Simple and Usable Web, Mobile, and Interaction Design (Voices That Matter) [Paperback]

Giles Colborne (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0321703545 | ISBN-13: 978-0321703545 | Publication Date: September 26, 2010 | Edition: 1

In a complex world, products that are easy to use win favor with consumers. This is the first book on the topic of simplicity aimed specifically at interaction designers. It shows how to drill down and simplify user experiences when designing digital tools and applications. It begins by explaining why simplicity is attractive, explores the laws of simplicity, and presents proven strategies for achieving simplicity. Remove, hide, organize and displace become guidelines for designers, who learn simplicity by seeing before and after examples and case studies where the results speak for themselves.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: New Riders Press; 1 edition (September 26, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0321703545
• ISBN-13: 978-0321703545
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #43,237 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #8 in Books > Computers & Technology > Mobile & Wireless Computing > Programming
  • #31 in Books > Computers & Technology > Computer Science > Human-Computer Interaction
  • #38 in Books > Computers & Technology > Graphic Design > Interface Design

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An approachable, practical guide to achieving simplicity, September 27, 2010

By 

Tyler Tate (London) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Simple and Usable Web, Mobile, and Interaction Design (Voices That Matter) (Paperback)

We've all been frustrated by a gadget, from trying to install a printer to spending hours setting up a new mobile phone. Page one of Simple and Usable points out that: "[The] Technology that is supposed to make our lives easier often feels like it's on the march against us." What then is the antidote to confusing products, software, and web sites? The answer is--as one might guess from the title of the book--simplicity.

Simple and Usable is both an extremely approachable and an incredibly practical guide to simplicity. Author Giles Colborne compelling shares four fundamental strategies for accomplishing simplicity: remove, organize, hide, and displace.

First, figure out the most important tasks of mainstream users, and make those tasks really easy to accomplish. Then, kill all the features that aren't core. From limiting choice, to eliminating distraction, to using smart defaults, Giles offers many tangible tactics for reducing complexity.

But just throwing something out isn't the only way to simplify. Effective organization can make an interface feel simpler to use. "There are plenty of options open to you in organizing an interface--size, color, position, shape, hierarchy." Giles explains that organizing for simplicity involves emphasizing just one or two important elements. He shares useful techniques for achieving organization such as chunking, hard edges, grids, and layering.

For those features that can't be eliminated but that are used only rarely, Giles recommends a third strategy: hiding. "Often a feature has a few core controls for mainstreamers and extended, precision controls for experts," he says. "Hiding the precision controls is a good way to keep things simple." Giles shares how progressive disclosure and timely clues can be used to reveal a hidden feature at just the right moment.

While the first three strategies--remove, organize, and hide--work well in conjunction, the fourth strategy is, as Giles puts it, "a cheat." Displacement is the technique of moving functionality from one location, say a TV remote control, to a different location, such as onto the TV screen itself. "One of the secrets of creating simple experiences," Giles says, "is putting the right functionality on the right... part of the system."

Not only is Simple and Usable packed with practical strategies for achieving simplicity, but it's also quite an enjoyable read. Giles manages to infuse frequent examples into the book's impressively concise 1-page sections, making for inviting reading whether you're on a 3-minute bus ride or spending a Saturday at the cafe. As an advocate of simplicity myself, I highly recommend this book to anyone who has a hand in building websites, software, or products.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well done for an introduction or a review of important points, May 4, 2011

By 

Tim - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Simple and Usable Web, Mobile, and Interaction Design (Voices That Matter) (Paperback)

I am impressed with this book on several counts.
1. The content combines succinct mini-chapters with gorgeous and complementary images.
2. The quality of the paper stock, the book's information design, and the overall package is top notch.
3. I learned a couple new things despite having been around the profession for a while.
4. The focus is not on one particular type of product.

I don't think the book is all things to all people and I suspect it was not meant to be. A seasoned UX professional may not learn a lot from it, but this is a good book for students and for business people who might need an introduction to good user experience research and design principles. For the experienced UX person, I think the book could be a good review of some key precepts that sometimes might seem distant in the day-to-day rush of getting things done.

I do wish there were footnotes to the interesting research studies the author sometimes refers to in the chapters. The more we UX pros back up our assertions with proper research, the more we will be taken seriously by our employers and clients. Perhaps a bibliography on the simpleandusable.com website would be a good adjunct to the book?

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My new favorite give-away, August 8, 2011

By 

Adam (McKinney, TX, United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Simple and Usable Web, Mobile, and Interaction Design (Voices That Matter) (Paperback)

There is a short list of books that I recommend when asked "What book should I read in order to understand what you do?" This is it! I already own two copies. It's so intelligently broken down that it's very quotable. The only thing that would make it better would be quick reference tabs but that would ruin the aesthetic.