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Ask Slashdot: Good, Relevant Usability Book?
First time accepted submitter osman84 writes "I've been developing web/mobile apps for some time, and have managed to build up some decent experience about usability. However, as I'm growing a team of developers now, I've noticed that most of the young ones have a very poor sense of usability. Unfortunately, since I was never really taught usability as science, I'm having trouble teaching them to develop usable apps. Are there any good books that make a good read for general usability guidelines for web/mobile apps? I have a couple from my college days, but I'd like something more recent, written in the era of mobile apps, etc."
Slashdot the home of the Linux developers.
I doubt that you will find a good book on general usability. You probably should follow Apples User Interface guidelines, or Windows user interface guidelines.
And hound on your new developers to get it to look and work right.
New developers often stick at usability because of many reasons.
1. They want to reinvent the wheel into something cooler and better. This often creates relearning the same lessons on good UI over the years.
2. They don't know how. College usually offers little in User Interface and UI in training. They will try to implement what is easiest.
3. Diverse set of opinions. If you are the Boss make sure they follow your standard otherwise they will make their own.
4. Have the developers listen to the end users. Bring them in on those call and let them sweat it out as the end user calls them an idiot for making the process so convoluted.
I really doubt that giving them a book will help much.
If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
You don't need a book for some of the most basic, important advice for usability... but a large number of developers seem to never have heard it.
Ready?
Do not look upon your users/customers with contempt.
This is a serious, widespread issue; just read the comments that techies have about people who are not themselves on places like ohhhh, say, Slashdot. Without sympathy for your customers, without a sense of humility in yourself, without the realization that people can be worthwhile, talented, productive and smart (yes, even smarter than YOU) yet not have the time or training or inclination to recompile their own Linux kernel or root their phone, you're going to produce awful user interfaces and workflows. You're going to amass a terrible reputation for bad customer support. You're going to have buggy software because you spend more time blaming the user than wondering if maybe your code isn't perfect.
And then you'll blame anyone except yourself.
All of the studies about icon size, color schemes, human motion studies, and cognitive science will be meaningless if you believe you need it "just because my customers are idiots".
Everybody gets what the majority deserves.
Usability is a personal preference. Some people like a UI that doesn't make them think. I like a UI that encourages me to think, because thinking is empowering. If I don't think while using an interface, I'll never find out what that interface is capable of, and I'll never increase my capabilities.
Usability is an art, not a science. You can't make an app that everyone will find usable, anymore than you can make a work of art that everyone will find asthetically appealing.
Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
As others have already pointed out, Don't Make Me Think is great and to the point, but I'd like to recommend to you The Design of Everyday Things, which doesn't talk specifically about computer user interfaces, but does provide useful advice and gets you into the necessary mindset for the task. Good UI design isn't something you can just get from a book, but a book can help you get you thinking.
Also, look at horrible interfaces to learn what not to do.