Usability for the Web: Designing Web Sites That Work

by Darren Gergle, Scott Wood, Tom Brinck, et al.

Unlike most books, Usability for the Web treats Web site usability as a practical and realizable business goal, not a buzzword or abstraction. It teaches readers the concepts and skills they need to... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1558606580
• ISBN13: 9781558606586
• Release Date: October 2001
• Publisher: Morgan Kaufmann Publishers
• Length: 481 Pages
• Weight: 2.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 7.4" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Seven user navigation models are excellent

This book contains a lot of usable usability practices that really works! You can get literally all the details of usability testing practices in this book, as well as how to run them. And good amount of pages are spent for user needs analysis and task analysis as the first steps explaining Web site engineering approach.When reading this book, my first impression was that many worksheets, checklists and forms were included throughout this book: - Client Interview/Web Site Information Worksheet - Goals checklist - Sample of Web survey - Focus Group Preparation Worksheet - Information Architecture Review Checklist - Mockup Checklist (in Envisioning Design) - Mockup Style Review Form (in Envisioning Design) - Writing Guidelines Checklist (in Web page writing) - Form for Brainstorming Icons - Form for Testing Whether an Icon Is Recognizable - Problem Report and Resolution Form (in Pre-Launch) - Problem Summary Report (in Pre-Launch) - Postproduction Checklist - Web Site Final Approval Form - Minimal Maintenance Checklist - A Detailed, General-Purpose Checklist (for Inspection) - User Testing Preparation Worksheet (for Evaluation) - Typical Testing Script (for User Testing) - Consent Form (for User Testing)These materials are really helpful in conducting actual usability testing to get effective results. And many concepts are also categorized, organized, and explained in a lot of tables. In engaging Web usability testing, the most important thing is to understand your audiences. This book contains very specific way of putting them into action using scenario approach. The most impressive approach of this book is in enumerating user characteristics as seven user navigation models: 1. Omnipotent model: Because people have perfect knowledge, they donft err in any way. 2. Most rational model: People click interesting links only. 3. Minimum effort model: People behave in ways with least mental efforts. 4. Mental map model: First, people build their mental map according to the Web site structure. They donft use navigation in that site which doesnft fit with their mental map. 5. Repeat fixed ways: People like his own way. They repeat their fixed ways irrespective of their inefficiency. 6. Get nearby information: When handy resources are found nearby, people use them and donft go outside. 7. Cost-performance approach: Best strategy will be determined by this cost-performance approach. One more important practice to develop a Web site that really works is to consider the gInternational Differencesh such as languages, units, symbols, currencies, date & time, and conventions. These points are correctly addressed in this book to make your Web really workable in the international grounds as well.This book is a really remarkable work from the point of usability practices. Don't miss this book!

Most elaborate book

This is one of the best books ive ever read from any category. The author's flow from chapter to chapter is excellent. He describes in very good detail the pitfalls that many websites fall into by sacrificing appearance for usability. He makes his convincing case why the central focus of websites should be usability which is indeed rarely emphasized. The book elaborates as to the various stages you should involve users and various members of your design team into your development. Definately a keeper.

The best book for web usability..!

Unlike Jakob Nielsen who uses his personal opinion to judge web usability, Tom provides excellent explanation every aspect of usability based on the scientific research. This is the best book to learn and know about web usability. - LT

My usability bible

When I'm working and need to grab a book to take into the bathroom, it has typically been something light and definitely not work-related. The Stranger, maybe, or a Bathroom Reader. However, ever since I bought "Usability for the Web", it's been my bathroom book. I've already read it cover to cover, but opening it to a random page and reading for 10-15 minutes (or, what the heck, even 45 minutes) always gets me thinking of ways to improve what I'm working on. As other reviews have stated, there is nothing groundbreaking about this book. However, this is the ONLY book you will need on web usability. In fact, this book effectively replaced my books on usability, design, and architecture. All of which I read, and mostly enjoyed, but few of which I will ever pick up again.The design of the book is also very nice, easy to read and with full color throughout.Finally, responding to one critique, the authors DO reference outside sources throughout the book. There is also a section at the back which includes additional references.

thorough and well-written

we all love (or love to hate) jakob nielsen and his views on design and usability. but a lot of what he teaches is very basic and, to those of us with experience, seems like common sense. "the search box should go in the upper right corner" - i can only read that so many times. he IS one of the foremost experts, no doubt. but i was ready for another source - one that's more detailed and a little less opinionated'usability for the web' combines easy-to-understand methods, clear writing and more advanced issues for those of us who aren't beginners. and as many of us are taking on more roles, this book covers other vital topics we need to know when producing a site. before the .com bust, we had entire teams with people in specialized roles. now, project managers and designers are having to learn about info architecture, budgeting, usability and a number of other topics to secure their jobs (IF they have one). this book speaks to that person, no matter what position they're inhighly recommended