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Interaction Design Books
Audio
"Don't let schooling interfere with your education."
Mark Twain
SpoolCast podcast ***** Jared Spool talking to other knowledgeable design and usability folks UXpod User Experience Podcasts podcast ***** Usability audio at by Gerry Gaffney The Infinite Mind, To the Best of Our Knowledge, Studio 360 radio, cognition ***** online archives of mindful radio
Books
(additional star (+*) is given to personal favorites)
Universal Principles of Design by William Lidwell, Kristina Holden, Jill Butler [2003] principles *****+* 100 universal principles explained, illustrated, referenced and cross-referenced Designing Interfaces: Patterns for Effective Interaction Design by Jenifer Tidwell [2006] behavioral patterns, IxD patterns *****+* Reference book for behavioral patterns, physical structure, navigation, page layout, actions, graphics, forms, editors and builders, visual style (fonts).
Designing from Both Sides of the Screen: How Designers and Engineers Can Collaborate to Build Cooperative Technology by Ellen Isaaks and Alan Walendowski [2002] principles, process, software UI *****+* Principles of software as a butler and of cooperative conversation. Build user task matrix: Frequency (short path) by Commonality (easy to access). Treat clicks as sacred. Usage vs. usability. Creating cooperative technology requires cooperation among creators. About Face 2.0: The Essentials of Interaction Design by Alan Cooper, Robert M. Reimann [2003] principles, process, examples, software UI *****+* Principles of Goal-Directed Design and Personas. Software UI deconstructed. IxD bible. Too many words. GUI Bloopers: Don'ts and Do's for Software Developers and Web Designers by Jeff Johnson [2000] principles, process, examples, software UI *****+* Not only bloopers, recommendations as well. Not only layout, interaction as well. Clear and well organized.
Information Architecture for the World Wide Web by Louis Rosenfeld, Peter Morville [2002] IA, principles, technique, process, mind mapping ***** IA bible AKA "Bear book". Search chapter. Architecture, navigation, labeling. Ambient Findability: What We Find Changes Who We Become by Peter Morville [2005] IA, UbiComp *****+* Information context and social cooperation are essential for effective communication. Well informed references. Women, Fire, and Dangerous Things by George Lakoff [1987] cognition, IA *****+* Prototype model of classification. Importance of embodied level and personal motivation (active role of observer) in classification. Categories are embodied. Experientialism. Sorting Things Out: Classification and Its Consequences by Geoffrey C. Bowker and Susan Leigh Star [1999] IA, cognition ***** Any classification is a mix of Aristotelian (object-attribute) vs. prototypical (by primary representative). Political implications of classification. Linked: How Everything Is Connected to Everything Else and What It Means by Albert-Laszlo Barabasi [2003] IA, principles ***** Dynamic (open and growing) networks (internet, websites, social etc.) exibit power law distribution. 80/20 rule follows from this law. Four continents in internet topology.
Information Dashboard Design by Stephen Few [2006] dashboard, charts, , graphic design, cognition, principles *****+* Concise overview of perception from Colin Ware's book (Information Visualization). Classification of charts with recommendations on use (~Tufte). Thoughtful recommendations on dashboard design. Information Visualization: Perception for Design by Colin Ware [2000] graphic design, cognition, principles, charts *****+* Perception design as science (based on experimental cognitive psychology). Semiology of Graphics by Jacques Bertin [1983] charts, examples, principles, graphic design *****+* Elements of graphing. Book written in geekspeak (both visual and textual). Thorough. The Visual Display of Quantitative Information by Edward Tufte [1983] charts, solutions, principles, graphic design *****+* Increase data density; reduce secondary lines, erase ink which does not contribute to information (chart junk). Data Maps, Time Series, Comics, Relational Graphics [scatter plots], Histograms, Stem-and-leaf, Box Plot, Quartile Plot, Tables. Envisioning Information by Edward Tufte [1990] charts, principles, graphic design ***** Data density, side by side comparison in multiples (1+1=3). Patterns in small multiples. Time tables. Color use. Visual Explanations by Edward Tufte [1997] charts, examples, graphic design ***** "Rambo III". Sequel to sequel. Multiples examples: p.111, 119. The Elements of Graphing Data by William S. Cleveland [1994] charts, examples, principles, cognition ***** Recommendations on visual display and perception of quantitative values. Lower errors – position along axis ~ length < angle=slope < blob area ~< circle area < volume < color saturation, value < hue (no scale) – higher errors. Pictorial Maps by Nigel Holmes [1991] maps, diagrams, examples, graphic design ***** Maps and diagrams used as pictorial illustrations. Understanding USA by Richard Saul Wurman [1999] charts, maps, examples, graphic design *****+* USA info in charts from many contributing designers. Economy, education, health, war, industries, crime, government... Variety of charts, some are exemplary bad.
