Difference between revisions of "UX Reading List"

Latest revision as of 04:56, 18 June 2010

Designing Pleasurable Products, by Patrick W. Jordan

Designing Pleasurable Products

http://amzn.to/baofwE

Human factors considerations are increasingly being incorporated into the product design process. Users are seen more as being important factors in the overall look and usability of products and not just passive consumers.

Patrick Jordan, who is one of the leading authors in the field of cognitive ergonomics, looks at approaches that assume that if a task can be accomplished with a reasonable degree of efficiency and within acceptable levels of comfort, the product can be seen as fitting to the user.

In this book it is argued that in practice these approaches can be dehumanizing. People are more than merely physical and cognitive processors. They have hopes, fears, dreams, values and aspirations - the very things that make us human.

Designing Pleasurable Products looks both at and beyond usability, considering how products can appeal to use holistically, leading to products that are a joy to own.

About the Author

Patrick Jordan is with Contemporary Trends Institute in the UK.

Information Architecture for the World Wide Web: Designing Large-Scale Web Sites, by Peter Morville, Louis Rosenfeld

Information Architecture for the World Wide Web

http://amzn.to/9z3l3c

In Chapter 6 of Information Architecture for the World Wide Web, the authors discuss the details of good search-engine design. In a bitingly humorous segment, they analyze a Web site's search-page results: "Let's say you're interested in knowing what the New Jersey sales tax is.... So you go to the State of New Jersey web site and search on sales tax. The 20 results are scored at either 84% or 82% relevant. Why does each document receive only one of two scores?... And what the heck makes a document 2% more relevant than another?"

With a swift and convincing stroke, the authors of Information Architecture for the World Wide Web tear down many entrenched ideas about Web design. Flashy animations are cool, they agree, as long as they don't aggravate the viewer. Nifty clickable icons are nice, but are their meanings universal? Is the search engine providing results that are useful and relevant? This book acts as a mirror and with careful questioning causes the reader to think through all the elements and decisions required for well-crafted Web design. --Jennifer Buckendorff --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Saul Wurman first used the term Information Architecture in his book of the same name. His book was mostly lots of really pretty pictures of media and webs compiled from a graphic design perspective; they were beautiful but never really dealt with the information end of things. Rosenfeld and Morville get it right. They show how to design manageable sites right the first time, sites built for growth. They discuss ideas of organization, navigation, labeling, searching, research, and conceptual design. This is almost common sense, which is often overlooked in the rush for cascading style sheets and XML.

Essential reading for librarians and information managers who deal with the World Wide Web in any parts of their jobs.

Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Information Dashboard Design: The Effective Visual Communication of Data, by Stephen Few

Information Dashboard Design

http://amzn.to/cgZeUX

Dashboards have become popular in recent years as uniquely powerful tools for communicating important information at a glance. Although dashboards are potentially powerful, this potential is rarely realized.

The greatest display technology in the world won't solve this if you fail to use effective visual design. And if a dashboard fails to tell you precisely what you need to know in an instant, you'll never use it, even if it's filled with cute gauges, meters, and traffic lights.

Don't let your investment in dashboard technology go to waste. This book will teach you the visual design skills you need to create dashboards that communicate clearly, rapidly, and compellingly.

Information Dashboard Design will explain how to:

• Avoid the thirteen mistakes common to dashboard design
• Provide viewers with the information they need quickly and clearly
• Apply what we now know about visual perception to the visual presentation of information
• Minimize distractions, cliches, and unnecessary embellishments that create confusion

• Organize business information to support meaning and usability • Create an aesthetically pleasing viewing experience • Maintain consistency of design to provide accurate interpretation • Optimize the power of dashboard technology by pairing it with visual effectiveness

Stephen Few has over 20 years of experience as an IT innovator, consultant, and educator. As Principal of the consultancy Perceptual Edge, Stephen focuses on data visualization for analyzing and communicating quantitative business information. He provides consulting and training services, speaks frequently at conferences, and teaches in the MBA program at the University of California in Berkeley. He is also the author of Show Me the Numbers: Designing Tables and Graphs to Enlighten.

