The Gulf of Execution Bridge or Chauffeur? One of my favourite textbooks is from my Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) class at university: "The Design of Everyday Things" by Don Norman. It was truly a fascinating and enlightening read - all the better for it being required reading ☺ I even still have my copy more than two decades later: The book is a foundation work in user interface design and probably needs no introduction for anyone working in software, especially so those working on UI and UX design. It covers how humans hold goals and how we can design the interface of a system to better facilitate the achievement of those goals. The book is replete with examples of how bad design can confound the human mind and actually make achieving a goal harder. One of my favourite examples is the mismatched use of "push plates" and "pull handles" on doors. The two key concepts introduced in the book are the 'Gulf of Execution' and the 'Gulf of Inter...
