Two Great Books Every Software Shop Should Own
I was going to just recommend the latest book I picked up this week, but I figured if I mentioned it, I also really should mention another book I’ve been meaning to suggest for several months now but haven’t had the time to write about.
For those who are curious and can’t wait, the two books are The Design of Everyday Things by Donald A. Norman and Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams by Tom Demarco and Timothy Lister. Both are phenomenal books that every software shop should own and read.
Peopleware is all about how to run a software shop, about how to deal with people, how to create an environment that fosters to software development. It’s an excellent read that will really make you yearn for companies like those illustrated in his book. Probably the best description I’ve heard is how to be an anti-Dilbert company.
The Design of Every Things is about a completely different topic that not only applies to software, but to every single piece of technology, even things as simple as doors. The authors explains how people perceive and use the things you design, which really helps in identifying weak spots. But more than that, he really helps give you a better path on how you can design anything to give your users a better experience.
All in all two great books that should be on the shelves of every software shop. If you haven’t already read these books, I strongly recommend you do!
· January 29th, 2007 · 11:29 pm · Permalink
[…] We’re redesigning the purchase page for several reasons, most of them forward looking. Firstly, we came to the conclusion that our current purchase page is not entirely clear in conveying its purchase options. For example, we’ve noticed an upward trend in the number of questions related to what the purchase options are. This could possibly be due to the increasing traffic we’re getting, but either way we’re receiving more and more support requests from people asking about the different purchasing options. For example, we get questions about the difference between the downloadable and shipped version, as well as what’s the difference with the “upgrade” version. For us it seems simple, but that’s very likely because we’re biased from working with it everyday. At the end of the day, if people are asking the question, we’re probably not clearly explaining things (The Design of Everyday Things). […]