HN Books @HNBooksMonth

read this: https://www.amazon.com/Dont-Make-Me-Think-Usability/dp/03213...

and this: https://www.amazon.com/Big-Red-Fez-Make-Better/dp/0743227905

that's really all you need.

I still really like and would strongly recommend Steve Krug's "Don't make me think" (https://www.amazon.com/dp/0321344758)

>Sorry this reply screams "I don't care, I'm tired, I'm stressed, don't make me think."

Well, if you're expecting anything else from a recruiter being send your resume you'll be in for a hard surprise.

The inverse is "I couldn't put in the time to make my CV tidy and intuitive, but you'll have to soldier thru it, because I have the mistaken opinion that I'm a unique snowflake and you don't get hundreds of them".

In fact, "don't make me think" is a GREAT advice for anything you want others to read/try/adopt/buy.

http://www.amazon.com/Dont-Make-Me-Think-Usability/dp/032134...

>Since my impression is that a good developer can deal with any situation necessary, I never understood the laundry list of technologies way of fitting a candidate to a "good hire."

Even if a good C++ game developer could switch to Javascript front-end development if needed (to give an extreme example), the time it takes to have them familiar with the relevant stack is better spent hiring someone already familiar. And, it's kind of obvious -- both can be just as good. It's just the second is also ready to hit the ground running on the stack a company uses.

And, of course, just because someone "can deal with any situation necessary" doesn't mean they'd like to. Some programmers like to program in X or Y languages (or language families), others like building Z or K kind of programs.

Just because someone could switch from Haskell to Ruby or from scientific programming to CRUDs doesn't mean they'd also like to. In this case the "laundry list" serves as a way to match hires that are interested in the specific things the company works with.

⬐ new_hackers

agreed, plus if you hire someone that already uses and likes your stack you don't get the constant whining about "if we were using Y it would be sooo much better"

⬐ blakeyrat

Agreed. I've put out a lot of fires in badly-written Ruby code, and at least 2 in badly-written Python code, but I couldn't stand working 8 hours a day with either of those languages.

So while my knowing them is definitely valuable, I need some way to convey, "hey I know Ruby, but no I don't like Ruby and I wouldn't accept a position that was primarily Ruby." ("Favorite" isn't a good word for that, but that's the intent I'm needing to convey.)

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned "The Design of Everyday Things"[1], talking about human interaction design. It makes the same points, a few decades earlier so there're no references to mobile apps, but the distilled take away are the same ones:

* Be obvious

* Avoid extraneous "ornaments" in the interaction

* Understand what your user needs

Of course those three bullet points do not make the book (either of them, I assume) justice, but you might want to read Donald A. Norman's book first. Another book you might be interested in is Don't Make me Think[2], which is specifically related to software UI design.

I agree with the point that using smartphones for everything is a step back. Having touchscreens in cars is also a step back. We went from having controls that could manipulated without taking the eyes on the road to fancy futuristic UIs that require either for you to be parked, to have a companion or do something potentially dangerous.</rant>

[1]: http://www.amazon.com/Design-Everyday-Things-Donald-Norman/d...

[2]: http://www.amazon.com/Dont-Make-Me-Think-Usability/dp/032134...

⬐ semi-extrinsic

I'm all for bashing touchscreens in cars (and in general), but I've never seen a new car that doesn't have the "multifunction steering wheel" where you can control almost everything (usually not the ventilation though) without taking your hands off the wheel. They require a few hours of getting used to each layout, but past that, they're great interfaces.

Oh yes, there are definitely books that deal with this: I highly recommend "Don't Make Me Think" by Steve Krug. Quite an engaging, useful read, and it is well-reviewed on Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Dont-Make-Me-Think-Usability/dp/032134...

⬐ blawa

While not exactly what I was looking for, this is very useful, thanks!

https://www.coursera.org/course/hciucsd

https://www.coursera.org/course/design

http://www.amazon.com/Dont-Make-Me-Think-Usability/dp/032134...

And, finally, if you want to do some usability experiments and testing:

http://www.amazon.com/Handbook-Usability-Testing-Conduct-Eff...

http://www.amazon.com/Naked-Statistics-Stripping-Dread-Data/...

For the last quarter century or so Apple have known that their peculiar take on the mouse idea does not suit everyone. If you come from a PC or UNIX background then there are conventions regarding how the mouse works - context menu is right click, not some weird keyboard + mouse convention.

People like me have avoided the Apple product for many reasons with the mouse problem high up the list. What I don't understand is why they have offered weirder and weirder mice over the years, all with reliability problems and ergonomic woes, with no option to just get a regular mouse. They could have hooked up with Logitech and made an Apple mouse for PC users, with the buttons in the right place and a novelty fruit logo to make it look desktop-worthy. They could have charged £25 for it and, people that have avoided the Apple cult due to the weird mouse could have been brought on-board.

