Jakob Nielsen's Ten Usability Heuristics are a valuable counter to the Dilbert Defense. Developed in 1990 and revised in 1994, they're still perhaps the most concise description of how systems should conform to people's needs, rather than the other way around. My favorite:
Match between system and the real world
The system should speak the users' language, with words, phrases and concepts familiar to the user, rather than system-oriented terms. Follow real-world conventions, making information appear in a natural and logical order.
(Thanks to Merlin at 43 Folders.)
The first UI book I ever read was The Art of Human Computer Interface Design. An aside, it was purchased in 1990 on a mentally foggy morning at a little bookstore in Georgetown following a night at Ellen and Matt's. It's written from the Mac perspective but it's principles apply universally. It was a great start for a newbie software engineer and shaped my UI design philosophies. I should re-read it today to see what's changed. Actually, some reviewers at Amazon mention that the book is showing it's age. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0201517973/104-8587773-4733557
Posted by: Alec | Feb 17, 2005 at 07:12 AM
It's always interesting in a design and UI context to see what stays popular or relevant over time (and is presumably deeply rooted in aspects of our culture, or even hard-wired in human beings) and what falls out into disfavor (and was presumably the result of a fleeting fashion.) That's what I like about Nielsen's list--15 years later, and all ten items are still sound advice.
Posted by: Ed | Feb 17, 2005 at 05:11 PM