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Affordances help users know what to expect from a user interface. In this video, we'll better understand how an affordance is defined, and then we'll break affordances down into different types.
New Term:
- Affordances, as defined by James Gibson: the actions provided to the actor by the environment
- Affordances, as defined by Don Norman: “Affordances provide strong clues to the operations of things. Plates are for pushing. Knobs are for turning. Slots are for inserting things into. Balls are for throwing or bouncing. When affordances are taken advantage of, the user knows what to do just by looking: no picture, label, or instruction needed."
Types of Affordances:
- Explicit
- Pattern
- Hidden
- False
- Negative
Further Reading:
- The Design of Everyday Things - Donald A. Norman
- Interaction Design Basics - Alan Dix
- Designing Interactions - Bill Moggridge
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Affordances are clues in the UI that
trigger a connection to a mental model.
0:00
I realized that sounds abstract,
but bear with me for
0:02
a bit as it'll become clear
when I show examples.
0:06
The term originated in the 1970s
when psychologist James Gibson
0:10
defined affordances as the actions
provided to the actor by the environment.
0:14
Then in the late 1980s,
0:20
Don Norman expanded upon this terms
application to human computer interaction.
0:23
Affordances provides strong clues
to the operations of things.
0:29
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