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16th out of 62 books
—
34 voters
Designing the Obvious: A Common Sense Approach to Web Application Design (First Edition)
by
Robert Hoekman Jr. (Goodreads Author)
Designing the Obvious belongs in the toolbox of every person charged with the design and development of Web-based software, from the CEO to the programming team. Designing the Obvious explores the character traits of great Web applications and uses them as guiding principles of application design so the end result of every project instills customer satisfaction and loyalty
...morePaperback, First Edition, 256 pages
Published
October 22nd 2006
by New Riders Press
(first published October 11th 2002)
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Highly recommend this book. It covers a lot of territory, so there was definitely a healthy dose of reminding me of things I already knew, while also continually introducing new concepts. The author writes in an extremely accessible tone, with enough personality and sarcasm to keep it from feeling dry. I kept a highlighter nearby while reading this one, and looking back, I'm pretty sure almost every page is marked up with good, quotable takeaways. If you're deep into UX already, you probably won...more
There have been many experiences over the last year and a half in my job at a user experience/interface design company where I've struggled to voice the logic and reasoning behind design choices and suggestions. A lot of what is logical to me is just that. Logical. I just KNOW it - yet, communicating the WHY and HOW of my why I think what I think has not come easily to me. Which is why I read books, blogs, and articles like this.
This book presents the reasoning behind design decisions and choice...more
This book presents the reasoning behind design decisions and choice...more
It's very good quick read and guidance to create user expereince design. The core things are requirements, reduction, and regularity of what you want to build. It's easy to say but this book explains really well how to do it. As an IA/UXD, chapter 4. Support the User’s Mental Model and chapter 5. Turn Beginners Into Intermediates, Immediately are very useful to have better sense to improve user experience.
Hoekman provides a great framework for approaching design and the continual process of refinement. Considering this text is now 4 years old, Internet years aside, some references remain true. Specifically web form design with inline validation. No matter how sophisticated applications become, data entry will always be essential for business and personal web interfaces. This book is an endless champion for simple intuitive design, creating useful applications that are powerful because their ease...more
Although this book has a few gems in it, it is for the most part exactly what the title suggests, but too much so. Most of the suggestions in the book were either too obvious or they were too specific and categorical. Probably a worthwhile read if you’re in the business of usability but probably not otherwise.
Very good and concise. Lots of theoretical information - zero implementation details (so if this is what you want, look elsewhere). Nothing mind-blowing, but sometimes the true talent of an author is gathering everything together in one spot so you can clearly see the patterns.
Font of the book was sans serif, so was a bit hard to read @ times. But too the point, well-explained, and applicable to my own environment at work. Will be flipping through this again and again.
This was actually recommended to me as a book with great ideas about design (I'm not a web designer/developer), and it is. The examples all relate to web applications, but the points he makes can easily be translated to other design/style projects. I learned quite a bit.
This should have been 3-5 long blog posts, and in style and grammar, it was. The content is good and worthy, but so fluffed to fill pages that I often had to re-read sections to get the essence, then stop reading before the fluff filled my head and pushed out the useful content.
Worth reading, but beware the fluff.
Worth reading, but beware the fluff.
Jan 17, 2010
Amber
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
user interface designers, web developers, designers
Shelves:
authors-i-know
Love this one. I really wish more UI folks would pick it up and implement it into their designs...
Jan 06, 2011
Elizabeth
marked it as to-read
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
academic-professional,
wishlist
Recommended by UX Magazine:
http://uxmag.com/design/user-experien...
http://uxmag.com/design/user-experien...
good quick read with a lot of well understood guidance. Good stuff.
Dec 13, 2010
Natascha
is currently reading it
smart book,
lots of good information
lots of good information
Recommended by Chris Risdon
Nov 20, 2011
Viirak
added it
<3 it!
Common sense approach to web interface and application design. Designing with the user in mind. Poka-yoke "mistake-proofing". Eat your own dog food. Create Personas. Elevation is reduction. Kaizen...eliminate waste. The 5S Approach: Sort, Straighten, Shine, Standardize, and Sustain.
Introduces some useful design terminologies towards the beginning of the book. But loses it favor towards the end... Quick read.
The dedication gives you a sense of the book: "This book is dedicated to anyone who has ever used a Web application and resented the experience." I'm working on a Web-based ordering system which needs to be "intuitive" and "intuitive" doesn't happen on its own. So I'm looking for (and finding) inspiration in this book.
Jun 05, 2007
Ping
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Web application designers and devlopers
Shelves:
web-or-software-books
A great book on making your web apps more focused, pleasant for the user, and for lack of another word... more "obvious". Lots of screenshots of good examples of web apps, tons of advice, well-organized, with bits of humor thrown in. It's slim, but it packs a punch. Definitely will be sharing this with my coworkers.
This is book is a great guide and a notable resource. It really is a good entry point for developers or designers looking to improve their UX skills. Good break downs and plenty of further reading fodder.
Good book, good concepts, too many extra words - padded a bit maybe to make it longer? It's a quick read though, and you'll walk away with some new tidbits, which really makes it a 3 1/2 star.
This book is fun-to-read and extremely helpful so far.
good read for those looking to learn about current interface challenges & smart solutions/referneces. I really enjoy the author's quirky tone.
An interesting and challenging look at designing web applications. The focus here is on simplicity and ease of use.
Beknopt. En de moeite waard. Niet veel nieuws bijgeleerd, maar ik ben een sucker voor mooi gemaakte boekjes.
I am almost through and it has lots of little interesting things in it. Good book to read if working on the web.
A quick read that feels like a companion piece to Steve Krug's "Don't Make Me Think."
Great book for anyone willing to have a try at web-app creation
Well written, easy to understand UX book.
Excellent book for designers and developers.
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Robert Hoekman, Jr, is the author of the Amazon bestseller Designing the Obvious (1st and 2nd edition), Designing the Moment, and Web Anatomy (coauthored by Jared Spool). He has also written dozens of articles for web-industry sites including Adobe, A List Apart, Peachpit, and InformIT.
Robert is a passionate and outspoken user experience specialist who has worked with Adobe, MySpace, Dodge, Crafts...more
More about Robert Hoekman Jr....
Robert is a passionate and outspoken user experience specialist who has worked with Adobe, MySpace, Dodge, Crafts...more
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