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About Face 3: The Essentials of Interaction Design 3rd Edition

4.3 out of 5 stars 67 ratings

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This completely updated volume presents the effective and practical tools you need to design great desktop applications, Web 2.0 sites, and mobile devices. You’ll learn the principles of good product behavior and gain an understanding of Cooper’s Goal-Directed Design method, which involves everything from conducting user research to defining your product using personas and scenarios. Ultimately, you’ll acquire the knowledge to design the best possible digital products and services.

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Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

When the first edition of About Face was published in 1995, the idea of designing products based on human goals was a revolutionary concept. Thanks to the work of Alan Cooper and other pioneers, interaction design is now widely recognized as a unique and vital discipline, but our work is far from finished.

This completely updated volume presents the effective and practical tools you need to design great desktop applications, Web 2.0 sites, and mobile devices. This book will teach you the principles of good product behavior and introduce you to Cooper's Goal-Directed Design method, from conducting user research to defining your product using personas and scenarios. In short, About Face 3 will show you how to design the best possible digital products and services.

About the Author

For over 30 years Alan Cooper has been a pioneer of the modern computing era. His groundbreaking work in software design and construction has influenced a generation of programmers and business people—and helped a generation of users. He is best known as the "Father of Visual Basic," inventor of personas, and founder of Cooper, the leading design consultancy.

As Director of Design R&D at Cooper, Robert Reimann led dozens of design projects and helped develop many of the methods described in About Face 3. Currently, he is Manager of User Experience at Bose Corporation and President of IxDA, the Interaction Design Association.

David Cronin is Director of Interaction Design at Cooper, where he's led the design of products for such diverse users as surgeons, museum visitors, online shoppers, automobile drivers, financial analysts, and the elderly.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ John Wiley & Sons Inc
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 1, 2007
  • Edition ‏ : ‎ 3rd
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 610 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0470084111
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0470084113
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.1 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.5 x 1.25 x 9.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 out of 5 stars 67 ratings

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4.3 out of 5 stars
67 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book to be a great introduction to interaction design, with one mentioning it serves as a handy reference for specific design questions. Moreover, the content receives positive feedback, with one customer noting it provides good context for practical advice. Additionally, customers appreciate the value for money.

12 customers mention "Design principles"12 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the design principles in the book, finding it a great introduction to interaction design with useful examples throughout. One customer notes it serves as a handy reference for specific design questions, while another mentions it provides a comprehensive overview of the field.

"...It's a great overview of a field I'm not particularly familiar with, so I can't comment about the choice of topics...." Read more

"This book serves two purposes: 1. It's a great intro to interaction design and UX in general 2...." Read more

"...This one is far superior by being most comprehensive yet well organized and able to teach you actually how to approach to the process step by step,..." Read more

"...Not only a good read, but thought provoking. There is very little repetition of ealier material or examples...." Read more

9 customers mention "Content"9 positive0 negative

Customers find the book's content great, with one customer noting it provides good context for the practical advice.

"...Not only a good read, but thought provoking. There is very little repetition of ealier material or examples...." Read more

"...It's always a learning experience to read through an example you're already familiar with...." Read more

"...Coming from 2007, is still giving real tips and its study cases are very useful to learn better ways to work in some UI or UX issues that you can..." Read more

"This book is an exceptional read, the A-Z of interaction design's methodology, process and discussion...." Read more

6 customers mention "Value for money"6 positive0 negative

Customers find the book offers good value for money.

"...Great For A Few..." Read more

"The value of the content in this book is high...." Read more

"This is a great book to get when starting your UX career and especially if you're going to get into user testing." Read more

"Good book, bad publisher..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on March 21, 2012
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    I really learned a lot from this book. I can't think of any reason to give it less than 5 stars.

    It's a great overview of a field I'm not particularly familiar with, so I can't comment about the choice of topics. However, what is covered is covered rather effectively. There are wonderful examples throughout to concretize the principles illustrated.

    The author has a clear perspective on what good and bad design is, and it was very tastefully done. It doesn't come across as derogatory even when criticizing a particular approach or product. It's always a learning experience to read through an example you're already familiar with.

    This book helped me to see design as a sort of science with many useful principles. It won't make me good at design per se, but there was enough practical suggestions that it'll greatly improve the apps I write for fun. And the theory also serves as a good context for the practical advice. They're connected very well, with a good mix of each.
  • Reviewed in the United States on September 11, 2012
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    I'm a full-time software engineer/consultant who couldn't interface design his way out of the proverbial wet paper bag.

    This book didn't really change that.

    What it did do, however, is get me to start recognizing the things that make a bad UI/UX to the point where I could, and this is important, properly quantify what was wrong. I could explain the details I was looking at in relevant terms instead of having to rely on things like "feels wrong" or "just isn't right."

    If you're a bit of an interface dummy like me... yea, pick it up and you won't be sorry.
    5 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on August 3, 2013
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    This book serves two purposes:

    1. It's a great intro to interaction design and UX in general

    2. It's a handy reference for when specific design questions come up and you need to remember what the best practice is for a certain type of interface element.

    I'm a UX Designer with several years experience, and I still can't get enough of this book. Cooper knows his stuff (of course; he goes way back with software and he's the head of one of the big UX consultancies) and lays it out simply and logically. If you do any kind of software design, read this and remember it. If you're a designer, keep it on hand.
    2 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on May 16, 2011
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    I am a UX specialist and have read most of the titles in the subject. This one is far superior by being most comprehensive yet well organized and able to teach you actually how to approach to the process step by step, unlike others just giving some tips here and there and leaving you confused. Starting with web-based application and projects, this book should be a fundamental must-read before starting to do any type of interface & interaction & UX design project.
  • Reviewed in the United States on May 8, 2007
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    This book, as with Alan's earlier editions, is quite good, certainly 5 stars. Not only a good read, but thought provoking. There is very little repetition of ealier material or examples.

