Usability Engineering: Scenario-Based Development of Human Computer Interaction

Rating:
Summary: Horribly Dry and Boring with Little to Recommend
Review: Man, where do I start? I was actually looking forward to a college class on designing easy-to-use computer applications. Boy did I not get what I was looking for, in large part due to this book.

First off, this textbook is boring as heck. Almost everything is black and white, and the design scheme of the book alone makes one not want to read it. In fact, this book is a poor example of usability in its own right.

So that's the looks. The actual content is not particularly useful either. Instead of giving practical, real-world advice, it spends too much time waxing strong about a stupid model called "scenario-based development," as I remember. This is basically the common-sense and annoying pet theory of the authors.

Finally, the examples and interface illustrations in the book seemed so out of date for a book copyrighted in 2002. Just a thought.

Overall: Reads like an academic book written for stuffy academics. Little practical information on designing good applications is provided.

Rating:
Summary: Very well organized
Review: This book is a good reference in many points of the usability process - evaluation, design, and testing. The authors organize chapters in a very structured way that the content is very digestible. At 448 pages, the book isn't meant to be read in a single session, but again, it's a great reference.

My favorite part about this book is the fact that it actually has a section on user documentation - something that is lacking in many books on the subject of usability, and the achilles heel of many projects.