Norman Door
Version 1.0.0 · Updated 2026-07-30
CORE DEFINITION
A door that is so poorly designed that one cannot tell at a glance whether to push or pull. Named after Don Norman.
SCAFFOLDING EFFECT
Reduce cognitive load
Identify missing affordances. If a product requires a 'push here' label, that is a design failure. As a scaffold, it is used to examine any interaction (including management processes): if users/employees always do it wrong, it is a design problem with the 'door', not a people problem.
Anchor fast decisions
When the affordance and signifier of an interactive object are missing, users cannot intuitively figure out how to operate it and must rely on external instructions—this is a signal of design failure.
MINIMUM ACTION
In progress 0/3Practice this model in one real situation:
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Source support: Explicit
- en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Design_of_Everyday_Thingsverified
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