Getting started with user-interface design.
November 24, 2010 3:21 PM Subscribe
My father, an architect, is looking for new things to do. I would like him to try software interaction/design. Any pointers for where he should start?
My father has been an exceptional architect, farmer, teacher, engineer, shopkeeper, interior designer, founder of chemical factories, artist, and many more things. Much older now, he has been wondering what to do next, specially something that can be done indoors.
I, being a computer scientist and among other things — a software developer — asked him if he would be interested in software design at the user interface and interaction level. I believe his sense of design, composition and engineering would be crucial to a field like this. He has had a very tentative relationship with computers despite being an engineer. He can use them to write papers, browse the web, play some music — but calls me up when he needs to do something outside his limited domain of knowledge (surprising to me, considering his background).
In any case, he said he would like to read about user interface and related fields. Any recommendation for entry-level books in the area?
My father has been an exceptional architect, farmer, teacher, engineer, shopkeeper, interior designer, founder of chemical factories, artist, and many more things. Much older now, he has been wondering what to do next, specially something that can be done indoors.
I, being a computer scientist and among other things — a software developer — asked him if he would be interested in software design at the user interface and interaction level. I believe his sense of design, composition and engineering would be crucial to a field like this. He has had a very tentative relationship with computers despite being an engineer. He can use them to write papers, browse the web, play some music — but calls me up when he needs to do something outside his limited domain of knowledge (surprising to me, considering his background).
In any case, he said he would like to read about user interface and related fields. Any recommendation for entry-level books in the area?
as an architect he should know Revit, or it would be easy for him to pick it up.
That's being pretty optimistic - right now it's mostly younger people who have a working knowledge of Revit because they're the ones actually drawing stuff, and I assume that raheel's father is beyond the point where he would have had to learn it unless he had a curiosity to do so. My office still doesn't use it, but it's becoming the norm elsewhere. At all of my jobs in the field, my superiors have never had a working knowledge of AutoCAD, much less Revit.
posted by LionIndex at 4:14 PM on November 24, 2010
That's being pretty optimistic - right now it's mostly younger people who have a working knowledge of Revit because they're the ones actually drawing stuff, and I assume that raheel's father is beyond the point where he would have had to learn it unless he had a curiosity to do so. My office still doesn't use it, but it's becoming the norm elsewhere. At all of my jobs in the field, my superiors have never had a working knowledge of AutoCAD, much less Revit.
posted by LionIndex at 4:14 PM on November 24, 2010
Maybe start with Don Norman's Design of Everyday Things? It isn't explicitly about software UI, but it gives a good (if bit dated) idea of the high level issues involved.
posted by juv3nal at 5:00 PM on November 24, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by juv3nal at 5:00 PM on November 24, 2010 [1 favorite]
Best answer: An excellent — but never mentioned — book is The Humane Interface, by the late Jef Raskin.
I've also heard great things about Alan Cooper's About Face, but I haven't read it.
Finally, I really, really liked Robert Hoekman Jr's book Designing the Obvious, and I think the second edition just started shipping today.
posted by Alt F4 at 6:25 PM on November 24, 2010 [1 favorite]
I've also heard great things about Alan Cooper's About Face, but I haven't read it.
Finally, I really, really liked Robert Hoekman Jr's book Designing the Obvious, and I think the second edition just started shipping today.
posted by Alt F4 at 6:25 PM on November 24, 2010 [1 favorite]
(if you want to read reviews of Designing the Obvious, you can check out this link to the first edition)
posted by Alt F4 at 6:27 PM on November 24, 2010
posted by Alt F4 at 6:27 PM on November 24, 2010
As an architect, your father is probably familiar with the writings of Christopher Alexander. I guess he's also written some books related to software programming.
posted by tfmm at 7:40 AM on November 25, 2010
posted by tfmm at 7:40 AM on November 25, 2010
« Older Science tricks with eight-year olds? | Can you help me get the Silverlight Facebook... Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by spacefire at 4:03 PM on November 24, 2010