Universal Principles of Design, Revised and Updated: 125 Ways to Enhance Usability, Influence Perception, Increase Appeal, Make Better Design Decisions, and Teach through Design
William Lidwell, Kritina Holden, Jill Butler
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Universal Principles of Design, Revised and Updated: 125 Ways to Enhance Usability, Influence Perception, Increase Appeal, Make Better Design Decisions, and Teach through Design
High-modernist (think Bauhaus and Le Corbusier) aesthetics necessarily lead to simplification, since a reality that serves many purposes presents itself as illegible to a vision informed by a singular purpose. Any elements that are non-functional with respect to the singular purpose tend to confuse, and are therefore eliminated during the attempt t... See more
Venkatesh Rao • A Big Little Idea Called Legibility
Ease of use, then, dictates unity of design, conceptual integrity.
Frederick P. Brooks Jr. • Mythical Man-Month, Anniversary Edition, The: Essays On Software Engineering
an optimal design may be one that isn't the most efficient, but instead ensures the majority of users clearly understand what action they're taking - even if it is at the expense of some savvy users.