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Some of my favorite resources: http://www.amazon.com/Dont-Make-Me-Think-Usability/dp/0321344758 http://www.amazon.com/Dont-Make-Me-Think-Usability/dp/032134...

by garry 13y ago

Some of my favorite resources: http://www.amazon.com/Dont-Make-Me-Think-Usability/dp/0321344758 http://www.amazon.com/Dont-Make-Me-Think-Usability/dp/032134... http://www.edwardtufte.com/tufte/courses http://www.edwardtufte.com/tufte/courses Also make wireframes before you code, when something is complicated -- or when you're starting out, for virtually any UI. Use Omnigraffle Pro, and you can also use Graffletopia's website to find stencils, e.g. Bootstrap Stencils. Or use Easel.io.

niels_olson 13y ago
Big upvote for Edward Tufte. If you style yourself as a hardcore engineer, start with his book Visual Display of Quantitative Information. I'm away from my copy, but as I recall, John Tukey reviewed the manuscript. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Tukey http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Tukey)
- SCAQTony 13y ago
  Tufte is extraordinarily dry for someone new to design. Great recommendation though but it would be like going to Saul Bass and asking him how to draw a "stick man." I would start by using grid based layouts and study those who have used them. Start with wikipedia article on the subject: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grid_(graphic_design) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grid_(graphic_design)
- JohnHaugeland 13y ago
  I don't really think Tufte is appropriate for a design discussion. He's a mediocre charts and graphs guy (he's no Cleveland, Tukey, or Few; if you go to one of his talks he basically reads directly from his books and makes fun of PowerPoint.) Design is more the arena of people like Dieter Rams. You can't design an application, a chair, or a home with sparklines.
kirbyk 13y ago
How have I never heard of Easel.io?? I just did the demo. Blown away.
latitude 13y ago
With all due respect for Tufte, his focus has always been on the presentation and visualization of the data. While this has an overlap with the design skills required for the end-to-end software design, the overlap is only partial and not even that big in many cases. Also, the Dont Make Me Think book should've really been a two-pager pamphlet, it is really thin on a material. While the center idea is fundamental, it is very easy to explain and to understand. If we are talking about 10000 ft perspective of the design and its fundamentals, I would raise you The Design of Everyday Things. This is a very good beginners book and it's also an interesting read for those who already know a thing or two. http://www.amazon.com/Design-Everyday-Things-Donald-Norman/dp/0465067107 http://www.amazon.com/Design-Everyday-Things-Donald-Norman/d...

by garry 13y ago

niels_olson 13y ago

Big upvote for Edward Tufte. If you style yourself as a hardcore engineer, start with his book Visual Display of Quantitative Information. I'm away from my copy, but as I recall, John Tukey reviewed the manuscript. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Tukey http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Tukey)

SCAQTony 13y ago
Tufte is extraordinarily dry for someone new to design. Great recommendation though but it would be like going to Saul Bass and asking him how to draw a "stick man." I would start by using grid based layouts and study those who have used them. Start with wikipedia article on the subject: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grid_(graphic_design) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grid_(graphic_design)
JohnHaugeland 13y ago
I don't really think Tufte is appropriate for a design discussion. He's a mediocre charts and graphs guy (he's no Cleveland, Tukey, or Few; if you go to one of his talks he basically reads directly from his books and makes fun of PowerPoint.) Design is more the arena of people like Dieter Rams. You can't design an application, a chair, or a home with sparklines.

kirbyk 13y ago

How have I never heard of Easel.io?? I just did the demo. Blown away.

latitude 13y ago

With all due respect for Tufte, his focus has always been on the presentation and visualization of the data. While this has an overlap with the design skills required for the end-to-end software design, the overlap is only partial and not even that big in many cases. Also, the Dont Make Me Think book should've really been a two-pager pamphlet, it is really thin on a material. While the center idea is fundamental, it is very easy to explain and to understand. If we are talking about 10000 ft perspective of the design and its fundamentals, I would raise you The Design of Everyday Things. This is a very good beginners book and it's also an interesting read for those who already know a thing or two. http://www.amazon.com/Design-Everyday-Things-Donald-Norman/dp/0465067107 http://www.amazon.com/Design-Everyday-Things-Donald-Norman/d...