Description
Book SynopsisThrough a set of lively anecdotes and essays, Nathaniel 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. Originally published in 1991. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make avai
Trade Review"This book is very easy to read, and is so entertaining that it is hard to put down... An excellent book, and a must-read for software professionals."--Choice "The book provides a stimulating read, with a fair sprinkling of controversial opinions from which intelligent readers ... will draw their own conclusions."--J. Dodd, Information and Science Technology "This book's great glory is the author's implicit, but pervasive, notion that the human interface extends through software; and that programs are just ways that people tell computers what they should be doing... [A] book filled with points to think about well before you start coding menus or screens."--UnixWorld "A witty look at the foibles of software engineering, based on real examples... This voice of experience offers a good dose of humility to arrogant young programmers."--American Mathematical Monthly
Table of Contents*FrontMatter, pg. i*Contents, pg. vii*Preface, pg. ix*Acknowledgments, pg. xiii*Introduction, pg. 3*Chapter 1. The Hostile Beast, pg. 5*Introduction, pg. 17*Chapter 2. Who Are AU These People?, pg. 19*Chapter 3. Stopwatches, Videotapes, and Human Nature, pg. 25*Chapter 4. That Reminds Me of the Time..., pg. 33*Chapter 5. The Quest for the Perfect Line Editor, pg. 39*Chapter 6. The Men in Suits, pg. 49*Chapter 7. Information Wants to Be Free, pg. 63*Introduction, pg. 67*Chapter 8. Never Underestimate Your Users, pg. 69*Chapter 9. Pretend That Small Is Beautiful, but Don't Believe It, pg. 75*Chapter 10. Tune Defaults to the Novice, pg. 83*Chapter 11. Don't Neglect the Experts, pg. 91*Chapter 12. Your Program Stinks, and So Do You, pg. 99*Chapter 13. Listen to Your Users, but Ignore What They Say, pg. 105*Chapter 14. Lie to Your Managers, pg. 111*Chapter 15. Cut Corners Proudly, pg. 115*Chapter 16. Remember Your Ignorance, pg. 123*Chapter 17. Dabble in Mysticism, pg. 129*Chapter 18. Break All the Rules, pg. 133*Introduction, pg. 137*Chapter 19. The Tools of the Trade, pg. 139*Chapter 20. The Ivory Tower, pg. 157*Chapter 21. People Are Perverse: Designing for the Fickle User, pg. 165*Epilogue: Programming, Humility, and the Eclipse of the Self, pg. 177*Further Reading, pg. 181*References, pg. 183
