Intuitive understanding
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Intuitive understanding is comprehension without any necessary contemplation or explanation.
When designing products it is useful to think as the "naïve user", someone who will use the product but has no knowledge of how to use it. When designing for the naïve user, it is important to make sure that they will have an intuitive understanding of the product. A good example is the Velcro shoe; its function and operation is fairly obvious. A bad example is most computer operating systems and their user interfaces. Most users (sometimes even advanced users) have little to no intuitive understanding of these machines.
Recommended reading
- The Design of Everyday Things, by Donald A. Norman. Discusses the psychology of and flaws in the design of common manufactured objects.