Why are there no "standard texts" on designing software interfaces? (or tell me I'm wrong?)
If you want to learn to *build* software, there are excellent and complete texts on the subject. It's not just a tech-vs-art thing: there are standard texts on type, drawing, color, etc.
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This comes to mind
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Short thread: One of my favorite legacy Apple development books is the HIG. This copy is almost 400 pages long and is extremely detailed. This page is on how dialog boxes are supposed to be designed!
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You're right. I've forgotten how explanatory the original was. Better in many ways than the others I listed. Still not really sufficient, I think—it's meant to present guidelines, not to be a comprehensive instructional text. But underrated!
Definitely. People frequently ask me to recommend texts and it’s challenging because I didn’t learn from one myself. But I often recommend the HIG because I notice people are not even finding information on the purpose of standard elements.
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(and yes even the current one, though the original is 😍😍😍)
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