Software Designer, Author
Alan Cooper is an American software designer known as the Father of Visual Basic and a pioneer of interaction design. Along with coauthors Robert Reimann, David Cronin, and Christopher Noessel, he wrote About Face, a foundational text on goal directed design methodology.
by Alan Cooper, Robert Reimann, David Cronin, Christopher Noessel
The definitive guide to interaction design, About Face covers the full spectrum from research and personas to interface design patterns for desktop, web, and mobile. Alan Cooper, the inventor of design personas, presents his Goal-Directed Design methodology for creating products that satisfy both user needs and business goals. The fourth edition adds extensive coverage of touchscreen interfaces and responsive design.
The books Alan Cooper, Robert Reimann, David Cronin, Christopher Noessel references, cites, and recommends most frequently.
by Don Norman
Norman reveals why badly designed objects frustrate us and how good design makes correct use intuitive. The principles, affordances, feedback, constraints, apply far beyond physical products.
by Steve Krug
Krug argues that good web design is about eliminating thought, not adding features. Users scan, not read, so every page should be self-evident and require zero mental effort to navigate.
by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Csikszentmihalyi identifies the state of total absorption where time vanishes and performance peaks. Flow is not random, it arises from clear goals, immediate feedback, and matched challenge.
by Tom DeMarco
DeMarco argues software's major problems are sociological, not technical - broken teams, noisy offices, and bad management. Productivity depends on quiet space, autonomy, and conditions for flow.
Who Alan draws from, and who draws from Alan — aggregated across every book in this collection. Counts show the number of citation links, not the depth of each one.