The Design of Everyday Things by Donald Norman [1988] principles, process, attitude, usability *****+* User centered design principles. Affordances and constraints in design. Conceptual models. Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability by Steve Krug [2000] usability, principles, process, technique *****+* Practical approach to usability. It's not rocket surgery. Really. User and Task Analysis for Interface Design by JoAnn T. Hackos, Janis C. Redish [1998] usability, principles, process, technique ***** Academic approach to usability. It's rocket science. Really. Designing Web Usability: The Practice of Simplicity by Jakob Nielsen [1999] usability, principles ***** Was like a breath of fresh air in 1999.
The Humane Interface: New Directions for Designing Interactive Systems by Jef Raskin [2000] cognition, software design ideas, process, quantifiable usability *****+* Locus of attention, response times, modes (and quasimodes), personalization, quantifiable usability, zoom UI, search, icons... Original. Safeware : System Safety and Computers by Nancy G. Leveson [1995] cognition, process, system architecture *****+* Errors (slips, mistakes) are human-task mismatches. Accident models. Human error models. Mental models, schemes. Error-tolerant system design recommendations. Causes of almost all accidents are rooted in organization culture, management, and structure. The Inmates Are Running the Asylum: Why High Tech Products Drive Us Crazy and How to Restore the Sanity by Alan Cooper [2004] process, principles, management, attitude *****+* Principles of Goal Directed Design. Personas. Organizational roots of product development problem. The Invisible Computer: Why Good Products Can Fail, the Personal Computer Is So Complex, and Information Appliances Are the Solution by Donald Norman [1999] process, UbiComp ***** Roles of Marketing, Engineering, and User Experience. To move away from featurism design prototypes before specs. Computers as invisible parts of simple interconnected appliances. Don't Think of an Elephant: Know Your Values and Frame the Debate by George Lakoff [2004] cognition, process, IA ***** Framing. The Cluetrain Manifesto: The End of Business as Usual by various [2000] principles, ethics, process, language ***** [Digital] Markets are conversations. Tell stories. Doc Searls's essay is *****.
Rapid Development by Steve McConnell [1996] management, process ***** A lot you need to know about managing (motivating etc.) software development team. First, Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently by Marcus Buckingham, Curt Coffman [1999] management, process ***** Great managers recognize and work with three qualities in employees: personality, knowledge, skills. Twelve factors to employee satisfaction are defined (relationships, self-actualization and environment). Based on extensive Gallup polls. Kingdomality: An Ingenious New Way to Triumph in Management by Sheldon Bowles, Richard Silvano, and Susan Silvano [2005] management, process ***** Twelve basic personality types in four categories. Motivations and interactions. Distilled from NLP meta programs, I think. Getting to Yes by Roger Fisher, William Uri, Bruce Patton [2003] management, process ***** The work of Interaction Designer is built around persuasive negotiations. Here is how to start. The Art of Innovation : Lessons in Creativity from IDEO, America's Leading Design Firm by Tom Kelley, Jonathan Littman [2001] management, culture, process, brainstorming ***** Creative culture: user observation, brainstorming, prototyping, office space, autonomy. Glorified marketing brochure for IDEO. Good Business: Leadership, Flow, and the Making of Meaning by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi [1997] management, process, cognition ***** Some properties of flow experience and a lot of relentless preaching.
