Interface Design: The Last Stumbling Block

Why is just about everyone fed up with computers? “Software rage” has become an epidemic, help lines are flooded, and people are flinging their machines out the window in frustration. More often than not, the problem is the software design itself—the interface. The design of programs and Web sites grows in importance every day. Getting it right—packing a lot of features, the right way, into a small screen area—is extremely difficult, and the masters of the art are few and far between. But David Pogue, who analyzes software design each week in his New York Times column, has found fascinating real-world examples that help illustrate both clever solutions and horrifying failures. He’ll also look forward to interface design of the future—speech, animation, and other innovations—as we move into an era of both much bigger and much smaller screens.