I know I am not alone in disliking the Apple interface, I am actually the one person that likes Ubuntu Unity, however there are lots of PC users out there that just do a job and haven't the patience/need to learn the Apple mouse oddities. At a presentation or tutorial if the machine is an Apple then the non-Apple people get stuck on basic things like using a web browser or saving a file.

I am a big fan of Steve Krug's 'Don't Make Me Think!' book:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dont-Make-Me-Think-Usability/dp/0321...

The problem with the Apple interface choices is that it does make me think, but not in the right way. I just want to do the task in hand and not wonder why it is that you have to hold down some cryptic key on the keyboard to do a right click.

I also noted in this article how many of the failures of the various Apple mice could be ignored so easily by someone in the Apple cult. Underlying this is a problem with understanding what truly great design actually is.

That really boring Logitech or Microsoft mouse is actually great design. The ergonomics are a treat as is the reliability. They have been bold enough to make something that actually works rather than something that looks pretty.

⬐ alayne

store.apple.com sells Logitech mice and keyboards. You can just right click with a mouse in OS X, even on an Apple Magic Mouse, though it does need to be enabled in preferences.

Anecdotal, conjectural, and even the dubious psychological experiments she references are completely misrepresented.

The subjects were told told to memorize a number, and on their way to a different room where they expected to be tested, someone stopped them mid-way and asked them to choose between two snacks -- a fruit salad and a cake. The people who had been told to memorize many digits didn't choose the healthy snack as frequent as the people who had been told to memorize few digits (and, presumably, could focus on which choice they really preferred).

It tries to convey "common sense" concepts, using conjecture and complicated constructs. It hurts my brain when I try to understand what is meant by "to use up cognitive resources". The more convoluted an explanation is, the less I feel it has been understood by the person explaining it. I have a strong distaste for psychology terms that add depth, but not clarity, as if trying to validate and give authority to the field or explanation.

A bit ironic for an article trying to explain the concept of "minimizing drainage of the cognitive tank" (to paraphrase).

So, what is this article really about? This -- http://www.amazon.com/Dont-Make-Me-Think-Usability/dp/032134....

Some of my favorite resources:

http://www.amazon.com/Dont-Make-Me-Think-Usability/dp/032134...

http://www.edwardtufte.com/tufte/courses

Also make wireframes before you code, when something is complicated -- or when you're starting out, for virtually any UI. Use Omnigraffle Pro, and you can also use Graffletopia's website to find stencils, e.g. Bootstrap Stencils. Or use Easel.io.

⬐ niels_olson

Big upvote for Edward Tufte. If you style yourself as a hardcore engineer, start with his book Visual Display of Quantitative Information. I'm away from my copy, but as I recall, John Tukey reviewed the manuscript. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Tukey)

⬐ JohnHaugeland

I don't really think Tufte is appropriate for a design discussion. He's a mediocre charts and graphs guy (he's no Cleveland, Tukey, or Few; if you go to one of his talks he basically reads directly from his books and makes fun of PowerPoint.)

Design is more the arena of people like Dieter Rams. You can't design an application, a chair, or a home with sparklines.

⬐ SCAQTony

Tufte is extraordinarily dry for someone new to design. Great recommendation though but it would be like going to Saul Bass and asking him how to draw a "stick man."

I would start by using grid based layouts and study those who have used them. Start with wikipedia article on the

subject: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grid_(graphic_design)

⬐ kirbyk

How have I never heard of Easel.io?? I just did the demo. Blown away.

⬐ latitude

With all due respect for Tufte, his focus has always been on the presentation and visualization of the data. While this has an overlap with the design skills required for the end-to-end software design, the overlap is only partial and not even that big in many cases.

Also, the Dont Make Me Think book should've really been a two-pager pamphlet, it is really thin on a material. While the center idea is fundamental, it is very easy to explain and to understand.

If we are talking about 10000 ft perspective of the design and its fundamentals, I would raise you The Design of Everyday Things. This is a very good beginners book and it's also an interesting read for those who already know a thing or two.

http://www.amazon.com/Design-Everyday-Things-Donald-Norman/d...

Sorry, I'm still not clear what exactly you want from me. A paper explaining why clutter is universally bad? Seriously?

You try so hard to come across as if you had a remote clue about the UX field, yet you want to debate one of the most basic premises?

May I suggest to review the standard works (you have them on your shelf, I know you do);

http://www.amazon.com/Dont-Make-Me-Think-%20Usability/dp/032...

http://www.amazon.com/dp/156205810X/

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0385267746/

Somehow you must have forgotten, well, everything, since you last read them.

That's okay, happens to the best of us. However, you might come across a little less unarmed if you could at least memorize the title of Krug's book.