Emotional Design: Why We Love (or Hate) Everyday Things by Donald Norman [2004] cognition, principles, ubicomp ***** People humanize things and experiences. How to use and enhance this trait. Social dynamics. Designs: visceral, behavioral, and reflective. Pleasure: Physio; Psycho; Socio; Ideo. Persuasive Technology : Using Computers to Change What We Think and Do by B.J. Fogg [2003] cognition, ethics, ubicomp ***** Captology. Credibility, persuasion and computers. Cues of person sociability (compatibility): Physical; Psychological; Language; Social Dynamics; Social Roles. The Hollywood Eye: What makes movies work by Jon Boorstin [1990] graphic vs. interaction design, cognition, principles *****+* Movies impact on visceral (gut, reflexive), vicarious (empathic, emotional) and voyeur (observer, reflective) level is explained. Spectacle must be tossed off.
Things That Make Us Smart: Defending Human Attributes in the Age of the Machine by Donald Norman [1994] tools, cognition ***** Information processing (patterns, storytelling, ideas; reflective vs. reflexive mode, flow) and technology we use to enhance our capabilities (writing, charts, organization systems, error preventing environment). Rapid Problem Solving with Post-it Notes by David Straker [1997] tools, process, mind mapping *****+* Post-it notes as collaborative mind mapping tool. Specific techniques are described. The Elements of Typographic Style by Robert Bringhurst [1998] typography, layout, principles, attitude *****+* All about typography. Classic on par with Tufte's books. The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr., E.B. White [2000] writing, principles, attitude ***** Omit needlesswords.The World of Jeeves by P. G. Wodehouse [1989] principles, attitude, tools ***** Functional specs of polite, cooperative butler. What Is Graphic Design? by Quentin Newark [2002] graphic design, principles, tools ***** Elements of graphic design.
On Intelligence by Jeff Hawkins with Sandra Blakeslee [2004] cognition *****+* Hierarchical memory based prediction is primary function of neocortex and the foundation of intelligence. Knowledge is embodied. The paradox of choice: Why more is less by Barry Schwartz [2004] cognition, principles *****+* Personalities. Decision making. Satisfaction. Persuasion. Zen wisdom supported by experiments. Sources of power: how people make decisions by Gary Klein [1998] cognition, principles *****+* Recognition-primed decision making: we recognize one helpful-looking pattern and pursue it until it proves to be wrong. Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud [1994] cognition, tools *****+* Perception and conceptualization. Art. Six levels of creative process. Storyboarding. Elements of comics: words, pictures (iconic vs realistic vs pictorial), line, color, motion, panels, closure, combination of visible and invisible. Understanding Media: The Extensions of man by Marshall McLuhan [1964] cognition ***** "The medium is the message" + random post-modern ramblings. Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell [2005] cognition ***** Repetition of experiences develops reflexive reaction (AKA "gut" intuition). The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing by Al Ries and Jack Trout [1993] marketing, process, cognition *****+* Marketing as perception fight for footprint in consumer's mind. These books look promising:
The Design of Sites: Patterns, Principles, and Processes for Crafting a Customer-Centered Web Experience by Douglas K. van Duyne, James A. Landay, Jason I. Hong
Designing Visual Interfaces: Communication Oriented Techniques by Kevin Mullet, Darrell Sano
Defensive Design for the Web: How to improve error messages, help, forms, and other crisis points by Matthew Linderman, Jason Fried
Contextual Design: A Customer-Centered Approach to Systems Designs by Hugh Beyer, Karen Holtzblatt
Introduction to Learning and Behavior by R.A. Powel et al. (2002)
Theory of Fun for Game Design by Raph Koster (2004)
Information Graphics: A Comprehensive Illustrated Reference by Robert L. Harris (2000)
Notes on Graphic Design and Visual Communication by Gregg Berryman (1990)
More books. Web 2.0: A Software Design and Amazon Listmania!: Interaction Design and HCI.
