The Push & Pull of Ideas: What Doors Can Teach Us About Communicating Liberty

Doors. We don't really think about them—until we're awkwardly pushing when we should be pulling, feeling a flush of embarrassment as we try to enter that Wells Fargo in Addison. (What? Just me?) It's a simple action that suddenly becomes perplexing. Doors shouldn't be this hard! Donald Norman agrees. In his book, The Design of Everyday Things, he dedicates an entire chapter to doors, and it’s utterly fascinating. After reading it, I've never looked at a door the same way. (Don’t get me started on country-chic barn doors.)

Norman expounds on the almost self-evident but salient truth that everything around us is designed by someone for someone else. Design is deeply rooted in problem-solving and communication, but it often goes wrong. If something as commonplace as a door can cause confusion due to poor design, imagine how miscommunication can obstruct the understanding of complex ideas—like those about economic freedom and individual rights.

As liberty-minded communicators, we can glean valuable insights from Norman's observations about doors and design in general. Let's explore three key principles from his work that can transform how we communicate our ideas.

1. Understanding Mental Models: Aligning with How People Think

People interact with the world based on mental models—internal representations of how things are supposed to work. When a door has a handle, we instinctively try to pull it. If it has a flat plate, we push. Problems arise when the design conflicts with our mental models, leading to frustration or misinterpretation.

In the realm of ideas, especially those centered on liberty, our audience comes with their own mental models shaped by culture, education, and personal experiences. If we present our ideas without acknowledging these existing frameworks, we risk creating confusion or resistance.

Consider how people perceive government intervention. For some, government often plays the role of a guardian, providing essential services and protections—a safety net they rely on. For others, government often represents an overreach that encroaches on personal freedoms and stifles initiative.

If we advocate for reducing government control by simply asserting our position or trolling, we may inadvertently clash with the mental models of those who view government as a necessary protector. They might perceive our message as a threat to their security or well-being, creating reactance that leads them to reject our ideas without consideration.

To communicate effectively, we need to align our messaging with the audience's existing beliefs and values. Instead of directly opposing their view of government as a protector, we can illustrate how individual initiative and community efforts can achieve similar or even better results. These narratives highlight empowerment, self-reliance, and collective success.

By connecting our ideas to familiar concepts of community and cooperation, we make them more relatable. This approach doesn't dismiss the audience's belief in the importance of support and protection; instead, it expands on it by showing alternative ways those needs can be met. The key takeaway is that understanding and respecting the audience's mental models allows us to frame our message in a way that resonates, making them more open to considering our perspective.

2. Affordances and Signifiers: Crafting Intuitive Messages

Everyone needs to understand two pivotal concepts in design: affordances and signifiers. Affordances are the inherent qualities of an object that suggest how it can be used. Think of a door with a flat metal plate—it affords pushing. A cup with a handle affords holding. Signifiers, on the other hand, are the signals or cues that draw attention to those affordances and guide user action. The word “Push” on a door is a signifier that tells you exactly what to do.

When affordances and signifiers align, using an object feels effortless and intuitive. But when they're mismatched or unclear, frustration follows. We've all awkwardly pulled a door that was meant to be pushed because the design didn't communicate its function. (Wells Fargo!!)

Our messages are like designed objects; they need clear affordances and signifiers to guide our audience seamlessly. If people can't quickly understand how to engage with our ideas or why they should care, they're likely to disengage—or worse, misunderstand our intentions.

Imagine we're advocating for criminal justice reform. If we release a lengthy report filled with legal jargon and complex statistics, it's like handing someone a gadget with no buttons or instructions—a black box that offers no entry point. There's no affordance for engagement, and no signifiers to guide action.

What if instead we created a podcast series featuring personal narratives from individuals impacted by the justice system? Podcasts naturally afford listening and can be consumed while commuting or doing chores, fitting seamlessly into people's lives. We could title the series "Voices for Justice: Stories Behind the System" or something similar, as a signifier—signaling that listeners will hear real, human stories that offer insight into the need for reform.

3. Simplifying Complexity: Making the Abstract Tangible

Don Norman introduces the concept of "gulf of execution" in design—the divide between what a user wants to do and what a system allows them to do easily. Good design bridges this gulf, making complex devices feel intuitive and straightforward.

Similarly, when we communicate intricate concepts like economics, law, or philosophy, we risk overwhelming our audience if we don't present them thoughtfully. As liberty-minded communicators, our challenge is to make complex ideas accessible without diluting their essence. Storytelling is a powerful tool in this endeavor.

Consider illustrating the benefits of free markets through a relatable example: a local farmer who thrives when allowed to sell directly to consumers without restrictive regulations. This not only humanizes the economic principles but also shows their real-world impact. Instead of explaining the abstract mechanics of market dynamics,this narrative makes the concept tangible, allowing people to connect emotionally and intellectually.

Visual aids like infographics can further bridge the gap by presenting complex data in an easily digestible format.

By connecting new ideas to familiar experiences, we create a bridge between complexity and understanding. It's about respecting our audience's intelligence while providing them with accessible entry points into our message. When people are shown (not told!) how these ideas affect their own lives, they're more likely to engage and support them.

Designing Our Messages Like Doors

Reflecting on Norman's book, I realized our communications are like doors to new ideas. They can be inviting and easy to navigate, or they can be barriers that people avoid. Just as a door must be designed with the user in mind, our messages must be crafted with our audience's perspectives, needs, and expectations at the forefront.

• Are we aligning with their mental models? Understanding where our audience is coming from allows us to meet them where they are, rather than expecting them to leap into unfamiliar territory.

• Are we providing clear affordances and signifiers? Our calls to action, key messages, and the overall structure of our communications should guide our audience effortlessly toward understanding and engagement.

• Are we simplifying complexity without losing meaning? By making abstract concepts tangible through stories and relatable examples, we open the door wider for people to walk through.

Design isn't just for products; it's a mindset that can revolutionize how we communicate ideas, especially those as vital as liberty. By applying these principles, we can craft messages that don't just inform but resonate—messages that invite people to explore, understand, and ultimately embrace the ideals we champion.

Every message is an opportunity to open a door. Let's make sure we're creating doors that welcome people into the world of liberty, not ones that inadvertently shut them out.