Designing the obvious
by Robert Hoekman · first published 2011
75% recommend25% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Practical, common-sense guide to usability for web and mobile apps, with examples like supporting the user's mental model; a good pick for developers wanting a UX primer and a companion to Don't Make Me Think.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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designing the obvious - a common sense approach to web application design by Robert Hoekman Jr The New New Thing Masters of Doom (story of id software, great story) Smart Start-ups: How Entrepreneurs and Corporations Can…
on “Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?” ↗"Designing the Obvious" by Robert Hoekman dedicates a whole chapter in his book on supporting the user's mental model. A great example he gives is deleting files. Instead of writing command line prompts to delete files, users…
on “The Importance of Icon Metaphors” ↗I've read a few books about the subject. One of my favorites is Designing The Obvious by Robert Hoekman Jr: http://www.amazon.com/Designing-Obvious-Common-Approach-Appl... It has a pretty good signal/noise ratio.
on “Best books/ info sources on UI design” ↗My favorite book on UX has been "Designing the Obvious" by Robert Hoekman, Jr. http://www.amazon.com/Designing-Obvious-Approach-Application... Might be a little dated but it was really influential a few years back
on “Ask HN: Recommendations for learning and improving UX/UI skills?” ↗…A. Norman Then for more practical knowledge: - Forms that Work: Designing Web Forms for Usability - Caroline Jarrett - Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability - Steve Krug - Designing the Obvious: A Common Sense Approach to Web & Mobile Application Design - Robert Hoekman Jr. - Sketching User Experiences: Getting the Design Right and the Right Design - Bill Buxton
on “Ask HN: What is a good book for learning front end design?” ↗Nice to see developers that care! I am a true believer in an app doing one thing well (a la Hoekman's "Designing The Obvious"), so maybe some of these suggestions could be rolled into a separate CRM app that integrates with Duet? Some of the features we are looking for: - Sales Opportunities/Leads with different stages (i.e.…
on “67 Signals hasn't changed a thing” ↗…trouble figuring out at the opening shot where to click. Took me forever to find the next button, I found it just in time. I almost left! Check out the design books: The Design of Every Day things Designing the Obvious Information Dashboard Design for a primer on UI design.
on “20 Million-Dollar Businesses You've Never Heard Of” ↗I love Designing the Obvious - it's a great book on interface design and usability, and focuses on web applications. Very relevant to this community.
on “Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?” ↗These are exactly the two books I was going to recommend. Don't Make Me Think is like the K&R of web UX books, and Designing the Obvious is like a nice web 2.0 companion for it. Also, I'd throw in The Design of Everyday Things -- see http://www.amazon.com/Design-Everyday-Things-Donald-Norman/d.... It was written long before anyone ever…
on “Ask HN: Where to look to learn UX/Design” ↗…Ambient Findability: What We Find Changes Who We Become Bulletproof Web Design Cascading Style Sheets: The Definitive Guide Designing Web Usability Designing With Web Standards Designing the Obvious: A Common Sense Approach to Web Application Design Designing the User Interface: Strategies for Effective Human-Computer Interaction Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability…
on “Ask HN: Typography—How?” ↗…"Handcrafted CSS", "Ordering Disorder", "Don't Make Me Think", "Landing Page Optimization", "Grid Systems: Principles of Organizing Type", "The Ten-Day MBA 3rd Ed.", "Outliers: The Story of Success", "Designing the Obvious" and more... http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/bks/2357046321.html My wife and I are about to take off on a trip around the world, and we're basically liquidating everything we don't need. Otherwise,…
on “Selling my startup book collection before going traveling (San Francisco)” ↗Color theory, layouts and a better sense of design as a whole. Actually because of this very question I bought: * The Non-designer's Web Book * Designing the Obvious: A Common Sense Approach to Web & Mobile Application Design (Voices That Matter) I'll read those and tell ;)
on “Ask HN: What do you wish you knew about UI/UX design?” ↗