What are the 'Two Gulfs' mentioned in the skill?

They refer to the Gulf of Execution (how users figure out how to interact with a system) and the Gulf of Evaluation (how users understand the result of their actions).

Can I use this for non-digital products?

Yes, while optimized for software development within Claude Code, these design principles are universal and apply to any human-designed system, including physical hardware.

What is the 'Design of Everyday Things' skill?

It is a specialized capability for Claude Code that applies foundational design principles like affordances, signifiers, and feedback to make digital products more intuitive.

How does this skill help with error prevention?

It utilizes the principle of constraints—including physical, logical, and semantic limitations—to make it difficult or impossible for users to perform incorrect actions.

How is usability scored in this skill?

The skill provides a 0-10 score based on discoverability, understandability, and error prevention, along with specific recommendations to reach a perfect 10/10 rating.

Design of Everyday Things Framework

Name: Design of Everyday Things Framework
Author: wondelai

bywondelai

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Design Tools

Applies foundational human-centered design principles to software and systems to improve usability, discoverability, and error prevention.

This Claude Code skill integrates the core principles from Don Norman's seminal work, 'The Design of Everyday Things', directly into your development workflow. It helps bridge the 'gulfs' of execution and evaluation by guiding developers through the implementation of affordances, signifiers, constraints, and feedback loops. Use this skill to transform confusing interfaces into intuitive systems where action and understanding are immediate, backed by a specialized scoring system to reach peak usability.

Key Features

01Provides a 0-10 usability score with actionable steps for improvement

02Evaluates system feedback for immediacy, relevance, and clarity

03Identifies and bridges the Gulfs of Execution and Evaluation in user flows

04214 GitHub stars

05Analyzes UI elements for proper perceived affordances and signifiers

06Applies logical, physical, and semantic constraints to prevent user errors

Use Cases

01Designing new features that require clear discoverability without needing external documentation.

02Conducting a UX audit of an existing interface to identify why users are experiencing friction.

03Troubleshooting 'faulty' user interactions by applying natural mapping and conceptual models.

What are Skills?·How to Install

Install with 🐟 Skill.Fish

npx skillfish add wondelai/skills design-everyday-things

For use in Claude.ai and ChatGPT

Download Skill