The Humane Interface: New Directions for Designing Interactive Systems, by Jef Raskin

The Humane Interface

http://amzn.to/dr5sHM

Amazon.com Review "The book that explains why you really hate computers." I've admired Jef Raskin for years. For those who don't know, he is the "Father of the Macintosh," one of the original geniuses who guided the Mac in the early days. But, more than a computer scientist, Raskin is a cognitive psychologist. He studies how the brain works with special emphasis on how that relates to us using computers. His magnum opus was the Canon Cat, which was an excellent and well-thought-out little computer.

In The Humane Interface, Raskin goes into detail describing how computers can be made easier to understand and use. Ever want to know why you really don't like Windows? The answer is in this book. In fact, there's so much in this book that makes sense, I really want to send a copy to every employee at Microsoft.

I loved reading this book and nodding my head in rabid agreement. Raskin states, "There has never been any technical reason for a computer to take more than a few seconds to begin operation when it is turned on." So why then does Windows (or Linux!) take so darn long to start up? The PalmPilot is on instantly, as is your cell phone. But for some reason, we tolerate the computer taking a few eons to start. (And until consumers complain about it, things won't change.)

Computers can be easy to use, and the people who design them and design software need to read this book. Do you ever get the impression that the person who designed a piece of software must have come from the same company that designed the front panel on your VCR? Why should you have to double-click anything? What does Ctrl+D mean one thing in one program and a completely different thing in another? And what's the point of the Yes/No confirmation if the user is in the habit of clicking Yes without thinking about it? Raskin neatly probes all these areas.

While I admire everything Raskin has to say, the book is pretty heavy on the psychology end. Myself, I enjoy cognitive psychology (especially books by Raskin's cohort Donald Norman), though some may find that part of the book boring. Even so, Raskin builds and backs his argument in a most eloquent and scientific manner. Especially if you design software or need to teach or train people to use computers, this book deserves a spot on your shelf. --Dan Gookin

From Library Journal

Falling somewhere between Donald A. Norman's The Psychology of Everyday Things and Ben Shneiderman's Designing the User Interface, Raskin's book covers ergonomics as well as quantification, evaluation, and navigation. Raskin was the original creator of the Apple Macintosh project before Steve Jobs took over and has a background in technology and art, which gives him a unique perspective on usability; recommended for university and large public libraries.

Digital Information Graphics, by Matt Woolman

Digital Information Graphics

http://amzn.to/aOGDI1

The information age has brought inconceivable amounts of data to every area of life-at home and in the office, for leisure and travel, for shopping and banking. While the Internet provides instant freedom and instantaneous access to hundreds of valuable resources, navigating through the streams of cyber-information can be maddening. Today's web designers are beginning to understand that it's not just how good the home page looks, but how quickly and easily information can be displayed, accessed, and delivered. Digital Information Graphics confronts the issues that directly affect our interaction with the screen, whether for the World Wide Web, multimedia programs, or even small-screen devices like mobile phones or PDAs.

Filled with tested principles, surefire strategies, and scores of examples and case studies, here are the effective, proven ways to present deep arrays of data for the information age. Readers will discover how to display complex environment and infrastructure in simple, innovative ways; analyze and present data gathered from demographics and news sources; convey complex events and situations in a clear, straightforward manner; and push today's technology to its limits, resulting in brand-new ways for navigating a website or interacting with the computer.

About the Author

Matt Woolman is assistant professor of design communication at Virginia Commonwealth University, where he is also design Director of the Center for Design Studies. He is the author of several books, including Type in Motion: Innovations in Digital Graphics, Sonic Graphics: Design for Music, and A Type Detective Story. His books have received awards from Print Magazine, AIGA, and the Art Director's Club, and his design projects have been reproduced in How Magazine, ƒtape Graphiques, and Graphis. He is also principle of Plaid Studios, a design and publishing firm. He lives in Richmond, Virginia.

