Week 2: Affordances
In my opinion ‘affordances’ is a difficult term to get your head around at first. It’s quite clear that every object around you right now has specific affordances and you may use different ones to the intended affordance. For example, right now, i have just drank a coffee,then i have put my sweet wrapper in my coffee cup, so that it is easier for me to carry back to my flat. Whoever created this coffee cup created it so the intended affordances would be to drink coffee/a hot drink out of it. However, i have just created my own affordance of putting rubbish in it to suit my own practicability at the time.
“…the term affordance refers to the perceived and actual properties of the thing, primarily those fundamental properties that determine how the thing could possibly be used” (Norman, 1998, 9)
In relation to Instagram, we all have the power to use it for different functions to the intended. The affordance of Instagram is to post accurate photos and videos online to share. However, anybody can create an account and pose as someone else, creating a threat of cat fishing. Users can use fake accounts to cyber bully others and hide their true identity. Also, i know people that may use Instagram to ‘investigate’ other accounts. For example, checking their partners followers, messages, likes etc in a compulsive manner if they are perhaps insecure in their relationship.
Norman discusses constraints and the 4 types: physical, semantic, cultural and logical. (Norman, 1998, pp. 81-87) However, he also states,
“logic is wonderful but it doesn’t describe real behaviour“ (Norman, 2013, Youtube, 2:55)
This means, people that make and use products don’t always account for the other affordances they have.
Also, in terms of design media, he states,
“emotional design is a critical part of design” (Norman, 2013, Youtube, 3:19)
Instagram is all about emotional design, we get invested in using that application, its affordances are addicting. Therefore, emotions is such a big part of designing products in this modern digital world.
References:
Image from my iPhone of my coffee cup. (2020)
Norman, D (1998) The design of everyday things. Basic Book, New York (Sections: Preface vii-xv; Chapter one 1-13; Chapter 4 (constraints) 81-87; (computers) 177-186).
Norman, D (2013) User centered design. Youtube [Online], 1 Feb. Available from: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wl2LkzIkacM>.