UI is Communication

Author: Everett N McKay
Publisher: Newnes
ISBN: 0123972876
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 379

Book Description
User interface design is a challenging, multi-disciplinary activity that requires understanding a wide range of concepts and techniques that are often subjective and even conflicting. Imagine how much it would help if there were a single perspective that you could use to simplify these complex issues down to a small set of objective principles. In UI is Communication, Everett McKay explains how to design intuitive user interfaces by focusing on effective human communication. A user interface is ultimately a conversation between users and technology. Well-designed user interfaces use the language of UI to communicate to users efficiently and naturally. They also recognize that there is an emotional human being at the other end of the interaction, so good user interfaces strive to make an emotional connection. Applying what you learn from UI is Communication will remove much of the mystic, subjectiveness, and complexity from user interface design, and help you make better design decisions with confidence. It’s the perfect introduction to user interface design. Approachable, practical communication-based guide to interaction and visual design that you can immediately apply to projects to make solid design decisions quickly and confidently Includes design makeovers so you can see the concepts in practice with real examples Communication-based design process ties everything from interaction to visual design together

Language and Communication

Author: Agnes Kukulska-Hulme
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0198026803
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 178

Book Description
Computer interfaces and documentation are notoriously difficult for any user, regardless of his or her level of experience. Advances in technology are not making applications more friendly. Introducing concepts from linguistics and language teaching, Language and Communication proposes a new approach to computer interface design. The book explains for the first time why the much hyped user-friendly interface is treated with such derision by the user community. The author argues that software and hardware designers should consider such fundamental language concepts as meaning, context, function, variety, and equivalence. She goes on to show how imagining an interface as a new language can be an invaluable design exercise, calling into question deeply held beliefs and assumptions about what users will or will not understand. Written for a wide range of computer scientists and professionals, and presuming no prior knowledge of language-related terminology, this volume is a key step in the on-going information revolution.

Designing Visual Interfaces

Author: Kevin Mullet
Publisher: Prentice Hall
ISBN:
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 320

Book Description
Ironically, many designers of graphical user interfaces are not always aware of the fundamental design rules and techniques that are applied routinely by other practitioners of communication-oriented visual design -- techniques that can be used to enhance the visual quality of GUIs, data displays, and multimedia documents. This volume focuses on design rules and techniques that are drawn from the rational, functionalist design aesthetic seen in modern graphic design, industrial design, interior design, and architecture -- and applies them to various graphical user interface problems experienced in commercial software development.Describes the basic design principles (the what and why), common errors, and practical step-by-step techniques (the how) in each of six major areas: elegance and simplicity; scale, contrast, and proportion; organization and visual structure; module and program; image and representation; and style. Focuses on techniques that will not only improve the aesthetics of the visual display, but, because they promote visual organization, clarity, and conciseness, will also enhance the usability of the product. Includes a catalog of common errors drawn from existing GUI applications and environments to illustrate practices that should be avoided in developing applications.For anyone responsible for designing, specifying, implementing, documenting, or managing the visual appearance of computer-based information displays.

Basics Interactive Design: Interface Design

Author: Dave Wood
Publisher: A&C Black
ISBN: 2940411999
Category : Design
Languages : en
Pages : 192

Book Description
AVA's Basics Interactive Design titles are designed to provide visual arts student with a theoretical and practical exploration of each of the fundamental topics within the discipline of Interactive Design. Packed with examples from students and professionals and fully illutrated with clear diagrams and inspiring imagery, they offer an essential exploration of the subject. Basics Interactive Design: Interface Design is the first book in the new Basics series. From a visual communication direction, it focuses on the design of effective, user-focused front-end designs for a range of digital media interfaces. Using case studies and interviews to delve deeper, the design of effective visual communication for user interfaces is clearly explained, giving the reader the knowledge needed to design better websites, apps for smartphones and tablts and DVD interfaces.