    However the quality of the paper is just a step above newsprint, the illustrations are all in B&W and the cover lamination peeling off after only 3 chapters read. Published by Wiley.

    Compare this with Martin Evening's "Photoshop CS2 for Photographers" at the same price. Martin's book is in full color, coated papers and fine binding. Published by Focal Press.

    Really makes you feel like you are getting ripped off by the publisher.

    Alan... get a better publisher!
    107 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on September 26, 2012
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    I strongly recommend this book as a way to establish a coherent framework for interaction design and for approaching design generally in an organization. The author is not afraid to take positions on the best technique for X or whats wrong with Y. Rather than being a mishmash of design methodologies and patterns (which describes a lot of books in this category), it's a specific progressive approach based on real-world experience. Loved it.
  • Reviewed in the United States on April 8, 2014
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    The value of the content in this book is high. Coming from 2007, is still giving real tips and its study cases are very useful to learn better ways to work in some UI or UX issues that you can see in your career in different projects.

    The quality of the book is not quite good, the paper seems low quality and the cover is weak, but it doesn't matter so much because the learnable content is worth.

    I would give 5 stars if it had an actual edition.
  • Reviewed in the United States on March 30, 2011
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    This book is an exceptional read, the A-Z of interaction design's methodology, process and discussion. I appreciate the fact the authors give various opinions on certain procedures by other authors/practitioners and explain why they do/do not like it within context. The book also gives reference to other literature where more explanation may be needed (like on usability testing or persona research). I highly recommend it.

Top reviews from other countries

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  • Rod Glover
    5.0 out of 5 stars Lucid, complete and excellent course on interaction design
    Reviewed in Canada on April 14, 2012
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    About Face 3 presents all the most important considerations and techniques in user interaction design in a single, well-organized, very well-written volume. It presents a complete method for conducting design processes focused on users in their real working environment. Then it presents design patterns that have emerged as common elements of good designs (and a few anti-patterns from bad designs.) Each topic is illustrated with real-world examples (often famous ones), and the author is direct -- sometimes insulting and funny, sometimes laudatory -- about what is right or wrong about a given design.

    My only criticism would be that the Cooper Method is presented as a fairly strongly "waterfall-ish" process. However, anyone who understands agile processes (e.g., Scrum) will be able to adapt it quite easily -- its user focus and iterative approach are made for agile processes. I am looking forward to applying Cooper's method in the next phase of my current project.
  • Jeremy McGee
    5.0 out of 5 stars If you really care about users, buy this book
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 10, 2007
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    Deeply relevant and very influential: if you're a software developer, you owe it to your users to buy this book.

    The book is organised into three distinct parts, each of which has a rather different tone. The first part is an introduction to "personas" and their goals. Much emphasis is placed on detailed research such as interviews with sample users, which is a fine luxury if you have the resources and time! However, even developers working in smaller teams will find the general principles useful.

    The second part is concerned with the overall approach that an application should take. It discusses "posture": whether an application should be "full-screen" and sovereign or an infrequently used utility, and how this changes the top-level design.

    This second part includes my favourite chapter, "Eliminating Excise", which is really pretty funny - it points out why we find prompts from Word annoying and why Motorola phones are just plain frustrating. However, the advice to fix these frustrations might be a bit over the top unless you have an infinite development budget: I too would love to have multi-level undos that are persistent across application sessions.

    The final part covers specific advice on layouts and controls. It brings together more concrete suggestions based on the previous two parts.

    It's quite possible that the ideas in this book influenced the design of applications such as Office 2007 and iTunes. Although few developers have the challenge of designing Web sites or applications for the mass market, the advice in this book is worth considering even for corporate applications. Just watch the budget!
  • Amrullah Zunzunia
    5.0 out of 5 stars The bible of Interaction design
    Reviewed in India on June 4, 2015
    Great book, I got to learn a lot about Interaction design,
    but I personally feel the use of Users' Mental Models could have been explained in even greater depth,
  • Inés Soriano
    4.0 out of 5 stars Nice condition
    Reviewed in Spain on April 7, 2025
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    Se nota que ha sido usado, pero está en muy buenas condiciones
    Report
  • King George
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great Academic Book
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 17, 2011
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    I brought this along with 'Dont Make Me Think', which is the 'classic' book on this sort of stuff, and I must say im impressed. Personally I like the extra ooomppff of a heavy accademic approach to anything. This goes into a lot of detail and depth on things, which gives it a lot of credibility. In comparison to 'Dont Make Me Think' which is out of date I think, its not 'subjective'. It provides you with a technical framework to understand the issues it deals with. 'Dont Make Me Think' gives an emotive framework and is subjective. It gives you a rich vocabulary with which to deal with the issues with customers. For example, personas, user levels and interfaces.

    My only observation is that it is focussed more on computer interfaces than web sites. Although its all the same, I think its important to bear in mind as many references focus on product development and not web development which is more fluid in my opinion. As such, a lot of the methodology is better suited to teams that have the time to go to the next level to get userability right before a product launch in comparison to web sites which are oftem more lightweight and flexible.

    Definatly recommended for people that dont want a phamphlet on the subject, ie the sort of book designed to be read on a plane trip like many others are.