating
systems
trash,cans
andfoldersleverage
our knowledge
of howthoseitemsfunctionin the
realworldand,thus,suggest
theirfunctionin thesoftware
environment.'
possible,
youshoulddesignobjectsandenvironments
Whenever
to affordtheir
intended
function,and negatively
affordimproperuse.Forexample,
stackable
chairsshouldonlystackoneway.Mimicfamiliar
objects
andenvironments
in
(e.g.,software
interfaces)
abstract
contexts
to implythewayin whichnewsystems
can be used.Whenaffordances
aresuccessfully
employed
in a design,it will
seeminconceivable
thatthedesisncouldfunctionor be usedothenryise.
SeealscConstraint,
Desire
Line,Mapping,
andNudge.

22

UniversaP
l rin ciir le scl De sig n

I Theseminalworkon affordances
is "The
Theoryof Affordances"
by JamesGibson,
in Perceiving,Acting,and KnowingbyR.
(Eds),Lawrence
t. Shaw& J. Bransford
ErlbaumAssociates,1977; and TheEcological
Approachto VisualPerceptionby James
Gibson,HoughtonMifflin,1979.A popular
treatmentof affordancescan be found in lhe
Designof EverydayThingsbyDonaldNorman,
Doubleday,
1990.
'?Notethat the Ierm affordancerefersto the
propefties
of a physicalobjector environment
o1ly.Whenimagesof physicalobjectsor
ervironments
are used(e.g..imageo[ a
button),the images,themselves,
do not afford
anything.
The knowledge
of buttonaffordances
existsin the mindof the perceiver
based
ol experjence
wilh physicalbutlons it is
not a propertyof the image.Therefore,the
atfordanceis saidto be perceived.See,for
example,"Affordances
and Desrgn"by Donald
Norman,wrwv..1nd.org.

OXOis wellknerwn
for lhe handle
Cesigns
of theirproducts:
shape,
color,andlerturecornbine
ro creare
irresisti
blegrippirgaiicrdances.

[-;---'
Ouldoor
lighting
slructures
often
alfcrdlanding
ard perchingfor btrds.
Wherebirclsperch.birdspocp.This
anti-perch
iixiurersdesigne<i
ic a$ach
to sL;chsiructL..ires
and reducethe
perchrng
aflordance"

Wilhoppcring
maleand{emale
surf;cesandfeallreless
siries,
Legcs:raturally
effcrdplugging
intc
cte rnolnef.

Dooraffcrdancelfrequentlyconfiict,
as shcwn in the Cocron ihe left.
The "pr:sh" aflordancecf lhe door is
kncwableonly becauseci tle sign,
which con{licl,s
with the powerful
"pull" affcrda;rce
of the handle.By
replacingthe handlewlth a flat plate,
ihe ccnflictis elininateCanCthe sigr
is sL.;pe{lucus.

lle rece:sedfcolplate:and
handleb;rorenlationof lhe
Segwayl'lunan Transpoder
posiiion
alJordlne mour.:ting
irr ihe lser-lhe ccireci lne

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AII;rdarco 23