Code Is for Humans: A Guide to Human-Centric Software Engineering

A must-read for anyone stepping into the coding world, like me, with fresh eyes. This book doesn't just throw code at you; instead, it delves into the why—why we often fail at engineering projects, struggle with bug-free code, or create products that miss the mark with users. It's enlightening to see the focus on human cognition and complexity, making the daunting task of learning to code feel more approachable. The human-centric approach it advocates is a game-changer, teaching us to navigate our cognitive biases and simplify complexity. Although it's more theoretical and lacks code examples, this grounding prepares you for the more technical sequel. It's a foundational read that promises not just to make you a better coder, but a more thoughtful and effective engineer.

This book covers many different topics including life lessons design, engineering, and cognition. It's difficult to get a sense of what this book is about merely from the description so I have attached screenshots of the table of contents.

I've been coding for two decades and worked at a few of the FAANG companies. I've read my fair share of coding books and this book belongs among the greats such as The Pragmatic Programmer, Clean Code, and A Philosophy of Software Design.Most coding books explain "what to do" and not "why" to do it. This book is focused on the "why". It clearly explains the theory behind the "why" which you can then use as a guiding light for your engineering decisions. I found myself having a few epiphany moments while reading this book :) If you are interested in engineering theory I highly recommend you read this book.

Jackson has distilled his many years of experience into a very valuable theoretical guide for programmers of all types. Great nuggets of wisdom that will save you time and pain await on every page. I can't wait for Book 2!

A new favorite! This book synthesizes ideas from design, engineering, cognitive science, and computer science to relate a brilliant perspective on software engineering. if you are interested in SWE theory, software design, or software architecture then you will find this book worthwhile. The only downside of this book is that it does not contain many code examples, those are supposed to come in book II. If you like "A philosophy of software design" by john ousterhout then you will like this book.I uploaded that table of contents so you can get an idea of what's in this book.

Whether you're a seasoned professional or just getting started, "Code is for Humans" is a fun read that I wish I had read decades ago. I've worked as an ML researcher at giants like Amazon and Goldman Sachs and maintained large systems with people I wish had read this twice :)"Code is for Humans" is a friendly guide to making sense of software without missing the forest for the trees (there are so many trees). Jackson breaks down software design, not algorithms and focuses on making code work; it's about making it work for living breathing people (your peers who'll have to maintain that monster).

I found it too verbose up to this point (2 chapters in) - I will revise the review if things change. Verbosity is a hindrance! Even if you have bits of invaluable information/advice to communicate, burying them in verbosity puts them beyond the reach of readers (like me). It would be much better to separate the actionable information (TL;DR) from the filler.

This is a great book. It was recommended to me by a fellow coworker and he was spot on.The books lessons are relevant not only to code but to design and even life as well. CIFH is will give you insight into how to be a better developer. Whether you are just starting your programming journey of have been coding for many years Code Is for Humans will prove valuable.

This book is truly remarkable. It is exceptionally well-written, capturing my attention from start to finish. The structure of the book is particularly noteworthy, with chapters dedicated to exploring the intricacies of the human mind and cognitive load, which I found to be invaluable. The emphasis on simplicity throughout the text resonated deeply with me, as it aligns perfectly with my own beliefs. Zohar's adept use of real-world examples to elucidate complex concepts is commendable and greatly enhances the understanding of the material. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone seeking profound insights into these subjects.

Zohar Jackson bringt vieles auf den Punkt, was ich mir unbewusst in den letzten 30 Jahren erarbeitet habe. Sein Schreibstil lässt zumindest mich das Buch nicht aus der Hand legen, bis es zu Ende gelesen ist. Bei fast alles Ausführungen und Hintergründen stimme ich mit ihm überein. Das Buch wirft ein helles Licht auf Standpunkte die ich mir schon selbst erarbeitet hatte, die ich aber nie so richtig erklären konnte.Das beste Software Engineering Buch, das ich in den letzten Jahren gelesen habe!Ich warte schon gespannt auf sein zweites Buch.

I thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend! 📖It’s a great reminder of how and why we code and who we code for.The explanation of the differences between ‘good’ and ‘quality’ code, and the avoidance of overly-complex and over-architectured systems are particular highlights.Looking forward to book two to see examples of how the theory described in the book can be put into practice.

At first i was hesitant to read the book due to fee reviews so far. But the professional background of the author and the price helped me decide to finally buy it.I was wrong to even doubt it. It turned out to be a very good read. KUDOS to the author. The book is super interesting and insightful that I finished it reading it in TWO days!!!If you like Andrew Hunt’s The Pragmatic Programmer, then most likely you will love this book as well.

This book is a light read that took me less than a day. It is simple, light and excelent for getting a compiled list of different aspects of coding, ux and human aspects of computer science and software development.Only thing that bothered me is the over-reliance on XKCD and X/Twitter posts, but else it was quite enjoyable.