Websites
IxD mailing list archives: from Nabble, official, official (different UI) list archive, jobs ***** IxD culture. Stimulating problems, discussions, perspectives. SIGIA-L Mail Archives list archive, jobs ***** Interaction Design from del.icio.us buzz, trends ***** Popular IxD web resources. Yahoo Buzz Trading Game buzz, trends ***** Future technology trends. Ask Tog principles ***** Interaction Design with depth and humor. Interaction Design is Design of Time principles *****+* One of the more fundamental principles of Interaction Design Interaction Design Encyclopedia glossary, principles ***** IxD terms and concepts Yahoo! Design Pattern Library, Ajax Design Patterns, Designing Interfaces Patterns, Patterns in Interaction Design patterns, examples, solutions ***** Common patterns and widgets used in UI design. Dashboard Spy patterns, examples, solutions ***** Dashboard designs galore VNET Resources: Method Fact Sheets evaluation methods, guidelines ***** Design evaluation methods described and classified. Links to useful resources. Software Function Tree softwware functional specs ***** A work in progress - template for IxD functional specs. Windows Vista User Experience Design Guidlines guidelines, patterns, examples, principles ***** Top design rules for Windows Vista release SAP Design Guild Resources and specifically recommendations for charts patterns, examples, solutions, principles ***** Patterns, principles and processes OK/Cancel, Indeed job trends, Coroflot, craigslist jobs ***** Where Interaction Design jobs are listed
June 28, 2006 - The Salmon of Doubt
Todd Warfel wrote:
In some cases, we've moved backwards in the software industry (the first Macs were seen more as a word processor - I want to write a paper). Now it's nearly impossible for a person using the computer to be unaware of the operating system. Hopefully, we'll get back there one day.
Funny, I am reading 'The Salmon of Doubt' and Douglas Adams is complaining about exactly the same issue with Macs. I wouldn't say the book is required reading for an interaction designer, but it does have quite a few insightful design comments and like most of Norman's writings it puts you in the right, user-sympathetic frame mind. Witty too.
Mar. 20, 2006 - On functional specs and prototypes
Two interesting links: Cooper's article and No Functional Specs. Both make sense.
Feb. 15, 2006 - Let me be entirely credible with you, my friend...
Website credibility is essential in the era of social information foraging. Here are 10 guidelines from Stanford Persuasive Technology Lab. They don't talk much about latest developments (tags, citations, reviews, gossip - marketplace conversations in other words).
January 29, 2008 - On graceful interaction design books
There are few books in interaction design, which can be referred to as graceful. Mostly they are of, what is referred in the trade parlance, the “click’n shit” variety (numerous “PHP and SQL bibles” come to mind). To find some well written books you have to look at the long established fields or for the specialists in the well-defined niche discipline. Edward R. Tufte has written four exemplary books on information visualization, which are pleasure to see, to hold, to read and to think about. Another instant classic is Robert Bringhurst’s ‘The Elements of Typographic Style’ on typography and page layout. Yet another is the concise book on good writing habits – ‘The Elements of Style’ by Strunk and White.
Interaction design is too fresh a field, I guess, to produce comparable, thorough, yet enjoyable texts. The closest I could think of is ‘The Design of Everyday Things’ by Donald Norman. The text is appropriately lucid, but the form is rather poor. Reading useful ‘About Face’ by Cooper and Reimann is like chewing on wet paper – the substance is there, but the flavor is rather unappetizing. Even the metaphors are purely utilitarian. Oh well, new editions of the book are still coming out… .
