Design for Hackers: Reverse Engineering Beauty

Understanding, not just rules

When deciding between this book and refactoring UI, there was a specific review which convinced me this was the way to go. It was actually a bad review (2 or 3 star), stating this book focuses more on history and less on practical advice. This, however, is much bettwr and more useful. You don't need to remwmber a list of rules if you underatand the philosophy of something and how the individual pieces fit together. A mental model is much more valuable than a list of rules.

Reading this book in 2020 as a software engineer reveals some outdated content, but the history and explanations remain. Durable principles over transient rules and specifications.

I recommend this book to anyone looking to understand design. This is the most complete and beginner-friendly resource I've found.

I picked this up on a whim. I found the thinking muddled & the old-memes tone grating. There are better books with fewer words that teach you to look at things - Picture This by Molly Bang comes to mind.

It's good to recognize historical and technical influence on design but I found the treatment here surprisingly flat.