// Book comparison
Abundance vs The Design of Everyday Things
Which should you read? A side-by-side comparison of Abundance by Peter Diamandis, Steven Kotler and The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman.
Abundance
by Peter Diamandis, Steven Kotler
★ 4.8/5
The Design of Everyday Things
by Don Norman
★ 4.9/5
At a glance
| Abundance | The Design of Everyday Things | |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | ★ 4.8/5 | ★ 4.9/5 |
| Pages | 400 | 368 |
| Reading time | ~10.0 h | ~9.2 h |
| Published | 2012 | 1988 |
| Author | Peter Diamandis, Steven Kotler | Don Norman |
| Category | Innovation & Technology | Marketing & Sales |
| Publisher | Free Press | Basic Books |
Choose Abundance if…
- → You're interested in innovation & technology.
- → You want the more recent perspective (2012).
Choose The Design of Everyday Things if…
- → You're interested in marketing & sales.
- → You want the higher-rated book (4.9/5).
- → You prefer a shorter read (~9.2 hours).
Key takeaways — Abundance
- ✓ Utilize Incentive Prizes and Gamification to accelerate your organization's R&D, attracting the world's best non-traditional problem-solvers to your strategic challenges.
- ✓ Leverage Dematerialization, recognizing that technology allows you to provide high-value services (like cameras or GPS) at near-zero marginal cost by turning them into software.
- ✓ Focus your organizational mission on Solving Grand Challenges, aligning your firm's growth with the most urgent needs of the 'Rising Billion' for massive strategic impact.
Key takeaways — The Design of Everyday Things
- ✓ Prioritize Discoverability and Feedback, ensuring that every element of your product clearly signals its function and provides immediate confirmation of user actions.
- ✓ Align your product’s design with the User’s Mental Model, recognizing that people interact with technology based on past experiences and intuitive analogies.
- ✓ Utilize Constraints as a Strategic Shield, intentionally limiting user options to prevent catastrophic errors and to guide the customer toward the most efficient path of success.
The verdict
If you want the higher-rated, shorter read, start with The Design of Everyday Things. If you specifically need marketing & sales, Abundance is the better fit. Both summaries are free — no signup required.
❓ FAQ
Is Abundance or The Design of Everyday Things better? +
The Design of Everyday Things has the higher reader rating (4.9/5 vs 4.8/5), but "better" depends on your goal. Abundance focuses on innovation & technology, while The Design of Everyday Things focuses on marketing & sales. See the verdict below.
Which is shorter, Abundance or The Design of Everyday Things? +
The Design of Everyday Things is shorter (368 pages, ~9.2 hours) compared to Abundance (400 pages, ~10.0 hours).
Should I read Abundance or The Design of Everyday Things first? +
If you want the quicker, higher-rated read, start with The Design of Everyday Things. Otherwise read whichever matches your current goal — both summaries are free on BookHubs.