Comments on: Book Review: Designing Web Interfaces http://johnnyholland.org/2009/05/book-review-designing-web-interfaces/ It's all about interaction Wed, 05 Jun 2013 06:03:21 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 By: Theresa http://johnnyholland.org/2009/05/book-review-designing-web-interfaces/#comment-107298 Theresa Sun, 17 May 2009 20:14:03 +0000 http://johnnyholland.org/?p=2019#comment-107298 I actually refer to our book a couple of times a week to look at examples of how different web applications have approached a particular interaction. I don't use it to "win arguments" with my clients or other designers I collaborate with, but as a catalog of decent examples for reference. I don't think many developers, product managers, marketing folks, and QA people have reference books for current interaction design concepts (this is just my observation). For me personally, the book helps organize the interactions into patterns with recent examples, so we can use common terminology and live examples in our design sessions. Explore the book and all of the illustrations at www.designingwebinterfaces.com and we are posting fresh content and examples at www.designingwebinterfaces.com/posts . I actually refer to our book a couple of times a week to look at examples of how different web applications have approached a particular interaction. I don’t use it to “win arguments” with my clients or other designers I collaborate with, but as a catalog of decent examples for reference.

I don’t think many developers, product managers, marketing folks, and QA people have reference books for current interaction design concepts (this is just my observation). For me personally, the book helps organize the interactions into patterns with recent examples, so we can use common terminology and live examples in our design sessions.

Explore the book and all of the illustrations at http://www.designingwebinterfaces.com and we are posting fresh content and examples at http://www.designingwebinterfaces.com/posts .

]]> By: Vicky Teinaki http://johnnyholland.org/2009/05/book-review-designing-web-interfaces/#comment-107297 Vicky Teinaki Thu, 07 May 2009 15:05:25 +0000 http://johnnyholland.org/?p=2019#comment-107297 Common sense is a funny thing, particularly when it comes to interactions. For example, after NYTimes tech columnist David Pogue wrote a post about 'Tech Tips for the Basic User' and was flooded with tips, he wrote: "Many readers chimed in with other “basics” that they assumed every computer user knew–but soon discovered that what’s common knowledge isn’t the same as universal knowledge." (Link: http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/02/tech-tips-for-the-basic-computer-user/) That's relevant in the IxD profession, as in my opinion we still don't have that much literature of the basics. So yes, it's common sense, but it has to be explicitly made common through books and the like. Then we can agree about it and move on. That said, I do agree with the comment about these books being good argument tools! Common sense is a funny thing, particularly when it comes to interactions. For example, after NYTimes tech columnist David Pogue wrote a post about ‘Tech Tips for the Basic User’ and was flooded with tips, he wrote: “Many readers chimed in with other “basics” that they assumed every computer user knew–but soon discovered that what’s common knowledge isn’t the same as universal knowledge.”
(Link: http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/02/tech-tips-for-the-basic-computer-user/)
That’s relevant in the IxD profession, as in my opinion we still don’t have that much literature of the basics. So yes, it’s common sense, but it has to be explicitly made common through books and the like. Then we can agree about it and move on.
That said, I do agree with the comment about these books being good argument tools!

]]> By: peterpixel http://johnnyholland.org/2009/05/book-review-designing-web-interfaces/#comment-107296 peterpixel Mon, 04 May 2009 14:10:18 +0000 http://johnnyholland.org/?p=2019#comment-107296 Being Devils advocate here, but isn't a lot of these patterns common sense to most interaction designers? And what advantage does this book have over pattern libraries currently out there? I am inclined to think this book (and perhaps many other Interaction Design books similar to this one) are more suited as tools to "win arguments", in other words: illustrate to whoever is in charge, but is not an interaction designer, that what you are suggesting is actually a good idea. Being Devils advocate here, but isn’t a lot of these patterns common sense to most interaction designers? And what advantage does this book have over pattern libraries currently out there?

I am inclined to think this book (and perhaps many other Interaction Design books similar to this one) are more suited as tools to “win arguments”, in other words: illustrate to whoever is in charge, but is not an interaction designer, that what you are suggesting is actually a good idea.

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