Jeffrey M. Cogswell 
Designing Highly Useable Software [PDF ebook] 

Learn What Usability Really Is, Why to Strive for It, and How to
Achieve It
‚Highly useable‘ software is easy to use. It does what you
expect it to. And it does it well.
It’s not easy to build but as this book demonstrates, it’s well
worth the effort. Highly useable software is highly successful
software–and everyone wins.
Inside, an accomplished programmer who has made usability his
business systematically explores the world of programming, showing
you how every aspect of the work is implicated in the usability of
the final product. This is not just an ‚issues‘ book, however, but
systematic, real-world instructions for developing applications
that are better in every way. As you’ll learn, there’s no such
thing as ‚intuitive‘ software. Instead, there are just the factors
that make it highly useable: simplicity, consistency, the
recognition of accepted conventions, and the foregrounding of the
user’s perspective. With these principles under your belt, you’ll
quickly discover dozens of ways to make your applications more
useable:
* Making windows and dialog boxes easy to comprehend and use
* Designing software that is time- and resource-efficient
* Making your software easy to navigate
* Reducing the complexity of reports and other presentations of
data
* Understanding how the wrong programming decisions can limit
usability
* Ensuring smooth starts and stops
* Capitalizing on the usability advantages of object-oriented
programming
* Understanding how usability affects your product’s financial
success
* Using the testing process to improve usability
* Promoting usability in training, installation, and online
help
* Making management decisions that will benefit software
usability
Some chapters are written primarily for programmers, one
primarily for managers. Most are for everyone, and all are filled
with illuminating, usually amusing examples drawn from both inside
and outside the technical world. A helpful appendix provides
information on standards, usability groups, and sources for more
information.

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