Everything has a personality: everything sends an emotional signal. Even where this was not the intention of the designer, the people who view the website infer personalities and experience emotions. Bad websites have horrible personalities and instill horrid emotional states in their users, usually unwittingly. We need to design things-products, websites, services-to convey whatever personality and emotions are desired.

Attractive things work better.

Good design is also an act of communication between the designer and the user, except that all the communication has to come about by the appearance of the device itself. The device must explain itself.

Learning should take place when it is needed, when the learner is interested, not according to some arbitrary, fixed schedule

Simplicity design axiom: The complexity of the information appliance is that of the task, not the tool. The technology is invisible.

Technology may change rapidly, but people change slowly. The principals [of design] come from understanding of people. They remain true forever.

Any time you see signs or labels added to a device, it is an indication of bad design: a simple lock should not require instructions.