Designing a graphical user interface

Tog on Interface is a report from the front lines of interface design, full of anecdotes and useful tips. I recommend it for anybody who cares about personal computing. - Stewart Alsop, Editor-in-Chief, InfoWorld If you work with graphical user interfaces, no matter what form or religion, you had better read this book. - Don Norman, author of The Design of Everyday Things and Turn Signals Are the Facial Expressions of Automobiles Tog's book is a must-read. It's chock-full of intuitive insights and practical technical examples. My favorite story is why people walk into their furniture after going on camping trips. You'll have to read the book to find out the reason! - Roger von Oech, Author of A Whack on the Side of the Head and developer of The Creative Whack Pack From one of the foremost authorities on the design of user interfaces, this unique collection of ideas and opinions, while focusing on the Macintosh, neatly captures the underlying principles of all graphical user interfaces. Using ideas from such diverse sources as Information Theory, Carl Jung, and even professional beekeeping, the book provides a framework for achieving a deep understanding of user interface design. With humor and thought-provoking insights, Bruce Tognazzini explores the central issues of human-computer interaction, including the challenges presented by multimedia applications, agents, virtual reality, and future technologies. Drawn from his long experience of working with developers, the book provides practical guidelines for developing successful applications that users will find simple, clear, andconsistent. Tog on Interface is fascinating reading for all those concerned with the relationship between people and computers. Tognazzini (TOG) is Apple's chief user interface guru/Evangelist. This is his attempt to go beyond the groundrules specified in the Apple Human Interface Guidelines , to capture and explain its underlying spirit and philosophy. Even The Smartest Among Us Can Feel Inept As We Fail To Figure Our Which Light Switch Or Oven Burner To Turn On, Or Whether To Push, Pull, Or Slide A Door. The Fault, Argues This Book, Lies Not In Ourselves, But In Product Design That Ignores The Needs Of Users And The Principles Of Cognitive Psychology. The Problems Range From Ambiguous And Hidden Controls To Arbitrary Relationships Between Controls And Functions, Coupled With A Lack Of Feedback Or Other Assistance And Unreasonable Demands On Memorization. The Book Presents Examples Aplenty, Among Them, The Vcr, Computer, And Office Telephone, All Models Of How Not To Design For People. But Good, Usable Design Is Possible. The Rules Are Simple: Make Things Visible, Exploit Natural Relationships That Couple Function And Control, And Make Intelligent Use Of Constraints. The Goal: Guide The User Effortlessly To The Right Action On The Right Control At The Right Time. But The Designer Must Care. The Author Is A World-famous Psychologist And Pioneer In The Application Of Cognitive Science. His Aim Is To Raise The Consciousness Of Both Consumers And Designers To The Delights Of Products That Are Easy To Use And Understand. The Psychopathology Of Everyday Things -- The Psychology Of Everyday Actions -- Knowledge In The Head And In The World -- Knowing What To Do -- To Err Is Human -- The Design Challenge -- User-centered Design. Donald A. Norman. Reprint. Originally Published: The Psychology Of Everyday Things. New York : Basic Books, C1988. Includes Index. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 241-247). This book/disk package begins by addressing the basic principles of user interface design, discusses the fundamentals of handling mouse and keyboard input, and covers the implementation of the "interactivity basics" - for example, selecting objects and navigating with the mouse and keyboard. The guide then covers, chapter-by-chapter, and in detail, the major elements of the Windows interface - windows, menus and dialog box controls. It concludes by covering several important and miscellaneous topics, including providing mechanisms for users to customize the interface, adding a system, and recognizing issues related to internationalizing an application. Specific features interactive design guide - a sample application that provides access to an online version of this book; visual design guide - descriptions, specifications and online illustrations of Windows design elements; buttons and cursors - a dynamic link library with standard cursor and toolbar button images, ready to use. From one of the foremost authorities on the design of user interfaces, this unique collection of ideas and opinions, while focusing on the Macintosh, neatly captures the underlying principles of all graphical user interfaces. Using ideas from such diverse sources as Information Theory, Carl Jung, and even professional beekeeping, the book provides a framework for achieving a deep understanding of user interface design. With humor and thought-provoking insights, Bruce Tognazzini explores the central issues of human-computer interaction, including the challenges presented by multimedia applications, agents, virtual reality, and future technologies. Drawn from his long experience of working with developers, the book provides practical guidelines for developing successful applications that users will find simple, clear, and consistent. "Tog on Interface" is fascinating reading for all those concerned with the relationship between people and computers. Here are the Microsoft guidelines for creating well-designed, visually and functionally consistent user interfaces for applications that run on the Microsoft Windows operating system. The Windows Interface Guidelines for Software Design is an essential handbook for all programmers and designers working with the latest release of Windows, regardless of experience level or development tools used. This book covers the basic principles of user interface design and design methodologies and specifies how data-centered concepts such as objects and properties can be applied to interface design. It includes detailed information on mouse, keyboard, and pen interaction and on how to use the common interface elements supplied by the system. This book also includes information about special considerations such as network computing, international users, and users with disabilities The Design of Everyday Things is a best-selling book by cognitive scientist and usability engineer Donald Norman about how design serves as the communication between object and user, and how to optimize that conduit of communication in order to make the experience of using the object pleasurable. One of the main premises of the book is that although people are often keen to blame themselves when objects appear to malfunction, it is not the fault of the user but rather the lack of intuitive guidance that should be present in the design. This well-organized and clearly written book provides guidelines for designing visually and functionally consistent user interfaces for Windows programs. It is the official book on Microsoft user-interface design and can be read as a program specification for Windows application developers who want to save training time, boost productivity, and promote user confidence in their applications. Preface to the Paperback Edition Preface The Psychopathology of Everyday Things The Psychology of Everyday Actions Knowledge in the Head and in the World Knowing What to Do To Err Is Human The Design Challenge User-Centered Design Notes Suggested Readings References Index Welcome to The Windows Interface Guidelines for Software Design, an indispensable guide to designing software that runs with the Microsoft® Windows® operating system.