Visual Interface Design for Windows: Effective User Interfaces for Windows 95, Windows NT, and Windows 3.1

This is a great book for a number of reasons:1.It is short and practical.2.This book is surprisingly thorough. I thought that this book might be too tactical and too focused on Microsoft Windows. It turned out to be full of general principles that could be applied in any software design situation. In fact it is full of information that would help any type of design process.3.This book is well written and easy to read. I enjoyed reading this book.4.Most of the principles in the book are timeless. Even though the examples are dated the principles can be applied today.5.This book is written by someone who has had a huge impact on lots of real world software. The book reflects a lot of successful experience with high profile products. It is obvious that the author knows how to work with engineers and designers under high pressure situations and still manage to ensure strong design.

This book is a good introduction to the principles of interface design and how it affects the usability of a software product. It includes many examples and illustrations of the ideas outlined in the book. The content is easy to read and the full-color graphics are high quality. I think it is well worth reading and very helpful for both programmers and designers. My only caveat is that due to Howlett's work experience at Microsoft, many of her examples involve Microsoft products that follow the Microsoft interface standards. These standards may be limiting to some software products. But I was impressed with the overall quality of the information.

I wish programmers of many applications I use had read this book. It provides significant insight regarding how the interface affects the user; any programmer who reads the book will have happier users. The book proves its own points via its own beautifully done "user interface".