In the "Design of Everyday Things" by Don Norman, chapter 4 "Knowing What To Do", this following sentence stuck out to me: "Problems occur when there is more than one possibility". I believe this sentence can help a designer either create something that doesn't spark confusion or change an existing object so that it signals the appropriate actions. This chapter offers some valuable advice in establishing a set of signals. The use of affordances and constraints in conjunction can establish the appropriate action. The chapter describes four different classes of constraints—physical, semantic, cultural, and logical. These classes of constraints are then depicted in "The problem with doors". I never stopped to think how many possibilities and design constraints doors had to offer. They are all used for the same job, entering or exiting. However, if a door offers the wrong signals then the designer can be faced with a challenge. I think another job that poses the same problems is a lid or cap on a container. Sometimes you twist but the lid won't come off, and it turns out you just had to pull. I think many containers could offer more clear signals when it comes to opening something. The chapter also points out another interesting principle that can help aid answering the question "What do I do?", which is visibility. It seems like an obvious and simple concept (making things visible), but many modern or new technologies focus on the design aesthetic and purposely leave things hidden.
The article, "Guts of a New Machine" by Rob Walker, begins by sharing the success of the well known iPod and why it is characterized as an icon. When describing the surface of the device, particularly the look of the device, Steve Jobs said the following " It was about being very focused and not trying to do too much with the device...The enabling features aren't obvious and evident, because the key was getting rid of stuff.'' This seems to contradict or go against what was said in "The Design of Everyday Things". Norman highlights the importance of visibility in design and offering clear signals. Steve on the other hand didn't want features to be evident, and yet the product was sensationally popular. The wheel design on the iPod became an icon and offered a new user experience. Jobs wasn't nervous about other companies imitating the iPod because they didn't spend money on design innovation and they couldn't offer the same user experience.