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Designing Visual Interfaces: Communication Oriented Techniques 1st Edition

by Kevin Mullet (Author), Darrell Sano (Author)
4.1 out of 5 stars 30 ratings
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Ironically, many designers of graphical user interfaces are not always aware of the fundamental design rules and techniques that are applied routinely by other practitioners of communication-oriented visual design -- techniques that can be used to enhance the visual quality of GUIs, data displays, and multimedia documents. This volume focuses on design rules and techniques that are drawn from the rational, functionalist design aesthetic seen in modern graphic design, industrial design, interior design, and architecture -- and applies them to various graphical user interface problems experienced in commercial software development. Describes the basic design principles (the what and why), common errors, and practical step-by-step techniques (the how) in each of six major areas: elegance and simplicity; scale, contrast, and proportion; organization and visual structure; module and program; image and representation; and style. Focuses on techniques that will not only improve the aesthetics of the visual display, but, because they promote visual organization, clarity, and conciseness, will also enhance the usability of the product. Includes a catalog of common errors drawn from existing GUI applications and environments to illustrate practices that should be avoided in developing applications. For anyone responsible for designing, specifying, implementing, documenting, or managing the visual appearance of computer-based information displays.

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  1. ISBN-10
    0133033899
  2. ISBN-13
    978-0133033892
  3. Edition
    1st
  4. Publisher
    Prentice Hall
  5. Publication date
    January 1, 1994
  6. Language
    English
  7. Dimensions
    7.75 x 0.5 x 9.5 inches
  8. Print length
    304 pages
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

An excellent introduction to the design theories involved in the creation of user interfaces. Instead of the usual examples and pictures of computer screens and application menus, Mullet approaches the concept of UI from its "outside world" roots. With examples ranging from street signs to corporate logos to the map of the London Underground, each section attacks the issues of interface design from the ground up, appealing first to the eye and then to the mind. Task menus are compared with concert programs and street signs are equated with icons.

This is not a technical book, so advanced developers might want to supplement it with a platform-specific how-to. For aesthetic advice and sheer enjoyment, anyone involved with or interested in interface design should pick it up.

From the Publisher

Ironically, many designers of graphical user interfaces are not always aware of the fundamental techniques that are applied to communication-oriented visual design -- techniques that can be used to enhance the visual quality of GUIs, data displays, and multimedia documents. This book describes some of the most important design rules and techniques that are drawn from the rational, functionalist design aesthetic seen in modern graphic design, industrial design, interior design, and architecture -- and applies them to various graphical user interface problems experienced in commercial software development.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Prentice Hall
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 1, 1994
  • Edition ‏ : ‎ 1st
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 304 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0133033899
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0133033892
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.1 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.75 x 0.5 x 9.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 out of 5 stars 30 ratings

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Kevin Mullet

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4.1 out of 5 stars
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Gerard Decatrel
    5.0 out of 5 stars Design (with a capital D) for programmers
    Reviewed in the United States on March 30, 2001
    Verified Purchase
    Does everybody criticize your user interfaces but nobody seems to have any useful suggestions? This book is for you! Have you been expected to make user-friendly interfaces, but you have absolutely no background in design? This book is for you!
    "Designing visual interfaces" provides an introduction to visual design that is very accessible to engineer types (like myself). Although people's reactions to various designs are "touchy-feely", the process to creating a good design is surprisingly scientific. You don't have to be an especially creative type of person to avoid the common pitfalls.
    The book covers two or three related aspects of design in each chapter (such as Scale, Contrast, and Proportion). The first section of each chapter describes the principal variables that control those aspects. The simplest possible examples are presented first, typically black and white line drawings, then examples from industrial design and finally some examples from actual user interfaces. Then a "common errors" section shows examples of graphical user interfaces where these aspects of design are out of balance. Finally a "techniques" section gives handbook/cookbook approaches to avoiding the common errors. This section includes before and after screenshots.
    The presentation is wonderfully uniform and consistent. Rather than using contrived examples, the authors have found real-life examples (many of which you will recognize) for all of the common errors.
    This book does not cover how to map a problem domain to a user interface. It is assumed that you already understand the problem domain. It is not a style book for a particular operating system (the authors advocate using the vendor's guidebooks). What the book does is provide an introduction to basic design principals and set of procedures that you can follow to avoid the common pitfalls. Creative endeavors can take an undeterminable amount of time to achieve a desired reaction, but if you follow the author's procedures, which will take a consistent amount of time and effort, you will at least have done due-dilligence and have a professional looking product whose looks are guaranteed not to be a turn-off.
    24 people found this helpful
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  • G
    4.0 out of 5 stars Great book for its time. I suspect that time has long since passed.
    Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2017
    Some 20+ years ago, this was the first book I read about designing user interfaces. The application of communication design techniques to GUIs was a revelation to me as a young(ish) interactive designer.