Thanks for playing anyways.

⬐ Pewpewarrows

And again, you're completely missing the point. One user's UI clutter is another user's essential UI component. Doing actual UX studies on your interface is essential (which I assume Disqus has done thoroughly).

Your original comments claimed that a mythical "the user" doesn't care about the Reactions, Community, or star buttons, citing "common sense." That's not a UX study. That's you trying to spin your personal opinion as fact. Which is cute, but is not useful criticism in the slightest.

⬐ moe

which I assume Disqus has done thoroughly

And your assumption is based on what?

Just by looking at the result it's obvious they haven't.

That's not a UX study

Exactly. It's the common sense that you would possess if you had been involved with any similar project of significant size. And I'll proceed to criticize obvious violations of well established common sense without performing studies on other peoples sites, thank you very much.

"the user" doesn't care about the Reactions, Community, or star buttons

Yes, it's still common sense. And quoting what I said does still not make a counter-argument. If the user cares about "Reactions" then where did all those useful pingback-listings go that used to trail every blog post? If he cares about detached community-silos then why can't even Apple make one work? And when was the last time you've seen a useful star-rating on a comment-thread outside an established forum?

That's you trying to spin your personal opinion as fact.

My spin must be pretty good then since you still haven't even tried to dispute any of my claims or references. Oh wait, actually you have once. Turned out not so well...

I believe this is not a good redesign, and I'll try to explain why:

- Where should I click to go to the comments page? If I have to click on the little bubble on the right of each article, it actually makes my user experience less pleasant than with the current design. (Did OP read "Don't Make Me Think"?)

- No flagging button. Did OP voluntarily omit it? If so, why? If not, where would he put it?

- The scores of the articles look likes buttons, what should I expect when I click on them?

- Knowing the number of comments of an article and its score are both important to create a certain "I need to see this" factor for readers. Putting those numbers respectively on the far left and on the far right does not help this at all.

I really agree with SeoxyS here. This redesign does not improve the current HN experience, and it actually makes it more complex by displaying the information in a way that does not look bad but does not actually help browsing the site.

I would suggest OP to think (or learn) more about UX. That's a very good thing to do on a Friday night, and even though a lot of this knowledge can come through working with a different focus (think about your user) and common sense, there are good books to get you started.[1][2]

[1]:http://www.amazon.com/Dont-Make-Me-Think-Usability/dp/032134... - I recommend this

[2]:http://www.amazon.com/Designing-Mind-Simple-Understanding-In... - Not as good, but only 200 pages, and interesting.

⬐ kamweti

I'd also recommend Designed For Use by Lukas Mathis http://pragprog.com/book/lmuse/designed-for-use .It has great chapters on the UI/Ux process.

Particularly memorable books I read (or re-read) this year:

- Don't Make Me Think by Krug: http://www.amazon.com/Dont-Make-Me-Think-Usability/dp/032134...

- Apartment Therapy by Gillingham-Ryan http://www.amazon.com/Apartment-Therapy-Eight-Step-Home-Cure...

- Presentation Zen by Gar http://www.amazon.com/Presentation-Zen-Simple-Design-Deliver...

- Belisarius Saga by Flint and Drake http://baencd.thefifthimperium.com/13-TheBalticWarCD/TheBalt...

- Wise Man's Fear by Rothfuss http://www.amazon.com/Wise-Mans-Fear-Kingkiller-Chronicles/d...

- Wizard of Oz by Baum http://www.amazon.com/Wizard-Oz-Puffin-Classics/dp/014132102...

⬐ dholowiski

Don't make me think was the best book I made someone else read in 2011. It changed my boss's view of our web site, and now he's on my 'side'.

⬐ pdenya

Wise Man's Fear was incredible. That's the only non-technical book I've read multiple times in years.

Do we build this feature?

In a startup, that's all about customer development. Steve Blank has a book and a lot to say on the topic. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0976470705/ref=as_li_ss_tl?...

If so, how should it flow?

UX is non-trivial you will have to spend a lot of time learning about it. I always recommend Don't Make Me Think as a starting point. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0321344758/ref=as_li_ss_tl?...

How important is...

There are questions that can be answered by understanding UX patterns and anti-patterns. There are also questions that require A/B testing. When in doubt, test.

However, UX can also suffer from premature optimization. Just like in writing code where you wouldn't use a big array when you need a map, don't ignore UX, but don't try to answer details until after it is working or you could find yourself bike shedding instead of shipping.

⬐ ch00ey

Additionally, I HIGHLY suggest taking a look at the Business Model Generation by Alex Osterwalder and Running Lean By Ash Maurya.

LINKS:

http://www.businessmodelgeneration.com/

http://www.runningleanhq.com/

Check out "Don't Make Me Think": http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0321344758/ref=as_li_qf_sp_...

