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I think “affordances” are functions that people can see directly. Because my undergraduate major is product design, the most basic understanding for me is that a designed product does not need a manual. People can clearly know how to use it after seeing it, and can intuitively see the designer’s intention.
For iPad, when people see it, the most basic feeling is a screen. And people know it’s touch, because there are no extra buttons. This information doesn’t need to be explained to users, they can know it clearly. We know that the system used in iPad comes with many basic programs of Apple system. For example, maps, memos, settings and so on, their icons are very intuitive and clear. The icon of a map app is a visual image of a map in navigation. People don’t need to think to know what it does. Memos and settings are the same. That’s “affordances.”.
In my understanding, “perceived affordance” it includes scene factors, people’s psychological factors, cultural background, education level or long-term life experience, etc. For example, there used to be news that when the robbers robbed the bank, they smashed the explosion-proof glass with a hammer. It was smashed for a long time, but it didn’t break. Because in people’s subjective consciousness, the glass can be easily broken by a hammer. But he didn’t know the design of explosion-proof glass. This phenomenon also exists in interaction design. For example, in the process of using an app, people will have their own thoughts. But if the product we design can’t match the user’s inner thoughts, it will make mistakes.