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
Using the testing process to improve usability
Promoting usability in training, installation, and online help
Making management decisions that will benefit software usability