'The Elements of Typographic Style' is complemented very well by 'Helvetica', the new documentary about graphic design and typography. The movie sings odes to one of the commonest fonts these days - the reassuring, unembellished HELVETICA, helvetica.
Jan. 29, 2006 - 'The Visual Display of Quantitative Information' by Edward R. Tufte
Ever since I have started publishing charts I wondered where graphics came from, and why would one choose one format over the other. Sadly the topic of graphics was somewhat neglected in my curriculum (the course in statistics was mostly concerned with numbers, not their visual representation). This deficiency became even more pronounced when I began to work on information summary "dashboards" for Configuresoft. Where to use tables, where charts, which charts and why? In some cases I knew the answers from my science past, in others I have wished I knew more.
This book is not a text book on graphics (for that pick "Semiology of Graphics" by Bertin - one of those books, which live in the world of their own). Rather "The Visual Display..." is an extended essay, which classifies several kinds of graphical information presentation (Data Maps, Time Series, Comics, Relational Graphics [scatter plots], Histograms, Stem-and-leaf, Box Plot, Quartile Plot), shows the ways to improve them, compares graphics to tables, dabbles in history. The gist is self-evident: emphasize data, get rid of noise, have reasonable concepts underlying juxtaposition of data sets. Many examples are ingenious to behold. Unfortunately the narrative is somewhat wandering with some examples detracting instead of supporting the text.
It warmed my heart to learn that people wrote papers on pie charts and found them sorely lacking, amounting essentially to chart “ducks”. Couldn’t agree more.
I disagree about one example though: not showing zero point in the “range” frame removes visually important point of reference, can lead to data misinterpretation (Y axis in the figure at the bottom of page 132). This can be easily remedied by using gray Y axis outside the data range with break if needed.
Another slight disagreement: Tufte recommends to use table instead of chart if there are less than 20 data points and legends are overly long. Given how good we, humans at recognizing patterns, I think I would err on the side of chart with data values explicitly specified or with complementary table. Arabic numbers are tools of reflective thinking (Norman). A bunch of smaller charts or bars integrated in the table could be more useful for rapid overview.
The two follow up books by Tufte have more curious examples of graphics and elaborations but much less focus and fewer ideas - could be skipped (I have read them about four years ago, long before this one - this one was very difficult to get hold of).
From - Statistical Graphics. Design Principles and Practices by Calvin F. Schmid. There are four essential communication skills: Literacy, Numeracy, Articulacy, Graphicacy (visual communication, this one includes design, photography, dance...). OK book with some ideas obsolete.
Software design reading list. Not comprehensive.
Jan. 2, 2006 - What's in the word or taxonomy of mind
Motivation: Reflective + [Behavioral + Visceral] (Donald Norman)
Structure: Superego + [Ego + id] (Sigmund Freud)
Conscious vs. Subconscious (Sigmund Freud)
Reaction: I like Reflective vs. Reflexive thinking since it is immediately obvious (to me) what lies behind these two labels.And while I am on the subject, three hierarchies of needs (satisfying lower level enables higher needs):
Maslow's motivation needs: Physiological - Safety - Love - Self-esteem - Self-Actualization
Product feature values: Functionality - Reliability - Usability - Proficiency - Creativity
McCloud's 6 steps of learning: Surface – Craft – Structure – Idiom – (Form – Idea/Purpose)Jan. 17, 2006 - Marketing and blinking decisions
First marketing quote from Harvard Business School article:
"People don't want to buy a quarter-inch drill. They want a quarter-inch hole!" - Harvard Business School marketing professor Theodore Levitt
The above statement is the essence of goal-oriented design. In this case Marketing overlaps with User Experience. The common difference between the two is that Marketing deals with buyers and therefore emphasizes immediate visceral perception of the product, while User Experience is about users and is concerned with long term effect of the product on the customer.
