STC UUX Community Newsletter

When I began reading "Designing the User Interface" by Ben Schneiderman and Catherine Plaisant, I expected that they would provide the elusive How… questions that plague so many budding user interface designers. How do I figure out what the users want? How do I resolve the conflicts that arise between what users want and what they really need? How do I formulate designs, work with developers, perform user testing, and on, and on.

That, however, is not what I found. In many respects, what I did find was even better. What this book provides is the foundation for the incredibly broad spectrum of User Interface Design. It focuses more on the what and the why, using a rich collection of insights, observations, experiences, and advice. All of this is backed up by research in all matters of user analysis and interface design. Each chapter contains references to this research, as well as references to the most complete list of User Interface Design knowledge I have ever seen. In a nutshell, while the book does not provide the How…, it will point you to it.

This is obviously a textbook intended to provide beginning designers with a basis on which to learn, explore, and discover their niche in the interface design world. While it's true that many experienced designers will not be able to get past the "duh" factor, I believe they could find a great deal of value in it as well, as it provides the why that most business and IT executives don't understand. Anyone who has tried to explain to management why they need to spend extra money and extend their project scope to accommodate user analysis and testing knows what I mean. In essence, within its pages, designers can find the business case for the analysis, design, and testing activities that can be so difficult to get across to those whose only concerns are budgets and schedules.

That said, don't expect to walk away from this book knowing all there is to know about interface design. This is a huge topic that reaches into a wide array of social, psychological, and technical disciplines. However, the book does provide the necessary references to delve deeper into your particular areas of interest. Be prepared for study into psychology, anthropology, sociology, and just about any other -ology you can think of, because they all are involved in the study of users.

One of the areas that the book expands upon in the fifth edition is the discussion of collaboration and social media. Honestly, I was rather disappointed with this as I found it to be little more than an explanation of what blogs, wikis, and such are, rather than a detailed look at the special considerations these environments bring to designers. I would like to see this section expanded further in future editions.

Overall, I do like this book. I'm certain that it will serve me well as a valuable reference that I can add to my other user analysis and interface design tools. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go brush up on my sociobiology!