Designing for Interaction: Creating Smart Applications and Clever Devices , by Dan Saffer

Designing for Interaction

http://amzn.to/ahtEzr

Explore the new design discipline that is behind such products as the iPod and innovative Web sites like Flickr. While other books on this subject are either aimed at more seasoned practitioners or else are too focused on a particular medium like software, this guide will take a more holistic approach to the discipline, looking at interaction design for the Web, software, and devices. It is  the only interaction design book that is coming from a designers point of view rather than that of an engineer.

This much-needed guide is more than just a how-to manual. It covers interaction design fundamentals, approaches to designing, design research, and more, and spans all mediums—Internet, software, and devices. Even robots! Filled with tips, real-world projects, and interviews, you’ll get a solid grounding in everything you need to successfully tackle interaction design.

Designing for Interaction is an AIGA Design Press book, published under Peachpit's New Riders imprint in partnership with AIGA.

From the Back Cover

Explore the new design discipline that is behind such products as the iPod and innovative Web sites like Flickr. While other books on this subject are either aimed at more seasoned practitioners or else are too focused on a particular medium like software, this guide will take a more holistic approach to the discipline, looking at interaction design for the Web, software, and devices. It is  the only interaction design book that is coming from a designers point of view rather than that of an engineer.

This much-needed guide is more than just a how-to manual. It covers interaction design fundamentals, approaches to designing, design research, and more, and spans all mediums—Internet, software, and devices. Even robots! Filled with tips, real-world projects, and interviews, you’ll get a solid grounding in everything you need to successfully tackle interaction design.

Designing for Interaction is an AIGA Design Press book, published under Peachpit's New Riders imprint in partnership with AIGA.

Information Visualization, Second Edition: Perception for Design (Interactive Technologies), by Colin Ware

Information Visualization

http://amzn.to/cCh2UE

Amazon.com Review

Most designers know that yellow text presented against a blue background reads clearly and easily, but how many can explain why? Information Visualization: Perception for Design explores the art and science of why we see objects the way we do.

Although more technical than most graphic design books, the book "is intended to make the data from the science and study of visualization available to the non-specialist." Each chapter focuses on a different facet of human vision, like "Lightness, Brightness, Contrast, and Constancy" in chapter 3, or "Static and Moving Patterns" in chapter 4.

Although the author tries to put a great deal of scientific research data into pedestrian terms, the nature of the subject matter and the papers from which he culls his information make this task an uphill battle from the start. As a result, the book is full of valuable information, but it may not necessarily be right for the average graphic designer looking for a new inspirational spin. Serious interface designers, presentation designers, data analyzers, or any artist tasked with presenting ideas in a visual format, though, should come away from Information Visualization with a clearer understanding of the inner workings of perception.

At the very least, they'll be able to explain why yellow text against blue is a good combination. --Mike Caputo

"This unique and essential guide to human visual perception and related cognitive principles will enrich courses on information visualization and empower designers to see their way forward. Ware's updated review of empirical research and interface design examples will do much to accelerate innovation and adoption of information visualization." -Ben Shneiderman, University of Maryland

"Colin Ware is the perfect person to write this book, with a long history of prominent contributions to the visual interaction with machines and to information visualization directly. It goes a long way towards joining science to the practical design of information visualization systems." -from the foreword by Stuart Card, PARC

"Better than anyone else that I've encountered in my work, Colin Ware explains how visual perception works and how it applies to data presentation." - Stephen Few -- Intelligent Enterprise

Introduction to Human Factors Engineering (2nd Edition), by Christopher D. Wickens, John D. Lee, Yili Liu, Sallie Gordon-Becker

Introduction to Human Factors Engineering

http://amzn.to/b3yTyL

This book describes the capabilities and limitations of the human operator—both physical and mental—and how these should be used to guide the design of systems with which people interact. General principles of human-system interaction and design are presented, and included are specific examples of successful and unsuccessful interactions.

