This book was one of the first major publications written on the subject of user-oriented interface design. Although it is beginning to show its age, its explanation of the fundamental philosophies that underlie the user-oriented approach to interface design is still relevant today. While it is written in the context of the Macintosh GUI, the concepts are applicable to interface design on any hardware platform. This book is a very thought-provoking treatise on the subject of user interface design . It will cause the reader to question the most established of assumptions and tenets regarding what makes a good user interface.
Cooper writes in a light-hearted, humorous style that makes the book an easy read.
It is a must for anyone who is concerned with the future of user interface design. The focus of this book is not on user interface design, but it has become somewhat of an industry standard with respect to application design in general. Martin explains in great depth his taxonomy of the application design process. Through a set of lively anecdotes and essays, Borenstein traces the divergence between the fields of software engineering and user-centered software design, and attempts to reconcile the needs of people in both camps. While this book does not deal specifically with user-oriented interface design, it is a very revealing expose' of the people and events that brought the first commercially successful GUI to market.