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Designing Gestural Interfaces: Touchscreens and Interactive Devices
If you want to get ahead in this new era of interaction design, this is the reference you need. Nintendo's Wii and Apple's iPhone and iPod Touch have made gestural interfaces popular, but until now there's been no complete source of information about the technology. Designing Gestural Interfaces provides you with essential information about kinesiology, sensors, ergonomics, physical computing, touchscreen technology, and new interface patterns -- all you need to know to augment your existing skills in traditional web design, software, or product development. Packed with informative illustrations and photos, this book helps an overview of technologies surrounding touchscreens and interactive environmentsLearn the process of designing gestural interfaces, from documentation to prototyping to communicating to the audience what the product doesExamine current patterns and trends in touchscreen and gestural designLearn about the techniques used by practicing designers and developers todaySee how other designers have solved interface challenges in the pastLook at future trends in this rapidly evolving fieldOnly six years ago, the gestural interfaces introduced in the film Minority Report were science fiction. Now, because of technological, social, and market forces, we see similar interfaces deployed everywhere. Designing Gestural Interfaces will help you enter this new world of possibilities.
272 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 15, 2008
6 people are currently reading
258 people want to read
About the author
Dan Saffer
4Ìýbooks16ÌýfollowersDan Saffer is a product design leader and the author of four books: Designing Devices (2011), Designing Gestural Interfaces (2008), Designing for Interaction (2006, 2009) and the best-selling Microinteractions (2013).
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
July 14, 2022
I have mixed feelings about this book. It gives some interesting information about gestural interface history and can slightly open up to not-obvious, screenless interfaces. Chapters connected with kinesiology, communicating gestures, or ethics are quite insightful.
However, most of the book is outdated or only slides above the surface of the gestural interfaces. The parts about touch screens were tested over time and most of them from today's perspective are obvious. Some of the other touch screen interactions hypotheses were proven wrong.
Appendix with free-form gestures examples could have great potential. Unfortunately, it shows a lack of author’s experience in designing immersive applications, and suggestions are from a very limited, simple range of in-app actions.
If someone is interested in this book I suggest omitting chapters about touch screens or only reading selected parts.
However, most of the book is outdated or only slides above the surface of the gestural interfaces. The parts about touch screens were tested over time and most of them from today's perspective are obvious. Some of the other touch screen interactions hypotheses were proven wrong.
Appendix with free-form gestures examples could have great potential. Unfortunately, it shows a lack of author’s experience in designing immersive applications, and suggestions are from a very limited, simple range of in-app actions.
If someone is interested in this book I suggest omitting chapters about touch screens or only reading selected parts.
April 7, 2010
The book gives quite a non-standard point of view of the surrounding world and the ubiquitous human-machine interaction. It is a-must for anyone dealing with the design of either UI, gestures or both.
What I lacked while reading were deep and thorough examples. The author skips nothing and yet doesn't really delve into anything(save for the list of the possible physical gestures). I expected to read more about the design of multi-touch tables and surfaces... and less about kinesiology;)
Anyway, I am very optimistic about the next editions. If developed further, the book can become the bible of gestural interfaces.
What I lacked while reading were deep and thorough examples. The author skips nothing and yet doesn't really delve into anything(save for the list of the possible physical gestures). I expected to read more about the design of multi-touch tables and surfaces... and less about kinesiology;)
Anyway, I am very optimistic about the next editions. If developed further, the book can become the bible of gestural interfaces.
April 12, 2012
Pretty superficial treatment of gesture based interaction but not in any way a bad book. I'd just wish he'd spent more time on certain sections instead of others.
The appendix with illustrated gestures seemed like a bit much, but it does provide a good example of gesture documentation and the richness of gestures and innate meanings available to us naturally did surprise me at some points.
Anyway a good starting point and shows once more how very much at the beginning of this development we are.
January 4, 2015
Someone had to write this book, and I’m glad Dan Saffer was the one to pick up the gauntlet. This is a solid introduction to the field of gestural interfaces, seen from an interaction design perspective. It is more broad than deep, but in this case (contrary to Saffer’s previous effort) this is not an issue. The main reason for this are the suggestions for further reading that conclude each chapter. Some of these will be familiar to anyone who has been paying attention to the field for some time, but others are more obscure, and therefore very welcome. Recommended.
February 19, 2009
If you are looking for a book dealing with multitouch interfaces, you'll probably be disappointed.
This book embraces the whole thing of 'Gestural Interfaces'; and there is a bunch of things you'll learn about these.
But regarding the most publicised 'multitouch' interfaces (like iPhone, Jeff Han or Jacky Chung Lee), the book shrinks to a very little number of pages.
This book embraces the whole thing of 'Gestural Interfaces'; and there is a bunch of things you'll learn about these.
But regarding the most publicised 'multitouch' interfaces (like iPhone, Jeff Han or Jacky Chung Lee), the book shrinks to a very little number of pages.
July 30, 2009
Dan Saffer's book provides such an easily accessible and well-illustrated introduction to touchscreen and gestural design that for a minute you think "wait, that's it? That's so easy" because he makes good design principles and practices look like child's play.
June 27, 2009
A good grounding book on gestural interaction design. Will be dated easily, best to check out Dan Saffer's blog for the book for more recent info.
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March 26, 2016Great overview - these interfaces are going to be ubiquitous in the near future (thanks to Siddhi Lizcano for the recommendation).
December 15, 2013
This book may have excellent when it came out, but it has little value today.
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