UX Design Glossary: How to Use Affordances in User Interfaces
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UX Design Glossary: How to Use Affordances in User Interfaces
‘The term affordance refers to the perceived and actual properties of the thing, primarily those fundamental properties that determine just how the thing could possibly be used. […] Affordances provide strong clues to the operations of things. Plates are for pushing.
Rory Sutherland • Alchemy: The Surprising Power of Ideas That Don't Make Sense
Affordances represent the possibilities in the world for how an agent (a person, animal, or machine) can interact with something. Some affordances are perceivable, others are invisible.
Don Norman • The Design of Everyday Things
An affordance is a relationship between the properties of an object and the capabilities of the agent that determine just how the object could possibly be used.
Don Norman • The Design of Everyday Things
An affordance is a relationship between the properties of an object and the capabilities of the agent that determine just how the object could possibly be used.
Don Norman • The Design of Everyday Things
An affordance is a relationship between the properties of an object and the capabilities of the agent that determine just how the object could possibly be used.
Don Norman • The Design of Everyday Things
To summarize: • Affordances are the possible interactions between people and the environment. Some affordances are perceivable, others are not. • Perceived affordances often act as signifiers, but they can be ambiguous. • Signifiers signal things, in particular what actions are possible and how they should be done. Signifiers must be perceivable, e
... See moreDon Norman • The Design of Everyday Things
To summarize: • Affordances are the possible interactions between people and the environment. Some affordances are perceivable, others are not. • Perceived affordances often act as signifiers, but they can be ambiguous. • Signifiers signal things, in particular what actions are possible and how they should be done. Signifiers must be perceivable, e
... See moreDon Norman • The Design of Everyday Things
perform less efficiently and be more difficult to use. For example, a door with a handle affords pulling. Sometimes, doors with handles are designed to open only by pushing—the affordance of the handle conflicts with the door’s function. Replace the handle with a flat plate, and it now affords pushing—the affordance of the flat plate corresponds to
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