Interface Design: The Art of Developing Easy-to-Use Software [Paperback]

Peter Bickford (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 19, 1997

A fun practical guide to designing easy-to-use software. Geared for people actively involved building products, Bickford gives a from-the-trenches view of what it takes to produce great software. Avoiding the mire of abstract theory, Interface Design<$> offers practical tips and advice stemming from the experience of a renowned interface expert.
The book is derived from Bickford's column with enhanced depth and material engineered to appeal to anyone interested in the art and science of good interface design. Throughout Interface Design<$>, Bickford covers a vast variety of design issues ranging from taming the incomprehensible interfaces of database systems and the Internet, to using sound and animation effectively in multimedia.
Bickford offers techniques for controlling the ever-growing complexity of computer software. He tackles clearly and effectively the challenge of translating new features of complex software applications into real benefits, and he makes an impassioned case for design based on the needs of the user, not just the engineering team.

* Useful for programmers of all skill levels
* Limits focus of specific programming languages or development environments
* Covers basic interface issues applicable to most types of projects, as well as specific advice for database, multimedia, networking, and web-based projects

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Peter Bickford is the Principal of Human Computing, a multimedia development and human interface consulting firm in San Jose. He is perhaps best know for his almost nine-year term at Apple Computer . A founding member of Apple Computer's Developer Consulting Group, he was responsible for helping outside developers create great human interfaces. Since September 1992, Bickford has written the "Human Interface" column for Apple Directions , Apple's developer news magazine. He lives in San Jose, California, with his wife Carolyn.

Product Details

• Paperback: 306 pages
• Publisher: Academic Press (August 19, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0120958600
• ISBN-13: 978-0120958603
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,204,749 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Interface Design For The Rest Of Us, February 27, 2000

By 

Gregory Sandoval "drbeat" (Mountain View, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Interface Design: The Art of Developing Easy-to-Use Software (Paperback)

All too often, books on interface design can be overly academic discussions of theoritcal design issues that are interesting only to other user interface designers.

Not so with this book. Mr. Bickford's writing style is accessible and geared toward general users, designers and developers. His coverage of the subject matter is informed and non-technical--you will certainly find it useful whether you are a commercial application developer, multimedia author, or designing applications and sites for the Internet. He argues very eloquently for concepts like elegance, intelligence and thoughtfulness--traits missing in much of today's bloated operating systems and applications (hello Redmond?). He covers both major desktop platforms, PC and Macintosh, citing examples of the virtues and pitfalls of each OS's operations. He also delves into other media, including an intelligent, if conservative, treatment of web design. I am hoping the next edition will be updated with more web coverage.

Mr. Bickford's credentials are impressive. He is a former writer for the Apple Directions developer newsletter writing regularly on usability and interface issues. He is very adept at making complex concepts simple through the use of metaphor, humor, and anecdotes gleaned from his years of real-world experience.

If you are looking for an accessible and entertaining book that will help you consider your interfaces from a more enlightened perspective, you should definitely pick this book up.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pleasurable text on human interface concepts, February 21, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Interface Design: The Art of Developing Easy-to-Use Software (Paperback)

Like the topic it covers, this book has a friendly interface. Unlike most technical books, I found Bickford's text downright entertaining. For example, he uses the analogy of a good waiter in a fine restaurant to drive in the idea of transparent interface, and house-hunting to help designers understand how databases ought to work. Bickford is an excellent teacher - he knows how to make his subject appealing and accessible. (It figures -- given appeal and accessibility are his criteria for good interface.)

The book is somewhat Macintosh-centric, given the fact that most of the chapters originally appeared in an Apple Computer newsletter. Nontheless, his ideas and philosophy has helped me build better web sites.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Everything vs. Nothing about User Interfaces, April 27, 2000

By 

Thomas Schultz - See all my reviews

This review is from: Interface Design: The Art of Developing Easy-to-Use Software (Paperback)

This book really makes me ambivalent. It is essentially a collection of colums on the subject of "Human Interface" written for Apple's developer news magazine. Thus the number of topics covered by the book is immense. In 38 (!) chapters (that is 6 pages per chapter in average) Peter Bickford covers almost everything that has to do with interface design, ranging from database interface design, design of icons, the use of music, designing games, information systems, etc. etc. What makes me award this book three stars after all is the fact that it is a joy to read the book. It takes not more than a few hours to whizz through the pages which do contain several words of wizdom useful to everybody no matter their level of experience. The use of small case stories throughout the book is nice and adds positively to the overall experience. If you want to start a dialog with a user interface specialist (for whatever reason) this is certainly a great book to get you started. The design and layout of the book, is fairly dull and boring. There are only very few black and white illustrations which do not add much to the overall impression. Even though that white space is important for increased readability, I think some of this space (20% of the book) should have been used for better and more illustrations.