It links theories of human performance that underlie the principles with real-world experience, without a heavy engineering-oriented perspective. Topics include design and evaluation methods; different systems such as visual, auditory, tactile, vestibular, automated, and transportation; cognition, decision-making, and aesthetics; physiology; and stress, safety, accidents, and human error. An excellent reference for personnel and managers in the workplace.

Excerpt: © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

We wrote this book because we saw a need for engineers and system designers and other professionals to understand how knowledge of human strengths and limitations, both mental and physical, can lead to better system design, more effective training of the user, and better assessment of the usability of a system. The knowledge and methods to accomplish these goals are embodied in the study of human factors engineering. As we point out in the early chapters, a cost-benefit analysis of human factors applications in system design usually provides a favorable evaluation of those applications.

Our intention in this book is to focus on the clear and intuitive explanation of human factors principles. We illustrate these principles with real-world design examples and, where relevant, show how these principles are based on understanding of the human's psychological, biological, and physical characteristics to give the reader an understanding of why the principles are formulated. Because of our focus on principles, we intentionally do not spend a great deal of time addressing psychological theory or research paradigms and experiments. We trust that the reader will know that the principles we describe are indeed based on valid research conclusions, and where relevant we provide citations as to where that research can be examined.

Also, we do not expect that this will be a stand-alone reference manual for applying human factors in design. Many specific numbers, values, and formulae, necessary for fabricating systems with human limitations in mind, were not included in this text in the interest of space. However, we point to ample references where designers can proceed to find these details.

Because of the way we have structured the book, emphasizing design principles and methodologies over theory and research, our primary target audience is the engineering undergraduate, who may well be participating in the design process. Hence we do not assume that the reader will necessarily have had an introductory course in psychology, and so we try to present some of the necessary psychological fundamentals. We also believe, however, that the book will be useful for applied psychology or undergraduate-level engineering psychology courses within a psychology department. This usefulness derives in part, because the book demonstrates how many aspects of psychological science are relevant to the effective design of systems in the workplace and on the highway.

Human factors is a growing field. In many small industries, personnel are assigned to the position of human factors engineer why have no formal training in the discipline. Thus we hope that the book will not only reach the academic classroom in both engineering colleges and psychology departments but will also be available as a reference for personnel and managers in the workplace.

We believe that the strength of this book lies in its relatively intuitive and readable style, which attempts to illustrate principles clearly, with examples, and without excessive detail and which points to references where more information can be obtained. We have also tried to strike a balance between presenting the human factors associated with different aspects of human performance on the one hand (e.g., physical limitations, display processing, memory failures) and particularly important domains of current applications on the other. For example, there are separate chapters devoted to the human factors of transportation systems and of human computer interaction.

In the second edition, we have not made fundamental changes to content or organization. Professor John Lee of the University of Iowa Industrial Engineering Department has been added as a co-author. He is an expert in automation and highway safety research.

In addition to addressing some of the shortcomings of the previous edition, revealed by its users, we have included new sections on a variety of topics such as driver distraction, organizational aspects of human error, human factors applications to law enforcement, meta cognition, and task management. We have also increased the amount of cross referencing between chapters, to highlight the extent to which human factors is an integrated science. A single integrated reference list is compiled at the end of the chapter.

Show Me the Numbers: Designing Tables and Graphs to Enlighten |Stephen Few

Show Me the Numbers: Designing Tables and Graphs to Enlighten

http://amzn.to/ddzM2O

Review "A must read...for anyone working in the field of business intelligence." -- David Wells, Director of Education, The Data Warehousing Institute (TDWI)

"A real gem…clear, concise, and comprehensive." -- Dr. Richard Mayer, Professor of Psychology, University of California, Santa Barbara

"More accessible than Cleveland's books and...more practical advice than Tufte's. I highly recommend it." -- Dr. Pat Hanrahan, Professor of Computer Science, Stanford University

Tables and graphs can more adequately communicate important business information when they reflect the good design practices discussed in this practical guide to effective table and graph design. Information is provided on the fundamental concepts of table and graph design, the numbers and knowledge most suitable for display in a graphic form, the best tabular means to communicate certain ideas, and the component-level aspects of design.

