Table Of Contentdesign for
SOFTWARE
design for
SOFTWARE
A PLAYBOOK FOR DEVELOPERS
Erik Klimczak
This edition first published 2013
© 2013 Erik Klimczak
Registered office
John Wiley & Sons Ltd, The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 8SQ, United Kingdom
For details of our global editorial offices, for customer services and for information about how to apply for permission to
reuse the copyright material in this book please see our website at www.wiley.com.
The right of the author to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright,
Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form
or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, except as permitted by the UK Copyright,
Designs and Patents Act 1988, without the prior permission of the publisher.
Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in
electronic books.
Designations used by companies to distinguish their products are often claimed as trademarks. All brand names and prod-
uct names used in this book are trade names, service marks, trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective own-
ers. The publisher is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. This publication is designed to
provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold on the understanding that
the publisher is not engaged in rendering professional services. If professional advice or other expert assistance is required,
the services of a competent professional should be sought.
Trademarks: Wiley and the Wiley logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and/or its
affiliates in the United States and/or other countries, and may not be used without written permission. All other trade-
marks are the property of their respective owners. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. is not associated with any product or vendor
mentioned in the book.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN 978-1-119-94290-0 (paperback); ISBN 978-1-119-94369-3 (ebook); 978-1-119-94370-9 (ebook); 978-1-119-94371-6
(ebook)
Set in 10/12.5pt Chaparral Pro Light by Indianapolis Composition Services
Printed in United States by Command Web
For Bob, Chris and Val
Without you, I wouldn’t be me.
Publisher’s Acknowledgements
Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following:
Editorial and Production
VP Consumer and Technology Publishing Director: Michelle Leete
Associate Director–Book Content Management: Martin Tribe
Associate Publisher: Chris Webb
Associate Commissioning Editor: Ellie Scott
Project Editor: Box Twelve Communications
Copy Editor: Melba Hopper
Technical Editor: Jacob Gable
Editorial Manager: Jodi Jensen
Senior Project Editor: Sara Shlaer
Editorial Assistant: Annie Sullivan
Marketing
Associate Marketing Director: Louise Breinholt
Marketing Manager: Lorna Mein
Senior Marketing Executive: Kate Parrett
Marketing Assistant: Tash Lee
Composition Services
Compositor: Jennifer Mayberry
Proofreader: Joni Heredia Language Services
Indexer: Potomac Indexing, LLC
About the Author
ERIK KLIMCZAK is an interaction designer and software developer who spe-
cializes in creating products and services that help make people’s lives easier.
He is hugely passionate about the blurry part of design where cognitive behav-
ior, fine art, and technology converge. Erik leads a design group in Chicago,
where his unique skill set helps bridge the gap between highly inspiring cre-
ative and technical teams, from whom he learns something new every day. His
work covers a vast range of creative and technical ground, which he has
brought to bear for the entertainment, financial, health, consumer, and retail
domains. When he is not at the whiteboard, Erik spends his time indulging in
his passion for photography and music. You can get in touch with him via
Twitter at @eklimcz.
About the Technical Reviewer
JACOB GABLE is a Father, Amateur Philosopher and Creative Technologist
living in Chicago, IL. He has created desktop, mobile and web based software
of all kinds for small, large and “just right” companies across the world. He is a
contributor to open source projects including jQuery Mobile, and creator of
several useful libraries available on Github and Node Packaged Modules
(NPM).
When he’s not obsessing over some weekend hacking project he can usually be
found Sailing or Biking around Chicago with his wife, Kristen, and daughter,
Addison. He writes occasionally on technology and the meaning of life on his
blog: http://jacobgable.com. You can get in touch with him via Twitter
at @jacob4u2.
Acknowledgements
Even though my name is the only name on the cover of this book, I couldn’t have done it
without a lot of help.
First, a great deal of gratitude is owed to the hard-working team at Clarity Consulting who’ve
been a constant source of inspiration long before the conception of this book.
Then there’s good folks at Wiley, particularly Chris Webb and Jeff Riley, who helped turn
my rambling thoughts and incoherent writing into a book my English teaches would be
proud of.
My technical editor, Jacob Gable, whose complementary skill set and sage insight kept me
honest and gave me encouragement through over a year of writing.
Thanks are also due to Sean Devlin and Raphael D’Amico, who selflessly dedicated their time
and artwork, which was crucial throughout the writing process.
Finally, there is one person without whom this book would never have happened: Valerie,
whose love, friendship, encouragement, and numerous brain massages allowed me to carry
on. Thank you.
