Designing Visual Interfaces: Communication Oriented Techniques

Designing Visual Interfaces: Communication Oriented Techniques, 1/e

Kevin Mullet, Macromedia.Com
Darrell Sano, Sun Microsystems Press

Published December, 1994 by Prentice Hall PTR (ECS Professional)

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User Interface Design-Computer Science

Summary

Ironically, many designers of graphical user interfaces are not always aware of the fundamental techniques that are applied to communication-oriented visual design — techniques that can be used to enhance the visual quality of GUIs, data displays, and multimedia documents. This book describes some of the most important design rules and techniques that are drawn from the rational, functionalist design aesthetic seen in modern graphic design, industrial design, interior design, and architecture — and applies them to various graphical user interface problems experienced in commercial software development.

Features

describes the basic design principles (the what and why), common errors, and practical techniques (the how) in each of six major areas: elegance and simplicity; scale, contrast, and proportion; organization and visual structure; module and program; image and representation; and style.
focuses on techniques that will not only improve the aesthetics of the visual display, but, because they promote visual organization, clarity, and conciseness, will also enhance the usability of the product.
begins each chapter with an overview of several important principles governing the phenomena in question (the what and why) and concludes with a description and step-by-step summary of three or four practical techniques relating to those phenomena (the how).
includes a catalog of common errors drawn from existing GUI applications and environments to illustrate practices that should be avoided in developing applications.

Table of Contents

Foreword, Jakob Nielson.
Introduction.
Elegance and Simplicity.
Scale, Contrast, and Proportion.
Organization and Visual Structure.
Module and Programme.
Image and Representation.
So What About Style?
Conclusion.
Further Information.
About the Authors.
Bibliography.