Analysts, technicians, and managers will appreciate the solid theory behind this outline for ensuring that tables and graphs present quantitative business information in a truthful, attractive format that facilitates better decision making.

Communicating Design: Developing Web Site Documentation for Design and Planning, by Dan Brown

Communicating Design

http://amzn.to/daLByB

Most discussion about Web design seems to focus on the creative process, yet turning concept into reality requires a strong set of deliverables—the documentation (concept model, site maps, usability reports, and more) that serves as the primary communication tool between designers and customers. Here at last is a guide devoted to just that topic. Combining quick tips for improving deliverables with in-depth discussions of presentation and risk mitigation techniques, author Dan Brown shows you how to make the documentation you're required to provide into the most efficient communications tool possible. He begins with an introductory section about deliverables and their place in the overall process, and then delves into to the different types of deliverables. From usability reports to project plans, content maps, flow charts, wireframes, site maps, and more, each chapter includes a contents checklist, presentation strategy, maintenance strategy, a description of the development process and the deliverable's impact on the project, and more.

From the Back Cover

Most discussion about Web design seems to focus on the creative process, yet turning concept into reality requires a strong set of deliverables—the documentation (concept model, site maps, usability reports, and more) that serves as the primary communication tool between designers and customers.

Here at last is a guide devoted to just that topic. Combining quick tips for improving deliverables with in-depth discussions of presentation and risk mitigation techniques, author Dan Brown shows you how to make the documentation you're required to provide into the most efficient communications tool possible. He begins with an introductory section about deliverables and their place in the overall process, and then delves into to the different types of deliverables.

From usability reports to project plans, content maps, flow charts, wireframes, site maps, and more, each chapter includes a contents checklist, presentation strategy, maintenance strategy, a description of the development process and the deliverable's impact on the project, and more.

Paper Prototyping: The Fast and Easy Way to Design and Refine User Interfaces (Interactive Technologies), by Carolyn Snyder

Paper Prototyping

http://amzn.to/960Wkb

Book Description The practical guide on using paper prototyping when designing user interfaces

Do you spend a lot of time during the design process wondering what users really need? Do you hate those endless meetings where you argue how the interface should work? Have you ever developed something that later had to be completely redesigned?

Paper Prototyping can help. Written by a usability engineer with a long and successful paper prototyping history, this book is a practical, how-to guide that will prepare you to create and test paper prototypes of all kinds of user interfaces. You'll see how to simulate various kinds of interface elements and interactions. You'll learn about the practical aspects of paper prototyping, such as deciding when the technique is appropriate, scheduling the activities, and handling the skepticism of others in your organization.

Numerous case studies and images throughout the book show you real world examples of paper prototyping at work.

Learn how to use this powerful technique to develop products that are more useful, intuitive, efficient, and pleasing:

• Save time and money - solve key problems before implementation begins
• Get user feedback early - use it to focus the development process
• Communicate better - involve development team members from a variety of disciplines
• Be more creative - experiment with many ideas before committing to one
• Enable designers to solve design problems before implementation begins
• Five case studies provide real world examples of paper prototyping at work
• Delves into the specifics of what types of projects paper prototyping is and isn't good for.

Lean Software Development: An Agile Toolkit, by Mary Poppendieck, Tom Poppendieck

Lean Software Development

http://amzn.to/d8k3GX

Lean Software Development shows software professionals how to achieve breakthrough quality, savings, speed, and business value by adapting the seven "lean" principles that have already revolutionized manufacturing and R&D. Drawing on 25+ years' experience leading enterprise projects, the authors show how to use these principles to create agile processes that work - because they're optimized for your environment.

