The Design of Everyday Things book club and readalong
Design isn’t just how something looks, but how it works, how it’s used, and how humans interact with it. Many things in our built environment—alarms, control panels, mobile apps, user interfaces—lead humans to make mistakes not because we aren’t paying attention, but because they’re poorly designed. Have you ever pulled a door handle only to discover it’s a “push” door (with a label!)? That’s a “Norman Door”— named after Donald Norman, the author of The Design of Everyday Things.
If you’re into design—whether it’s software, user interfaces, or the built environment—join us! Design-curious folks welcome. You’ll never look at doors or perceive your designed surroundings the same way again.
Facilitated by Glynnis Ritchie (LinkedIn) and Jim Remsik (LinkedIn) of Flagrant, join our community of designers and friends working in software for a readalong and discussion of The Design of Everyday Things.
If you need a copy of the book, you can use Flagrant’s affiliate link to grab a paper or eBook copy—we’ll get a little commission if you make a purchase❣️
When: Two months from late May to end of June
Who: You! And anyone else who is design-curious
Where: Choose your own adventure with any or all of the following:
- 💻 Every-other-week Zoom calls hosted Monday evenings
- 💬 Chat via Ruby Central Community Slack
- 📖 Storygraph readalong with async discussion
Zoom Calls
Join us on Zoom every other week on Mondays from 6:00–7:30pm Central time starting May 19th. We’ll split discussion of the book across 4 separate sessions.
You’re welcome to join for any or all of the sessions. This is a learning and community space—no pop quizzes, no hard feelings if you haven’t completed every bit of reading.
RSVP to this event if you plan to attend any of the Zoom sessions—it’ll help us to know about how many folks to expect. You’ll get calendar events and reminders for all the sessions.
| Date | Topic |
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| Mon. 5/19, 6–7:30pm Central time |
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| Mon. 6/2, 6–7:30pm Central time |
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| Mon. 6/16, 6–7:30pm Central time |
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| Mon. 6/30, 6–7:30pm Central time |
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Chatting about the book
We’ll be in the Ruby Central Community Slack—find us in the #xoruby-design-everyday channel. Join us there for discussion, whether or not you plan to attend any Zoom sessions.
We’ll also surface discussion questions and share reminders for Zoom calls.
Storygraph Readalong
Join us for our Storygraph Readalong of the book for in-depth, async, message board-style discussion of the book, whether or not you join us in Slack or on Zoom.