Book excerpt: ". . . a book that should be forced on every developer working today. If only half the rules in this book were followed, the quality of most programs would increase tenfold." -Kevin Bachus, praising Theo Mandel's The GUI-OOUI War A total guide to mastering the art and science of user interface design For most computer users, the user interface is the software, and in today's ultracompetitive software markets, developers can't afford to provide users and clients with anything less than optimal software ease, usability, and appeal. The Elements of User Interface Design is written by a cognitive psychologist and interface design specialist with more than a decade's research and design experience. Writing for novices and veteran developers and designers alike, Dr. Mandel takes you from command-line interfaces and graphical-user interfaces (GUIs) to object-oriented user interfaces (OOUIs) and cutting-edge interface technologies and techniques. Throughout, coverage is liberally supplemented with screen shots, real-life case studies, and vignettes that bring interface design principles to life. Destined to become the bible for a new generation of designers and developers, The Elements of User Interface Design Arms you with a "tested-in-the-trenches," four-phase, iterative design process * Analyzes well-known interfaces, including Windows 95, Windows NT, OS/2 Warp, Microsoft Bob, Visual Basic, Macintosh, and the World Wide Web * Schools you in object-oriented interface (OOUI) design principles and techniques * Offers practical coverage of interface agents, wizards, voice interaction, social user interfaces, Web design, and other new and emerging technologies