Browse Books

Reviewer: Michael G. Murphy

This book discusses user interface programming, not user interface design. It is well organized and researched and addresses the major areas of input, output, and error handling. The book contains chapters on menus, commands, screen techniques, the use of color, direct manipulation and special environments, windows, and special considerations for people with disabilities. The book identifies a number of principles in the text and summarizes them in a seven-page appendix; it also includes an appendix with suggested projects related to most chapters as well as an extensive nine-page bibliography, an index, and a list of illustrations. The authors also discuss user interface management systems and object-oriented programming and provide numerous examples in pseudocode, C, and special-purpose languages. A common theme of consistency and flexibility runs throughout. Although the book is not intended as a volume on user interface design, the authors have done a credible job of identifying the major issues and giving references to the literature for the interested reader. In summary, I strongly recommend this book for anyone with the slightest interest in user interface development; it is easy to read, well organized, and covers the subject in depth.