Elements of User Interface Design - Softcover

Mandel, Theo

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0471162671 ISBN 13: 9780471162674

Publisher: John Wiley &Sons, 1997

Synopsis

". . . a book that should be forced on every developer working today.

If only half the rules in this book were followed, the quality of most programs would increase tenfold." -Kevin Bachus, praising Theo Mandel's The GUI-OOUI War

A total guide to mastering the art and science of user interface design

For most computer users, the user interface is the software, and in today's ultracompetitive software markets, developers can't afford to provide users and clients with anything less than optimal software ease, usability, and appeal.

The Elements of User Interface Design is written by a cognitive psychologist and interface design specialist with more than a decade's research and design experience. Writing for novices and veteran developers and designers alike, Dr. Mandel takes you from command-line interfaces and graphical-user interfaces (GUIs) to object-oriented user interfaces (OOUIs) and cutting-edge interface technologies and techniques. Throughout, coverage is liberally supplemented with screen shots, real-life case studies, and vignettes that bring interface design principles to life.

Destined to become the bible for a new generation of designers and developers, The Elements of User Interface Design

Arms you with a "tested-in-the-trenches," four-phase, iterative design process
* Analyzes well-known interfaces, including Windows 95, Windows NT, OS/2 Warp, Microsoft Bob, Visual Basic, Macintosh, and the World Wide Web
* Schools you in object-oriented interface (OOUI) design principles and techniques
* Offers practical coverage of interface agents, wizards, voice interaction, social user interfaces, Web design, and other new and emerging technologies

About this title

Review

A total introduction to user interface (UI) design, Elements of User Interface Design covers theory and application with easy language and real world examples. Author Theo Mandel achieves an effective blend of theoretical consideration and practical utilization without leaving the less experienced user by the wayside. At the same time, even the most hardened applications developer will find abundant value in the discussions of user psychology and the analyses of popular UIs of the past and present.

Chapter topics include UI models, computer standards and UI guidelines, usability testing, command-line and menu driven interfaces, and graphical user interfaces (GUIs). The book also discusses intelligent agents and Internet interfaces at length. Each chapter contains examples from some of the most popular applications and operating systems complete with analysis and historical background.

The book itself has a fairly friendly UI; Mandel's writing is conversational and easy to follow, even when discussing complex topics. Throughout each chapter, "Key Ideas," such as tool tips, are broken out for clarification and quick reference on the current topic. Quotes at the beginning of each group of chapters are both topical and entertaining.

From the Publisher

With a Ph.D. in cognitive psychology, author Theo Mandel knows how people act and interact with user interfaces. With this book, he covers the basics of effective user interface design and demonstrates different techniques. Divided into three parts, the book first teaches readers the foundations and fundamentals, then shows them how to use those basics to create interfaces, and finally discusses advanced topics and emerging technologies like object oriented user interfaces (OOUIs), voice activation, and Wizards. Mandel also covers different techniques with popular products like Windows NT, Windows 95, OS/2, and Visual Basic.

Edition details

• Publisher: John Wiley &Sons
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 0471162671
• ISBN 13: 9780471162674
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 468