The Struggle for Control of Global Communication

Author: Jill Hills
Publisher: University of Illinois Press
ISBN: 0252091523
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 344

Book Description
Tracing the development of communication markets and the regulation of international communications from the 1840s through World War I, Jill Hills examines the political, technological, and economic forces at work during the formative century of global communication. Hills analyzes power relations within the arena of global communications from the inception of the telegraph through the successive technologies of submarine telegraph cables, ship-to-shore wireless, broadcast radio, shortwave wireless, the telephone, and movies with sound. As she shows, global communication began to overtake transportation as an economic, political, and social force after the inception of the telegraph, which shifted communications from national to international. From that point on, information was a commodity and ownership of the communications infrastructure became valuable as the means of distributing information. The struggle for control of that infrastructure occurred in part because British control of communications hindered the growing economic power of the United States. Hills outlines the technological advancements and regulations that allowed the United States to challenge British hegemony and enter the global communications market. She demonstrates that control of global communication was part of a complex web of relations between and within the government and corporations of Britain and the United States. Detailing the interplay between American federal regulation and economic power, Hills shows how these forces shaped communications technologies and illuminates the contemporary systems of power in global communications.

The Basics of Communication

Author: Steve Duck
Publisher: SAGE
ISBN: 1412941539
Category : Family & Relationships
Languages : en
Pages : 489

Book Description
Can an understanding of communication concepts improve relationships with others? Conversely, how do our connections with others influence how converse with them? Written in a warm and lively style and packed with teaching tools, The Basics of Communication: A Relational Perspective offers a unique look at the inseparable connection between relationships and communication and highlights the roles that those interpersonal connections play in public speaking as well as in casual discussions. This groundbreaking text offers a hybrid approach of theory and application by introducing students to fundamental communication concepts and providing practical instruction on making effective formal presentations. The authors encourage students to employ critical thinking on key topics, to link communication theory to their own experiences, and to improve their communication skills in the process. Key Featuresáá Stresses the vital intersection of communication and relational contexts and how they interact and influence one another Offers a refreshing and original approach that engages students with lively, topical examples to challenge them and to enliven classroom discussion Provides up-to-date communication topics in a way that easily fits within a traditional course outline Integrates effective pedagogical tools throughout, addressing ethics, media links, and questions for students to discuss with friends, among others Devotes two chapters to the use of media and relational technology such as cell phones, iPods, Blackberries, MySpace, and Facebook in daily communicationsááAncillariesáá Includes an InstructorÆs Resource on CD-ROM that features PowerPoint slides, a test bank, suggestions for course projects and activities, Internet resources, and more. (Contact Customer Care at 1-800-818-7243 to request a copy.) The robust online Student Study Site (www.sagepub.com/bocstudy) includes e-flashcards, video and audio clips, SAGE journal articles, links to a Facebook page for the text, and other interactive resources. Intended Audienceáá Designed as a core textbook for undergraduate students of communication studies, this book is also an excellent resource for business studentsùor others who are interested in learning more about the pervasive role of communication concepts in everyday life.

Effective UI

Author: Jonathan Anderson
Publisher: "O'Reilly Media, Inc."
ISBN: 1449388728
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 316

Book Description
People expect effortless, engaging interaction with desktop and web applications, but producing software that generates enjoyable user experiences is much harder than many companies anticipate. With Effective UI, you'll learn proven user-experience strategies that will satisfy your clients and customers, drive business value, and increase brand strength. This book shows you how to capture the collaborative and cooperative spirit among designers, engineers, and management required for building engaging software. You'll also learn valuable methods for maintaining focus throughout the process -- whether you're a product manager who needs a clear roadmap, a developer or designer looking for guidance and advocacy, or a businessperson who wants to understand and manage user-experience software initiatives. Learn how to build software that will: Generate engaging and interactive experiences between consumers and businesses, or between businesspeople and their information systems Account for how people work with, think about, and consume information Establish a richer means of collaboration and communication Reduce frustration by streamlining complex tasks and creating processes that are more intuitive Distinguish products, services, and brands to create a competitive advantage Create scalable systems that adapt to changing user needs and behaviors

