ABSTRACT
The use of affordances in the fields of engineering, architecture, and design has largely employed a version of the affordance concept that is at odds with the Ecological theory of direct perception. This divergence has resulted in two parallel, and theoretically opposed, usages of the concept. Understanding theory is important. The use of different theories results in different design methodologies and different end designs. We explain why designers should go beyond the conceptualization of affordances that Norman and others have offered within the engineering and design fields and why they should apply Ecological theory instead. We briefly describe the essential elements of the Ecological theory of affordances along with the benefits of considering it in the design process.
