This book is essentially an encyclopedia of GUI components. The description of each component consists of four parts:

• a description of the component and its function;

• design guidelines--a practical list of “words to the wise” based on the author’s experience;

• suggestions about how to test your decision to use this kind of component in your user interface; and

• a list of other components that can be used in similar ways.

Overall, I was impressed with this book. It could serve as a useful reference for both novice and experienced designers. The author’s recommendations, opinions, and caveats are valuable because they are thought-provoking. A designer need not agree with Fowler, but it is undeniably valuable to think through the issues she raises. For example, when describing single-button toggles, she cautions developers to make sure that the alternatives are true opposites in the minds of the users. Thus, to a computer scientist, the opposite of “full duplex” is “half duplex,” but, as Fowler amusingly points out, to a nontechnical user the opposite of “full duplex” should be something like “empty duplex.” Her point is well taken and serves as a memorable lesson to those designers who tend to model use on their own or their peers’ experience.

Fowler gives readers a bonus in Appendix A, “How to Design a Good GUI.” The appendix is only 16 pages long, but it could well serve as the basis for a short course on interface design.

There are no real drawbacks to this book. It should be on every interface designer’s desktop. Novice designers are cautioned, however, that no reference book, no matter how well researched or thoughtfully written, is a substitute for insight and experience. Just as good writers can and will violate the rules of good writing in specific instances, a good designer needs to know when to depart from accepted interface guidelines.