{"id":22315,"date":"2020-12-27T20:47:26","date_gmt":"2020-12-28T00:47:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=22315"},"modified":"2021-01-04T00:24:10","modified_gmt":"2021-01-04T04:24:10","slug":"affordance-design","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/affordance-design\/","title":{"rendered":"Affordance Design: Anticipating Product Limitations"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What is affordance design? Why should you take affordances into account when creating a new product?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Affordance design refers to the idea of designing with an understanding that people can only interact with a product or object in a limited number of ways. There are several types of affordances to consider. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read more about affordance design and how it works. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Affordances <\/strong>and Affordance Design<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The term \u201caffordance\u201d refers to the relationship between an object and a user. Affordances are the finite number of ways in which a user can possibly interact with a given object<\/strong>. They answer the question, \u201cWhat is this thing for<\/em>?\u201d Affordance design takes this into account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, think of a chair. Chairs typically have a flat surface, which we intuitively recognize as an indicator of support, either for a person or an object. In other words, the look of a chair suggests that it is for <\/em>sitting on, or possibly resting objects on. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some affordances are obvious from the appearance of the object itself, like the flat surface of the chair. Other affordances may be less intuitive or even completely hidden. For example, if the chair were light enough (and the user strong enough), throwing across the room may be another affordance of the chair. Similarly, if the chair had a well-hidden secret compartment, hiding objects <\/em>would be an affordance of the chair, regardless of whether the user discovers the drawer or not. The key is that it is a possible <\/em>interaction. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Affordances can be deliberately designed\u2014by nature, a chair is designed for sitting, a coat rack is designed to hold coats, and a stair railing is designed to prevent falls. But affordances can also arise completely by accident.<\/strong> The chair could also be used as a step stool, the coat rack as a child\u2019s climbing gym, or the railing as a bookshelf. These aren\u2019t the uses the designer had in mind, but they are equally valid affordances. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, affordances are not merely properties of the object itself. Instead, they describe the relationship<\/em> between the object and the user. This means that without a user to interact with, an object has no affordances<\/strong>. It also means that affordances for the same object can vary between different users. Think back to the chair example. If the user is a toddler, crawling under might be another affordance of the chair. But if the user is a large adult, crawling under is not a possible interaction between the user and the chair. The chair remains the same, but the affordance changes based on the different characteristics of the user. So how does affordance design come into play?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Signifiers<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The idea of hidden affordances highlights the need for signifiers. A signifier is a signal that draws the user\u2019s attention to an affordance they may not have intuitively discovered.<\/strong> In a digital context, a \u201cclick here\u201d button or flashing icon are possible signifiers. In the example below, the \u201cpush\u201d sign is a signifier. It contrasts with the perceived affordance of the handles (pulling), which may cause confusion. This is one example of affordance design. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Guiding Behavior With <\/strong>Affordance Design<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Building on the lessons of the previous chapters, we\u2019ll now explore a new way to guide behavior with design: constraints. Constraints limit the ways users can interact with an object. <\/strong>They create affordances, but they also guide users on which affordances to focus on. There are four main types of constraints: physical, cultural, semantic, and logical. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Physical Constraints<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Physical constraints are physical qualities of an object that limit the ways it can interact with users or other objects. <\/strong>The shape and size of a jar lid act as physical constraints that prevent it from being attached to the wrong jar; different-sized holes on some electrical outlets constrain the way plugs can be connected; the height of a doorknob constrains the type of people who can use the door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Physical constraints can be deliberately designed to ensure an object is used correctly, but this doesn\u2019t always result in increased usability. Cylindrical batteries are a common example: Although the shapes of each end of the battery are slightly different, that difference only constrains the electrical circuit, not the placement of the batteries. This is why most of us have experienced accidentally inserting a battery backwards and having to pry it out without damaging the terminal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Forcing Functions<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Forcing functions<\/a> are physical constraints specifically designed to prevent certain actions from occurring at the wrong times or in the wrong contexts. Three important forcing functions are interlocks, lock-ins, and lock-outs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n