This book is subtitled 66 Ways Experts Think and offers sixty-six insights, distilled from years of studying experts at work, that capture what successful software designers actually do to create great software. The authors, Marian Petre and André Van Der Hoek, present these insights in a series of two-page illustrated spreads, with the principle and a short explanatory text on one page, and a drawing on the facing page. For example, "Experts generate alternatives" is illustrated by the same few balloons turned into a set of very different balloon animals.

<ASIN:0262035189>

Authors: Marian Petre, André Van Der Hoek and Yen Quach
Publisher: MIT Press
Date: November 2016
Pages: 184
ISBN: 978-0262035187
Print: 0262035189
Audience: Software Designers
Level: Introductory
Category: Software Architecture

The text is organized into such categories as "Experts reflect," "Experts are not afraid," and "Experts break the rules," the insights range from "Experts prefer simple solutions" to "Experts see error as opportunity." You're told that "Experts involve the user"; "Experts take inspiration from wherever they can"; "Experts design throughout the creation of software"; and "Experts draw the problem as much as they draw the solution."

The insights, illustrated with drawings by Yen Quach, described are designed to offer a guide for the novice or a reference for the veteran -- in software design or any design profession. A companion web site provides an annotated bibliography that compiles key underpinning literature, and the opportunity to suggest additional insights.

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