Communicating Design

Author: Dan M. Brown
Publisher: New Riders
ISBN: 0131385410
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 1040

Book Description
Successful web design teams depend on clear communication between developers and their clients—and among members of the development team. Wireframes, site maps, flow charts, and other design diagrams establish a common language so designers and project teams can capture ideas, track progress, and keep their stakeholders informed. In this all new edition of Communicating Design, author and information architect Dan Brown defines and describes each deliverable, then offers practical advice for creating the documents and using them in the context of teamwork and presentations, independent of methodology. Whatever processes, tools, or approaches you use, this book will help you improve the creation and presentation of your wireframes, site maps, flow charts, and other deliverables. The book now features: An improved structure comprising two main sections: Design Diagrams and Design Deliverables. The first focuses on the nuts and bolts of design documentation and the second explains how to pull it all together. New deliverable: design briefs, as well as updated advice on wireframes, flow charts, and concept models. More illustrations, to help designers understand the subtle variations and approaches to creating design diagrams. Reader exercises, for those lonely nights when all you really want to do is practice creating wireframes, or for use in workshops and classes. Contributions from industry leaders: Tamara Adlin, Stephen Anderson, Dana Chisnell, Nathan Curtis, Chris Fahey, James Melzer, Steve Mulder, Donna Spencer, and Russ Unger. “As an educator, I have looked to Communicating Design both as a formal textbook and an informal guide for its design systems that ultimately make our ideas possible and the complex clear.” —Liz Danzico, from the Foreword

Community-Centered Journalism

Author: Andrea Wenzel
Publisher: University of Illinois Press
ISBN: 0252052188
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 299

Book Description
Contemporary journalism faces a crisis of trust that threatens the institution and may imperil democracy itself. Critics and experts see a renewed commitment to local journalism as one solution. But a lasting restoration of public trust requires a different kind of local journalism than is often imagined, one that engages with and shares power among all sectors of a community. Andrea Wenzel models new practices of community-centered journalism that build trust across boundaries of politics, race, and class, and prioritize solutions while engaging the full range of local stakeholders. Informed by case studies from rural, suburban, and urban settings, Wenzel's blueprint reshapes journalism norms and creates vigorous storytelling networks between all parts of a community. Envisioning a portable, rather than scalable, process, Wenzel proposes a community-centered journalism that, once implemented, will strengthen lines of local communication, reinvigorate civic participation, and forge a trusting partnership between media and the people they cover.

Rich Media, Poor Democracy

Author: Robert W. McChesney
Publisher: New Press, The
ISBN: 1620970708
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 392

Book Description
An updated edition of the “penetrating study” examining how the current state of mass media puts our democracy at risk (Noam Chomsky). What happens when a few conglomerates dominate all major aspects of mass media, from newspapers and magazines to radio and broadcast television? After all the hype about the democratizing power of the internet, is this new technology living up to its promise? Since the publication of this prescient work, which won Harvard’s Goldsmith Book Prize and the Kappa Tau Alpha Research Award, the concentration of media power and the resultant “hypercommercialization of media” has only intensified. Robert McChesney lays out his vision for what a truly democratic society might look like, offering compelling suggestions for how the media can be reformed as part of a broader program of democratic renewal. Rich Media, Poor Democracy remains as vital and insightful as ever and continues to serve as an important resource for researchers, students, and anyone who has a stake in the transformation of our digital commons. This new edition includes a major new preface by McChesney, where he offers both a history of the transformation in media since the book first appeared; a sweeping account of the organized efforts to reform the media system; and the ongoing threats to our democracy as journalism has continued its sharp decline. “Those who want to know about the relationship of media and democracy must read this book.” —Neil Postman “If Thomas Paine were around, he would have written this book.” —Bill Moyers