Usability Matters

Book excerpt: Summary Usability Matters: Mobile-first UX for developers and other accidental designers gives you practical advice and guidance on how to create attractive, elegant, and useful user interfaces for native and web-based mobile apps. Purchase of the print book includes a free eBook in PDF, Kindle, and ePub formats from Manning Publications. About the Technology Just because a mobile app works doesn't mean real people are going to like it. Usability matters! Most mobile developers wind up being part-time designers, and mastering a few core principles of mobile UI can make the difference between app and crap. About the Book Usability Matters is a guide for developers wrestling with the subtle art of mobile design. With each expertly presented example, app developer and designer Matt Lacey provides easy-to-implement techniques that instantly boost your design IQ. Skipping highbrow design theory, he addresses topics like gracefully handling network dropouts and creating intuitive data inputs. Read this book and your apps will look better, your users will be happier, and you might even get some high-fives at the next design review. What's Inside Understanding your users Optimizing input and output Creating fast, responsive experiences Coping with poor network conditions Managing power and resources About the Reader This book is for mobile developers working on native or web-based apps. About the Author Matt Lacey is an independent mobile developer and consultant and a Microsoft MVP. He's built, advised on, and contributed to apps for social networks, film and TV broadcasters, travel companies, banks and financial institutions, sports companies, news organizations, music-streaming services, device manufacturers, and electronics retailers. These apps have an installed base of more than 500,000,000 users and are used every day around the world. Matt previously worked at a broad range of companies, doing many types of development. He has worked at startups, small ISVs, national enterprises, and global consultancies, and written software for servers, desktops, devices, and industrial hardware in more languages than he can remember. He lives in the UK with his wife and two children. Table of Contents Introduction Part 1 - Context Who's using the app? Where and when is the app used? What device is the app running on? Part 2- Input How people interact with the app User-entered data Data not from a user Part 3 - Output Displaying items in the app Non-visible output Part 4 - Responsiveness Understanding the perception of time Making your app start fast Making your app run fast Part 5 - Connectivity Coping with varying network conditions Managing power and resources