Fake Don Norman Quotes to Depress Your UX Friends

Don Norman's quotes are universally loved by UX designers. Every time that man opens his mouth, the UX angels sing. Nobody is questioning Don’s UX quotability.

But his evil twin, Ron? Ron is most definitely a dark pattern in the Norman family.

What does Ron Norman have to say about UX design? A lot, it turns out…

Depression? Check! You’ll never find the happy path now.

You can’t help but think that Ron might be making fun of something here. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but the “signifiers” are definitely there.

Don Norman Quotes on UX

…Except they’re secretly Ron. Normally, you have to track Ron down in his secret bunker in Antarctica, but today we have the exclusive.

Here they are, folks, the complete (and growing) list of Ron Norman quotes.

Herrrrre’s Ronny!

don norman quote best ux method

Which UI is better, Ron? Of course, you could ignore those silly UI polls, but Ron knows that UX designers would never miss an opportunity to shame someone. So make Ron proud by continuing to comment away! (Read more about UI Polls here)

don norman quote ux education

Fun Fact: Ron was educated entirely through the IG community and majored in 🔥 with a minor in 👍🏻. What’s a silly question we could ask here to improve engagement?

don norman quote ux maturity

Wow, Ron…real mature.

don norman quote ux collective

Ron has this joke he loves to tell: “What do those two dudes that run UX Collective have in common with design managers? They both look at your work for 15 seconds before saying No!” 🥁 Seriously, though, Ron loves paying designers for their work with “exposure,” so he’s a big fan of Medium publications.

don norman quote ux persona

What better way to prove the value of being specific with your user base than by using a persona template that is generic and one-size-fits-all? (Read about Strategic Personas)

don norman quote ux title

Ron gets it. Nothing says “I’m all about UX” like adding UI/CX/IXD/HCI/MBA/XR/VR/UXS next to it for clarity.

don norman quote app redesign

Ron understands that the best way to get work experience is from designing an app for free by interviewing yourself and stealing UI patterns from other unemployed designers.

don norman quote usability

Who gave Ron a chainsaw?!

don norman quote expert

Ron always rewards himself after testing his own designs, and as a result, he has quite the collection of Amazon gift cards.

don norman quote ux survey

Ron always meets his OKRs.

don norman quote ux agency

Agencies already know this, but you can call pretty much anything UX design these days. Ron recommends that you say the word “innovation” a lot but don’t mention the word “user,” or you might actually have to talk to one (see UX Theatre).

don norman quote ux strategy consultant

Well said, Ron…spoken with the oversimplification of a true consultant.

Ron is a Design Thinking Guru.

 

Ron, you rascal. That was a journey that I hope never gets mapped

Got an idea for another fake UX quote?

I could have sworn that Ron said something depressing about those UX/UI ketchup bottles the other day…or was that Jared Stool? Who knows.

Write your own Ron quote in the comments, and I will probably never get around to making it.

Editor’s Note: This is satire. Go read Don Norman’s books instead of looking at #ux on social media.

Jeff Humble

Jeff Humble teaches design strategy and innovation at the Fountain Institute. Visit JeffreyHumble.com to learn more about Jeff.

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