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Don Norman
Nielsen Norman Group
Co-founder & Principal Emeritus
Don Norman is a towering figure in modern design. Known as the Father of Interaction Design and Design Psychology, he is a pioneer of cognitive science and human factors engineering, and was listed among the World’s Most Influential Designers by Bloomberg Businessweek. He coined the term "user experience" and founded human-centered design theory; his works are essential reading for all designers.
A Fellow of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering, he created the corporate UX system. As Apple’s Vice President of Advanced Technology, he became the world’s first User Experience Architect and established UC San Diego’s Design Lab. He later worked at HP and co-founded top UX consultancy Nielsen Norman Group.
He authored landmark works including 《The Design of Everyday Things》, 《Emotional Design》 and 《Design for a Better World》, published in over 20 languages. His books laid the foundation for modern interaction and product design, with his latest work advocating a humanistic, sustainable design paradigm. Over six decades, across academia and tech, he has reshaped internet, hardware and industrial design standards.
He has won top honors including the ACM SIGCHI Lifetime Achievement Award, Benjamin Franklin Medal and Sir Misha Black Medal. He received Shanghai Frontier Design Innovation Outstanding Contribution Award in 2022 and DFA Asian Design Lifetime Achievement Award in 2025, and serves as an advisor to leading design schools worldwide.
Today, he founded the Don Norman Design Award (DNDA) and hosts its affiliated Global Design Summit. He advocates responsible design balancing humanity, equity and sustainability. Through global lectures and research, he explores the future of human-centered design in the era of AI and sustainability.
In-Depth Dialogue with Don Norman: Design a Better World
Don Norman, Father of Design Psychology and author of 《The Design of Everyday Things》, will connect remotely to IXDC2026 for real dialogue rather than a one-sided speech.
This 60-minute interactive session will be unscripted. Norman will answer audience questions and expand on each reply. Every question you raise can spark deep talks about design essence, human-machine bonds and society’s future.
The discussion revolves around his latest book 《Design for a Better World: Meaningful, Sustainable, Humanity Centered》. We will cover meaningful life quality, sustainable environmental responsibility and global human welfare. You can also share your thoughts inspired by his ongoing AI writings on Substack.
We suggest spending 30 minutes reading relevant book chapters ahead, and bring your sincere questions to debate ideas with this 90-year-old founding thinker of design.
This is no superficial Q&A show, but true intellectual collision. As Norman stated: “I hope for real discussion. I will ask every questioner ‘Why do you raise this?’ and they can keep asking follow-ups after my reply.”
Bring your questions and engage in genuine idea exchange with the top design master.
How to Prepare in Advance
To deepen our conversation, read either material below (30-minute reading):
Excerpts from Don Norman’s new book: https://jnd.org/books/design-for-a-better-world/
Don Norman’s essays on AI: https://open.substack.com/pub/donnorman1
1、Talk directly with the design psychology founder and get instant, in-depth replies to your questions.
2、Engage in genuine intellectual debate instead of passive listening.
3、Deeply grasp Design for a Better World and rethink design’s responsibilities from meaning, sustainability and humanity-centered perspectives.
4、Gain cutting-edge insights to re-examine human-machine relations and shift design focus from individual human to all humanity in the AI era.
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《Design for a Better World》English Version
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《Design for a Better World》Chinese Version
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《The Design of Everyday Things book series》Chinese Version
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《Emotional Design》Chinese Version
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Seven Core Design Principles
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Emotional Design Theory
