Designing interfaces
by Jenifer Tidwell · first published 2005
75% recommend17% neutral8% critical
Why HN recommends it
Catalogue of common UI interaction patterns, with guidance on when each fits. Works as a reference to browse when facing a specific interface problem, and suits working designers and developers.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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Mentions per year
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…http://www.amazon.com/TCP-IP-Illustrated-Vol-Implementation/... 39- http://www.amazon.com/TCP-Illustrated-Vol-Transactions-Proto... 40- http://www.amazon.com/User-Interface-Design-Programmers-Spol... 41- http://www.amazon.com/Designing-Interfaces-Jenifer-Tidwell/d... 42- http://www.amazon.com/Designing-Interfaces-Jenifer-Tidwell/d... 43- http://www.amazon.com/Programming-POSIX-Threads-David-Butenh... 44- http://www.intel.com/p/en_US/embedded/hwsw/software/hd-gma#d...…
on “I’m writing my own OS” ↗…design guides: https://www.ics.uci.edu/~kobsa/courses/ICS104/course-notes/M... A (really old) book: https://www.amazon.com/About-Face-Essentials-Interaction-Des... Another book: https://www.amazon.com/Designing-Interfaces-Patterns-Effecti... Oddly enough these are all ancient. There hasn't been much innovation in that space though. (apart from High Dpi and Dark Mode) Blender recently did a redesign of their UI, they…
on “Audacity 3.0” ↗A couple of good books to read too: 1) Don't make me think 2) Designing interfaces (by Tidwell) 3) Defensive design for the web Anyone have additional books that they've read?
on “How does a beginner start becoming a web design expert?” ↗It's a little dated (is it sad that 2006 is "dated"?), but I still find "Designing Interfaces" by Jenifer Tidwell (it's an O'Reilly book) helpful once in a while for basic UI/interaction thoughts.
on “Ask HN: Good books or articles on UI design?” ↗There’s a book specifically applying the “pattern pattern” to UX, namely Jennifer Tidwell’s Designing Interfaces (O’Reilly) It’s 10 years old or so by now, but has held up better than most technical books of its age.
on ““A pattern language” explained (2016)” ↗Also in my top UI books shelf: Jenifer Tidwell's "Designing Interfaces". It's about patterns that show up in UI and when it's appropriate to use them. I browse it whenever I find myself with a UI issue that I'm not sure how to deal with.
on “How to get better at UI design” ↗Funny to see Jennifer Tidwell's Designing Interfaces mentioned here. It's an excellent resource–not just for its specific content, but also in the problem/pattern system is uses. (and it's an excellent antidote against the common believe that designers…
on “Better Form Design: One Thing per Page” ↗I like "Designing Interfaces: Patterns for Effective Interaction Design" by Jenifer Tidwell. Less of an instruction book, more of a catalogue of how you might (or might not) present some given type of information. Good for browsing…
on “Ask HN: What's the best book on modern UI/UX?” ↗The following will give you a good understanding of UI design. Number 3, Designing Interfaces, has a coherent set of principles. 1. [Don’t Make Me Think](https://sensible.com/dont-make-me-think/) 2. [The Design of Everyday Things](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Design_of_Everyday_Things)…
on “Ask HN: Best UI design courses for hackers?” ↗O'Reilly has a book called "Designing Interfaces: Patterns for Effective Interaction Design" by Jennifer Tidwell. It's a little out of date, but has a lot of the big ideas and useful bibliographies to dig in deeper.
on “Ask HN: Front-end “design patterns”?” ↗I found "Designing Interfaces" disappointing. It is a list of interface widgets - for example an accordion menu - and some information about how to use it. A far better book on usability is "Don't Make Me Think" by Steve Krug.
on “Skills a Designer Must Have when Working for a Startup” ↗…Engineers should have a deep understanding of the programming languages they use. The ability to think logically and algorithmically is crucial, and this is best facilitated by formal languages. 2. *Designing Interfaces:* The argument for "narrow interfaces" is more relevant than ever. As software systems become more complex, the need for well-designed and specific interfaces increases. Engineers should strive to create…
on “On the foolishness of “natural language programming”” ↗