Synopses & Reviews
In 1996, recognizing this book, ACM's Special Interest Group on Documentation (SIGDOC) presented Ben Shneiderman with the Joseph Rigo Award. SIGDOC praised the book as one "that took the jargon and mystery out of the field of human-computer interaction" and attributed the book's success to "its readability and emphasis on practice as well as research."
In revising this best-seller, Ben Shneiderman again provides a complete, current, and authoritative introduction to user-interface design. The user interface is the part of every computer system that determines how people control and operate that system. When the interface is well designed, it is comprehensible, predictable, and controllable; users feel competent, satisfied, and responsible for their actions. In this book, the author discusses the principles and practices needed to design such effective interaction.
Based on 20 years experience, Shneiderman offers readers practical techniques and guidelines for interface design. As a scientist, he also takes great care to discuss underlying issues and to support conclusions with empirical results. Interface designers, software engineers, and product managers will all find here an invaluable resource for creating systems that facilitate rapid learning and performance, yield low error rates, and generate high user satisfaction.
Coverage includes the human factors of interactive software (with added discussion of diverse user communities), tested methods to develop and assess interfaces, interaction styles (like direct manipulation for graphical user interfaces), and design considerations (effective messages, consistent screen design, appropriate color).
Highlights of the Third Edition:
New chapters on the World Wide Web, Information Visualization, and Computer-Supported Cooperative Work
Expanded and earlier coverage of Development Methodologies, Evaluation Techniques, and User-Interface-Building Tools
Thought-provoking discussion of Speech Input/Output, Natural-Language Interaction, Anthropomorphic Design, Virtual Environments, and Agents
Table of Contents
I. INTRODUCTION. 1. Usability of Interactive Systems.
Introduction.
Usability Requirements.
Usability Measures.
Usability Motivations.
Universal Usability.
Goals for Our Profession.
Practitioner's Summary.
Researcher's Agenda. 2. Guidelines, Principles, and Theories.
Introduction.
Guidelines.
Principles.
Theories.
Object-Action Interface Model.
Practitioner's Summary.
Researcher's Agenda.
II. DEVELOPMENT PROCESSES. 3. Managing Design Processes.
Introduction.
Organizational Design to Support Usability.
The Three Pillars of Design.
Development Methodologies.
Ethnographic Observation.
Participatory Design.
Scenario Development.
Social Impact Statement for Early Design Review.
Legal Issues.
Practitioner's Summary.
Researcher's Agenda. 4. Evaluating Interface Designs.
Introduction.
Expert Reviews.
Usability Testing and Laboratories.
Survey Instruments.
Acceptance Tests.
Evaluation During Active Use.
Controlled Psychologically Oriented Experiments.
Practitioner's Summary.
Researcher's Agenda. 5. Software Tools.
Introduction.
Specification Methods.
Interface-Building Tools.
Evaluation and Critiquing Tools.
Practitioner's Summary.
Researcher's Agenda.
III. INTERACTION STYLES. 6. Direct Manipulation and Virtual Environments.
Introduction.
Examples of Direct-Manipulation.
Discussion of Direct Manipulation.
3D Interfaces.
Teleoperation.
Virtual and Augmented Reality.
Practitioner's Summary.
Researcher's Agenda. 7. Menu Selection, Form Fillin, and Dialog Boxes.
Introduction.
Task-Related Menu Organization.
Single Menus.
Combinations of Multiple Menus.
Content Organization.
Data Entry with Menus: Form Fillin, Dialog Boxes and Alternatives.
Audio Menus and Menus for Small Displays.
Practitioner's Summary.
Researcher's Agenda. 8. Command and Natural Languages.
Introduction.
Functionality to Support Users' Tasks.
Command-Organization Strategies.
The Benefits of Structure.
Naming and Abbreviations.
Natural Language in Computing.
Practitioner's Summary.
Researcher's Agenda. 9. Interaction Devices.
Introduction.
Keyboards and Keypads.
Pointing Devices.
Speech and Auditory Interfaces.
Displays - Small and Large.
Printers.
Practitioner's Summary.
Researcher's Agenda. 10. Collaboration.
Introduction.
Goals of Cooperation.
Asynchronous Distributed Interfaces: Different Time, Different Place.
Synchronous Distributed Interfaces: Different Place, Same Time.
Face-to-Face Interfaces: Same Place, Same Tim.
Practitioner's Summary.
Researcher's Agenda.
IV. DESIGN ISSUES. 11. Quality of Service.
Introduction.
Models of Response Time Impacts.
Expectations and Attitudes.
User Productivity.
Variability in Response Time.
Frustrating Experiences.
Practitioner's Summary.
Researcher's Agenda. 12. Balancing Function and Fashion.
Introduction.
Error Messages.
Nonanthropomorphic Design.
Display Design.
Window Design.
Color.
Practitioner's Summar.
Researcher's Agenda. 13. User Manuals, Online Help, and Tutorials.
Introduction.
Paper versus Online Manuals.
Reading from Paper versus from Displays.
Shaping the Content of the Manuals.
Online Manuals and Help.
Online Tutorials.
Online Communities for User Assistance.
Development Process.
Practitioner's Summary.
Researcher's Agenda. 14. Information Search and Visualization.
Introduction.
Search in Textual Documents and Database Query.
Multimedia Document Searches.
Advanced Filtering and Search Interface.
Information Visualization.
Practitioner's Summary.
Researcher's Agenda. Afterword Societal and Individual Impact of User Interfaces.