Irene Pereyra

UX is shorthand in the software industry for “user experience.” It’s often used in conjunction with UI, or “user interface.” In the world of the web, good user interfaces and user experiences can lead to successful, profitable websites – regardless of their function. Likewise, bad UIUX almost always leads to a website’s failure. Thus, specialists are often paid well to design and implement these aspects with skill. But in a world of ever-changing designs, how can one know what good design is? In this book, one such specialist Pereyra describes 100 practices that undergird her decades of experience in this industry.

In these anthologies of principles, the goal is always to find something universal and timeless; such is the case here, where Pereyra announces her intent in the title. The devil, of course, is in the details, and some topics (like usability or Google’s design predilections) seem awfully rooted in time and events. Nonetheless, she does describe one principle in each chapter – like “friction isn’t always bad” or “create a user flow.” Then she unpacks each principle with visual illustrations and examples from her life’s work.

Many of these principles can seem contradictory. These contradictions, as anyone experienced in UIUX knows, are an inherent part of the game. Two principles of “less is more” but “less is a bore” illustrate this paradox precisely. She also puts down her stake deeply in some present-day controversies. She is against so-called “objective” design (measured by metrics, not art) and insists that designers’ subjectivity, seen in work experiences and intuition, play an essential role in good design.

Aspiring UIUX designers will find this book useful. In addition, the artful illustrations (always a plus in a book on visual design) will make this book suitable for coffee tables. Anyone who (like me) designs user interfaces on screens can benefit from empathizing with end-users. The melding of art and science makes this field particularly appealing and challenging. In practice, computer programmers (again, like me) often do amateur UIUX work, and learning from an expert like Pereyra can add significant value to a product. There aren’t a ton of books in this nascent field; Pereyra’s 100 principles will likely illuminate designers’ paths for some time to come.… (meer)