UI is Communication

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

Review

“Here [McKay] offers a guide to designing user interfaces by drawing on principles and common-sense insight about communication. There are no prerequisites, he says, no assumptions about the reader’s field or level of experience.” —Reference and Research Book News, October 2013

“The best teammate a designer can have is a communication specialist to look over your shoulder. Having Everett’s book is the next best thing to having him on your team.” —Bert Keely, Architect of Windows Pen and Touch

“McKay practices what he preaches – UI is Communication is relevant, readable, entertaining, and chock full of useful examples.” —Carolyn Snyder, Snyder Consulting

An approachable, practical communication-based guide to interaction and visual design that designers and non-designers can immediately apply to their projects to make solid design decisions quickly and confidently.

About the Author

Everett McKay is Principal of UX Design Edge, a userexperience design training and consulting company for mobile, web, and desktopapplications. Everett’s specialty is UX design training for softwareprofessionals who aren’t experienced designers through onsite and virtualcourses and workshops. He has delivered UX design workshops to an internationalaudience that includes Europe (UK, Ireland, Poland, Greece, Turkey), Asia(India, China), South America (Argentina), and Africa (South Africa, Cameroon).

Everett is author of “UI is Communication: How todesign intuitive, user-centered user interfaces by focusing on effectivecommunication”, published by Morgan Kaufmann. While at Microsoft, he wasresponsible for writing and evangelizing the Windows User ExperienceGuidelines. Before joining Microsoft, he was a programmer, specializing indesigning and developing Windows and Macintosh user interfaces.