The Humane Interface: New Directions for Designing Interactive Systems

by Jef Raskin

This unique guide to interactive system design reflects the experience and vision of Jef Raskin, the creator of the Apple Macintosh project. Other books may show how to use today's widgets and interface ideas effectively. Raskin, however, demonstrates that many current interface paradigms are dead ends, and that to make computers significantly easier to use requires new approaches. He explains how to effect desperately needed changes, offering a wealth of innovative and specific interface ideas for software designers, developers, and product managers. The Apple Macintosh helped to introduce a previous revolution in computer interface design, drawing on the best available technology to establish many of the interface techniques and methods now universal in the computer industry. With this book, Raskin proves again both his farsightedness and his practicality. He also demonstrates how design ideas must be built on a scientific basis, presenting just enough cognitive psychology to link the interface of the future to the experimental evidence and to show why that interface will work. Raskin observes that our honeymoon with digital technology is We are tired of having to learn huge, arcane programs to do even the simplest of tasks; we have had our fill of crashing computers; and we are fatigued by the continual pressure to upgrade. The Humane Interface delivers a way for computers, information appliances, and other technology-driven products to continue to advance in power and expand their range of applicability, while becoming free of the hassles and obscurities that plague present products.

Genres: Design, Nonfiction, Programming, Technology, Software, Computers, Usability

233 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Jef Raskin was an American human-computer interface expert best-known for starting the Macintosh project for Apple Computer in the late 1970s.

Reviews

[Isscandar]

The Humane Interface del fu Jef Raskin è un classico testo sull'interfaccia uomo macchina.

Raskin fu il padre dell'interfaccia del computer Apple Macintosh.

Il punto di vista di Raskin era, ed è ancora, innovativo; le sue idee, se applicate, renderebbero l'uso del computer più piacevole e produttivo.

Però questo libro non è di facile lettura: i capitoli sono troppo lunghi, l'inglese è spesso troppo letterario e certe volte manca una logica chiara su dove siano trattati certi argomenti.

Alla fine della lettura si rimane amareggiati nel constatare quanto i nostri computer e le applicazioni che tutti i giorni usiamo siano ancora così lontani da quello che Raskin descrive.