From the Back Cover

• Adapting agile practices to your development organization
• Uncovering and eradicating waste throughout the software development lifecycle
• Practical techniques for every development manager, project manager, and technical leader
• Lean Software Development: An Agile Toolkit
• Lean software development: applying agile principles to your organization

In Lean Software Development, Mary and Tom Poppendieck identify seven fundamental "lean" principles, adapt them for the world of software development, and show how they can serve as the foundation for agile development approaches that work. Along the way, they introduce 22 "thinking tools" that can help you customize the right agile practices for any environment.

Better, cheaper, faster software development. You can have all three—if you adopt the same lean principles that have already revolutionized manufacturing, logistics and product development.

• Iterating towards excellence: software development as an exercise in discovery
• Managing uncertainty: "decide as late as possible" by building change into the system.
• Compressing the value stream: rapid development, feedback, and improvement
• Empowering teams and individuals without compromising coordination
• Software with integrity: promoting coherence, usability, fitness, maintainability, and adaptability
• How to "see the whole"—even when your developers are scattered across multiple locations and contractors
• Simply put, Lean Software Development helps you refocus development on value, flow, and people—so you can achieve breakthrough quality, savings, speed, and business alignment.

Sketching User Experiences: Getting the Design Right and the Right Design

Sketching User Experiences: Getting the Design Right and the Right Design

http://amzn.to/99Undj

"Informed design is essential." While it might seem that Bill Buxton is exaggerating or kidding with this bold assertion, neither is the case. In an impeccably argued and sumptuously illustrated book, design star Buxton convinces us that design simply must be integrated into the heart of business--Roger Martin, Dean, Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto

Design is explained, with the means and manner for successes and failures illuminated by engaging stories, true examples and personal anecdotes. In Sketching User Experiences, Bill Buxton clarifies the processes and skills of design from sketching to experience modeling, in a lively and informative style that is rich with stories and full of his own heart and enthusiasm. At the start we are lost in mountain snows and northern seas, but by the end we are equipped with a deep understanding of the tools of creative design.--Bill Moggridge, Cofounder of IDEO and author of Designing Interactions

"Like any secret society, the design community has its strange rituals and initiation procedures. Bill opens up the mysteries of the magical process of design, taking us through a land in which story-telling, orange squeezers, the Wizard of Oz, I-pods, avalanche avoidance, bicycle suspension sketching, and faking it are all points on the design pilgrim's journey. There are lots of ideas and techniques in this book to feed good design and transform the way we think about creating useful stuff". -Peter Gabriel

I love this book. There are very few resources available that see across and through all of the disciplines involved in developing great experiences. This is complex stuff and Buxton's work is both informed and insightful. He shares the work in an intimate manner that engages the reader and you will find yourself nodding with agreement, and smiling at the poignant relevance of his examples.--Alistair Hamilton, Symbol Technologies, NY

Books that have proposed bringing design into HCI are aplenty, though books that propose bringing software in to Design less common. Nevertheless, Bill manages to skilfully steer a course between the excesses of the two approaches and offers something truly in-between. It could be a real boon to the innovation business by bringing the best of both worlds: design and HCI. --Richard Harper, Microsoft Research, Cambridge

There is almost a fervor in the way that new products, with their rich and dynamic interfaces, are being released to the public-typically promising to make lives easier, solve the most difficult of problems, and maybe even make the world a better place. The reality is that few survive, much less deliver on their promise. The folly? An absence of design, and an over-reliance on technology alone as the solution.

We need design. But design as described here depends on different skillsets-each essential, but on their own, none sufficient. In this rich ecology, designers are faced with new challenges-challenges that build on, rather than replace, existing skills and practice.

Sketching User Experiences approaches design and design thinking as something distinct that needs to be better understood-by both designers and the people with whom they need to work- in order to achieve success with new products and systems. So while the focus is on design, the approach is holistic. Hence, the book speaks to designers, usability specialists, the HCI community, product managers, and business executives. There is an emphasis on balancing the back-end concern with usability and engineering excellence (getting the design right) with an up-front investment in sketching and ideation (getting the right design). Overall, the objective is to build the notion of informed design: molding emerging technology into a form that serves our society and reflects its values.