    The bibliography also pointed me to sources to fill in the gaps of my education. Now that university programs exist for this then emerging discipline, is there a need for this book?

    Digging through my bookshelves now, the book is mostly a nostalgic taker-up of space. I suppose the basic lessons and messages of the book are timeless in a way, but I suspect today's reader would be hard-pressed to look past the ancient examples. A pity perhaps, but there you have it.
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  • Matthew G. Belge
    5.0 out of 5 stars One of the top five books in GUI design
    Reviewed in the United States on October 28, 1998
    Verified Purchase
    This is a great book if you know how to use it. Its not for people looking for cookbook approaches. Rather, it provides well argued information about the underlying principles of visual design. The authors ilustrate their points about grids, layout, typography, and color by showing examples of top notch efforts by some of the best information designers in the world.
    Classic examples like the London subway maps and the National Park Service brochures are illustrated, along with excellent explanations of the design principles that make these particular design so successful.
    The aurthors then go on to show how these examples can be applied to GUI design. And they are very gutsy as they show actual examples from actual software products that are "design failures". In fairness, they also show examples of well designed software, with explanations of why the design works so well.
    This book is for a person who's willing to invest some time to learn about things like information hierarchies and information design. Like playing a piano, this isn't something one can master over night, but also like playing a piano, it has its own vast rewards.
    57 people found this helpful
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  • M. Sloan
    5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best UX books out there
    Reviewed in the United States on January 9, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    This is the book that I used most prominently while teaching UX at UCLA Extension. Yes, it is old and has pages in black and white, but human cognition hasn't changed, and the use of color is touched on. I'd argue with color blindness that relying on color would be a huge mistake anyway. If you are looking for principles that have stood the test of time and can help you improve your UI, get this book. I only wish they updated it and created a new edition.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Tony C.
    1.0 out of 5 stars Obsolete Guide to Interface Designs
    Reviewed in the United States on November 2, 2006
    Verified Purchase
    This book has received apparently rave reviews, if you look at the stars. But it is simply obsolete. A black and white book, with low resolution images, is no longer appropriate to interface design. Notice that you cannot look inside this book - why is this? The publisher has a good reason for not wanting you to see a preview: you would see the greyscale content, and would probably not purchase it - especially at the asking price of almost $60.

    Color is such an indispensable (do I really need to say that? Apparently so...) component to ANY interface design, it is hard to see how a black and white newsprint-quality booklet can do the job. Far better, and up-to-date, is O'Reilly's "Designing Interfaces" by Jenifer Tidwell, or even "User Interface Design and Evaluation" by Debbie Stone.
    15 people found this helpful
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  • Nora N
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Book
    Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2008
    Verified Purchase
    This book does a great job of covering fundamentals. Many real world examples make it a great reference.
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  • Kay
    5.0 out of 5 stars Yes, this is one of the best books on UX
    Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2019
    I teach UX research and design at the university level and am always looking for books that describe how to design interfaces that are appropriate for beginners. This book offers the most concise and useful explanation of how to produce professional-level user interfaces. It is comprehensive and covers the topic starting from a birds-eye view of the overall system down to defining page types within the system, simple navigation and page design. It's a timeless and easy to understand book that I use often.
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Top reviews from other countries

  • ian
    4.0 out of 5 stars old but solid advice
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 7, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    it's a bit out of date but worth looking at when designing new sites or apps
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