Usability Engineering

This book is not perfect, but some of the critique is a bit too harsh. The book is not verbose, it is just user friendly =). I mean, really, the book is a breeze to read, it is clear and not once was I unsure about anything it said. There is only a little more than 250 pages of actual text to read. Then there are excercises which I found helpful. Then there's a long list of references, which some people may find helpful when trying to find more information.The most incredible part of the book, in my opinion, is the chapter on inexpensive usability engineering methods, that can easily be adapted by small companies without large budgets. They are really worth reading the book!I believe everyone who wants a career in UI design should read this book first, before proceeding further. Those who are not usability engineers per se, will get all they need from this book (about interface-design), the UI pros will probably want to read other material too, but this is the place to start.I would give 4.5 stars if possible. The book is not perfect. But I gave 5 stars to help the average rise a bit... ...hopefully.

I've read some of the criticisms of this book - its wordy, hard to read, etc. I have to say I don't agree. Whenever people ask me to recommend books on software usability, this is always one of the top 5 that I suggest.Its a textbook, not a novel, and it has all the advantages (precise, scientific language) and all the drawbacks of a textbook (dry, dense).However, there isn't any better source on things like how to put together a usability test, how to cost justify usability in the overall design process, or even simply, what the usability process is all about. You can't be serious about software usability if you haven't read this book!And while Jakob's book "Designing Web Usability" is more popular, to me, this one is the better book.

Over the past 10 years only a few programming books have made it onto my 'must have' list. Usability Engineering is near the top. Jakob Nielsen's style is humorous and exact. More good advice could hardly be packed into one volume than you will find here.

Simply the standard on usability engineering. Buy this one first.

"Usability Engineering" explains the principles of software usability, and clearly outlines techiniques for assesing the usablility of your product. His techniques give a lot of bang for the buck. There is no excuse not to use them. He makes convincing arguments for the value of incorporating usability into the entire software design and development process. This book is an excellent companion to Cooper's User Interface bible,"About Face".