Old Habits Die Hard - So I'm not going to start them..

I consider myself a strange breed when it comes to software development. While I am not writing software full time yet I am developing utilities for our teams to use during the course of development, QA, and support for our product. I started in support and moved my way into QA and my next step will be development. I am leaning towards middle tier / database development as this what I currently enjoy the most.

During this process I am doing as much as I can to build my foundation so I can be a great software developer. In building my base I am reading as much as possible from as many sources as I can find. One thing that I feel I do very well is usability. My first experiences with software were from the end user perspective being a system's / network administrator and running my own personal business for 3 years. I have come to realize many users don't have a clue when it comes to technology. As software developers we must make software as easy to use as possible while doing the following three things.

1. Guide the user during the use of the software so they don't make mistakes (prevent mistakes when possible)
2. Don't make the user feel stupid when they do make a mistake (show them how to fix it)
3. Make the user interface FUNCTIONAL.

Since I am "green" as one would say I constantly seek advice / comments / criticisms for the applications I write. I want as much feedback as possible so I can incorporate this into my skill set moving forward. My goal is to NOT develop the bad habits from the start so moving forward I don't have to try and break them to keep progressing and growing as a developer.

Of all my readings two books have really stood out for me.

GUI Bloopers 2.0 by Jeff Johnson
The Inmates are Running the Asylum by Alan Cooper

If you are reading this post and you haven't read these books - I would recommend ordering them and reading them. It will definitely make you a better software developer.