I’ve heard very good things about Steve Krug’s ‘Don’t Make Me Think’: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dont-Make-Me-Think-Usability/dp/0321...

⬐ guiseppecalzone

This is perhaps one of the best books on usability that I've read. Steve Krug also walks the walk and makes this book super usable to read.

These were some of the books which taught me a lot about Design were:

Don't make me Think by Steve Krug http://www.amazon.com/Dont-Make-Me-Think-Usability/dp/032134...

Non-Designer's Design Book http://www.amazon.com/Non-Designers-Design-Book-Typographic-...

Universal Principles of Design http://www.amazon.com/Universal-Principles-Design-Revised-Up...

Also make sure you go through design's everyday on Behance.net, they have some really amazing designers and design.

⬐ neves

Non-designer's book is really a great introduction.

Influence - The Psychology of Persuasion by Cialdini.

http://www.amazon.com/Influence-Psychology-Persuasion-Busine...

The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing - Violate Them at Your Own Risk!

http://www.amazon.com/22-Immutable-Laws-Marketing-Violate/dp...

Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to We Usability, by Steve Krug:

http://www.amazon.com/Dont-Make-Me-Think-Usability/dp/032134...

Information Architecture for the World Wide Web: Designing Large Scale Web Sites, by Paul Rosenfeld and Peter Morville:

http://www.amazon.com/Information-Architecture-World-Wide-We...

Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping, by Paco Underhill

http://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Buy-Shopping-Updated-Internet/d...

And at least one Jakob Nielsen Usability book.

You aren't the only one. There have been countless studies on this that say people aren't going to read more than a paragraph or so before giving up on a site.

My advice to dejan: Most important thing, buy a copy of a book called "Don't make me think" by Steve Krug (http://www.amazon.com/Dont-Make-Me-Think-Usability/dp/032134...). Have it shipped next day. I can't go in to all the reasons you need the book without essentially rewriting the book here but you really, really need it.

On the startup idea itself, I don't see anything inherently wrong with it. I'm not sure how successful the "suggest ideas" side will be only because, in my experience, people tend to be secretive about w hat they feel are their "great ideas". Most people that I've met have a dream of eventually executing on the ideas themselves one day and they don't want to give away a million dollar idea (which is generally their perceived value of it).

The company feedback idea on the other hand is a good one if you can build a community to support it.

⬐ dejan

:) Thanks TomOfTTB

I've read that book, and I agree that it's not so clear, as in the other comment.

No excuses...but take a month of time, and what you can build in that time span, alone. There is two of us, but I am the only developer/designer :) Would I spend another month hiding it while tweaking. No.

We need to go bravely public as soon as possible and change stuff on the fly.

This is so true, that revealing ideas is so difficult. I see it everyday, yet people do this within companies too. It's a million dollar idea. Well, unless you do something about it, its worth nada. And Aleveo aims at those ideas that you see around you and have no intentions on acting upon. How many times a day we say hmm, that can be done this way. Do we act on it... rarely.

With students it's even more different. When they graduate, they have nothing in their CVs. At least, they can have their ideas. And thats is what we want to show to the world.

Can't find the article now, but I think it was either Seth Godin or on Signal vs. Noise on value of ideas. Basically, they set it straight forward:

bad idea -$1 poor idea $0 good idea $1 great idea $10

no execution 0 poor execution 1000 good execution 100.000 outstanding execution 1.000.000

great idea with some good execution might be worth $10 x 100.000, but without execution it's just a 0. Moreover, no one ever pursues other's ideas, as they say, everyone thinks your idea is stupid except you.

Thanks for the input, highly appreciated.

Don't Make Me Think

http://www.amazon.com/Dont-Make-Me-Think-Usability/dp/032134...

⬐ UandIblog

Thanks Fiaz, I'm on it! Perhaps there is something else I should read when I finish the Steve Krug book? I'm a blank canvas..

⬐ fiaz

Emotional Design

http://www.amazon.com/Emotional-Design-Love-Everyday-Things/...

Designing Interactions

http://www.amazon.com/Designing-Interactions-Bill-Moggridge/...

⬐ UandIblog

Thank you for taking the time to help me.. Spectacular looking books, I've got my work cut out for me.

⬐ None

None

⬐ dshah

Not only is the book great, Steve Krug is an all around nice guy and fun to listen to. Just heard him speak yesterday at the Business of Software conference. If you ever get a chance to hear him in person, I'd take it.

⬐ nir

One really cool thing about "Don't make me think" is that it is short and highly readable. For some reason books of this genre often seem like Russian novels of the 19th century in thickness. Probably the most usable book about usability out there.

http://www.amazon.com/Dont-Make-Me-Think-Usability/dp/032134...

Yup...I liked "Don't Make Me Think".