Research Catalog

Title

Designing visual interfaces : communication oriented techniques / Kevin Mullet, Darrell Sano.

Author

Mullet, Kevin

Publication

Englewood Cliffs, NJ : SunSoft Press, [1995], ©1995.

Items in the Library & Off-site

Holdings

Details

Additional Authors

Sano, Darrell

Description

xv, 273 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some color); 24 cm

Subject

Graphical user interfaces (Computer systems)

Bibliography (note)

• Includes bibliographical references (p. 255-268) and index.

Contents

• Foreword / Jakob Nielsen. The Mess We're In. What Visual Designers Do. Art and Design. Functional vs. Aesthetic Concerns. Form, Function, and the Question of a Universal Aesthetic. Design and Rationality -- Elegance and Simplicity. Principles. Unity. Refinement. Fitness. Common Errors. Clutter and Visual Noise. Interference Between Competing Elements. Using Explicit Structure as a Crutch. Belaboring the Obvious. Overly Literal Translation. Excessive Detail and Embellishment. Gratuitous Dimensionality. All of the Above. Techniques. Reducing a Design to Its Essence. Regularizing the Elements of a Design. Combining Elements for Maximum Leverage -- Scale, Contrast, and Proportion. Background: Visual Variables. Principles. Clarity. Harmony. Activity. Restraint. Common Errors. Insufficient Contrast. Excessive Contrast. Visual Interference. Spatial Tension. Overextension. Awkward Dimensions. Techniques. The Squint Test. Establishing Perceptual Layers. Sharpening Visual Distinctions.
• Integrating Figure and Ground -- Organization and Visual Structure. Background: Perceptual Organization. Principles. Grouping. Hierarchy. Relationship. Balance. Common Errors. Haphazard Layout. Conflicting Symmetries. Ambiguous Internal Relationships. Aligning Labels but not Controls. Alignment Within but not Across Controls. False Structure. Excessive Display Density. All of the Above. Techniques. Using Symmetry to Ensure Balance. Using Alignment to Establish Visual Relationships. Optical Adjustment for Human Vision. Shaping the Display with Negative Space -- Module and Program. Background: Grid-Based Design. Principles. Focus. Flexibility. Consistent Application. Common Errors. Arbitrary Component Positions. Arbitrary Component Dimensions. Random Window Sizes and Layouts. Unrelated Icon Sizes and Imagery. Inconsistent Control Presentations. Inconsistent Visual Language. Techniques. Reinforcing Structure through Repetition. Establishing Modular Units. Creating Grid-Based Layout Programs.
• Image and Representation. Background: Semiotics. Principles. Immediacy. Generality. Cohesiveness. Characterization. Communicability. Common Errors. Misleading Syntax. Poorly Integrated Structure. Dominant Secondary Elements. Using Type as Image. Using Images for Abstract Concepts.

ISBN

0133033899

OCLC

ocm31704472

Owning Institutions

Columbia University Libraries