Knowing how people will use something is essential

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

When a device as simple as a door has to come with an instruction manual—even a one-word manual—then it is a failure, poorly designed.

If you think the products don't match what you want from a product, don't buy it.

Also note that invariably when we design something that can be used by those with disabilities, we often make it better for everyone

Too many companies believe that all they must do is provide a 'neat' technology or some 'cool' product or, sometimes, just good, solid engineering. Nope. All of those are desirable (and solid engineering is a must), but there is much more to a successful product than that: understanding how the product is to be used, design, engineering, positioning, marketing, branding-all matter. It requires designing the Total User Experience.

We delude ourselves if we believe that skilled behavior is easy, that it can come about without effort. We forget the years of tuning, of learning and practice it takes to be skilled at even the most fundamental of human activities: eating, walking, talking, reading, and writing. It is tempting to want instant gratification - immediate expert performance and experiential pleasure - but the truth is that this primarily occurs only after considerable amounts of accretion and tuning.