Exploring Interface Design

Rating:
Summary: Real-World Experience
Review: Marc Silver's extensive experience in designing user interfaces is evident in this highly readable book. The numerous tips scattered throughout offer easy take-away value and the text gives you the "why" as well as the "how" of designing user interfaces. This approach will give you a foundation for design discussions with others involved in the software and web site development process including clients, project managers, programmers, quality assurance and support personnel.

As a practicing software development professional, I found the chapter on Designing for Accessibility particularly relevant to current Section 508 compliance issues with our clients (textbook publishers). There are also numerous design practices that we use in our daily work that are explained in the Specifying the Design chapter. The nuts-and-bolts of using the various interface elements are well covered in the Menus and Controls and Designing Usable Navigation chapters. Consistent with a real-world view, there are few absolute rules, but instead intelligent discussion of the trade-offs involved in making design decisions.

Although you'll want to have a more complete reference for starting a business, the final chapter on the User Interface Designer in Professional Practice provides helpful advice and tips on subjects such as proposal writing, maintaining long-term business relationships, and even filing practices.

You'll find this book very useful if you're a student looking for practical advice on user interface design in the real world. If you're a practicing professional you'll pick up some valuable tips that you'll use regularly in your work.

Rating:
Summary: Well-written, thoughtful, practical, and fun to read!
Review: This is an excellent and thoughtful book on interface design. It's very practical and covers a lot of ground- how to create clear navigation, visually organize elements on a page, format text, improve your writing style- basically how to create interfaces that are intuitive for users. I especially appreciated the many images that illustrate examples of both good and problematic design, and the suggestions on how to improve them. The exercises really help you think through the most elegant solutions to different design problems.

The chapters on menus and controls and navigation are great for reference, explaining the advantages and disadvantages of common interface tools. I also really enjoyed the chapter on creativity and idea generation, and look forward to trying out the suggested techniques.

The author has a friendly, entertaining, and easy-to-read style. For students or people who are new to the field, this book is an excellent comprehensive introduction to interface design. And for people who are more experienced, it's a great reference and source of inspiration. I'd definitely recommend adding this to your library!


Rating:
Summary: Excellent book!
Review: This is an excellent book. It works on many different levels. It gives the artistic and psychological theory of interface design and it offers nuts-and-bolts practical information on working with clients and getting projects done. It works as an instructional text for a beginner and it works as a reference for a practicing professional.

In addition to providing a solid and comprehensive foundation in the principles of design, this book provides innovative and orignal design ideas and creativity boosters.

And it all comes in a well organized, well written package!

As an instructional designer (and big fan of design in general) I will keep this book in arm's reach between my books by Donald Norman and Jakob Nielsen.