Another article is from Nature, Web users judge sites in the blink of an eye essentially reiterates conclusions of Blink by Gladwell this time for websites. Visceral, reflexive choices (Norman) made via ventromedial prefrontal cortex (Gladwell) due to repeated exposure to 10-20 favorite sites such as Google. In fact the title of the article hints at that book.
Google factor:
"These days, enlightened web users want to see a "puritan" approach"
"People enjoy being right, so continuing to use a website that gave a good first impression helps to 'prove' to themselves that they made a good initial decision."The last quote describes common "Aesthetic-Usability" effect. Mimicry via pure graphic design also might create it. Keeping and deepening this effect with subsequent usage is what frequently overlooked by Marketing, of concern to Usability and where blink judgement could fail.
Jan. 15, 2006 - Kingdomality – an astrology for modern age
I went to community dance at Denver Turnverine this Saturday. The very first thing one of the girls has asked me there was: "In which month have you been born?". The question is so common that instead of April I have answered: "I am Aries".
Why is it that so many people are taken with astrology even these days when we know that humans are rather insignificant in scale to be of any concern to planets and stars? The reason seems to be that we find comfort in simple labeling. Knowing that someone is Ram and Tiger let us project their behavior, future income and even prospects of successful of marriage to Scorpio Rooster. In other words by using conceptual models of human interactions astrology explains society in simple understandable terms. Too bad that stars and planets are not aware of the ulterior motives assigned to their movement. Given this celestial ignorance mistakes about projected outcomes of human interactions are bound to be made. The inevitable misfires are explained away by human error of the interpreter – "stars suggest" etc.
It is fairly obvious that there is persistent need to be able to answer the perennial question: “What is the Matrix?” or as others put it thousands years ago “What is the perfect City?”. Here is where numerous personality classifications step in. By the way I think Aristotle’s engineered totalitarian City was overly mechanical and therefore both exceptionally cruel and unexceptionally preposterous.
I like personality type classification presented in Kingdomality for two reasons. First, the classification is simple, rational and therefore easy to apply. Second, interactions among different personality types are clearly defined. Thus one can easily see not only his own strengths and weaknesses but also how those are amplified or subdued by interactions with other personality types. In other words it provides “good enough” model of society on personal level. As a purely practical application personality types of Kingdomality can be used by interaction designer to provide initial rough sketch of primary user persona. I'll use it to describe primary persona of typical engineer.
Aug. 22, 2005 - You get what you measure
I have went to Turnverine practica in Denver last week where it was proudly announced that membership in Tango Colorado will soon hit three hundred and and the announcer urged everyone to pull together to reach that number sooner than later. This focus on numbers has been persistent for a while.
"You get what you measure" - I think this notion is from the Dilbert's book on management I have read recently. Numbers are easy to measure and often could be useful metrics in business especially when if one evaluates cash flow and such. However when it comes to measuring growth in the essentially recreational activity, some measure of experience satisfaction would be better metrics.
For instance one could bump up membership numbers by making members activities more exclusive via price incentives, members only privileges... Membership numbers will go up. Will overall health and satisfaction in a given tango community at large increase? I do not know since these things are not measured (harder to do it of course). However, as far as I am concerned, arm twisting approaches in general do not build a lot of good will as far as I recall from some less than pleasant high school experiences. These approaches are also divisive by nature, not inclusive.
Random
Two books:
"Surely you must be joking, Mr. Feynman!" by Richard P. Feynman - occasioanlly annoyingly coy. It was curious to see the transition from "what is [annoyingly] clever" to "what is needed" in his motivation since I went through the same at some point. The same transition has happened and is mentioned in Alan Cooper's book on interactive design "The inmates are running the asylum". Since the inmates are still mostly young interactive design has to be separate discipline.Another analogy found in "Surely you must be joking, Mr. Feynman!" and "The inmates are running the asylum". Both use concrete examples to quickly assess viability of assumptions. Cooper builds fictional yet well defined personas to see in his mind if specific software feature is helpful to users, Feinman uses examples provided by theory creators.
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