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See XML Document RequestedRosie says...
I'll admit it, I didn't expect to learn too many new ideas from reading this book, but I was pleasantly surprised. Unlike other books I've read on web usability, Web Usability & Navigation: A Beginner's Guide actively encourages you to develop an eye for usability through the use of various projects designed to give you the opportunity to practice what you've just learnt.
As you might expect, the usual topic of web site navigation and usability are covered... but before reading, I never really considered the problems surrounding the actual use of the web. I knew about the problems of browser compatibility and I am always curious as to how my site looks on other operating systems. Until now however, the difficulties and information overload experienced by the novice Internet user were long forgotten, and I'd never even considered how I could build my site to accommodate for different learning styles.
Like other usability books, Web Usability & Navigation: A Beginner's Guide does not go into the detail of exactly how you should implement what you've just learnt, rather it gives ideas on what to look for. So if you are expecting examples of code, there aren't any. One nice addition to the book is the case studies. Sure, other books have case studies, but rather than tell you from the outset what problems there are, you are encouraged to list any usability problems for yourself.
I particularly enjoyed the module on getting traffic to a site, it provided me with some fresh insight into just how closely linked web site usability and promotion usually are. After all, part of the experience of using a site is getting to it as quickly as possible, whether you type a name in the browser or search for it in the search engines.
Overall, this is a good introduction to web usability that is very easy to read, but as with other usability books, the nature of the information makes it difficult to use as a quick reference. For those who aren't new to the topic, there are quite a few things you could learn from reading this book, although perhaps the only way you'll find gaps in your knowledge is to read the book from cover to cover.
- Readability: 5
- Reference: 4
- Reusability: 3
- Examples: 3
- User Level: Beginner/Intermediate
- Score: 15/20
Module List
- Part I: Seeing Through a Users Eyes
- You as a Preeminent User: Put on Your Usability Specticles
- Swap Out Your Specticles: Seeing from Other Perspectives
- Get to Know Your Users: Creating User Profiles
- Get to Know Your User's Computer Constraints
- Know the Web Even Better Than Your Users Do
- Part II: Designing Web Sites for your Users
- Stick to a User-Centric Design Process
- Site Design, First Steps: Getting Users to your Site
- Information Architecture: Organizing Your Web Site
- Navigation Design
- Site Design and Usability Dilemmas
- Screen Design for Usability
- Preparing User-Friendly Content
- Case Studies: Analyzing Web Sites
- Testing, Testing
- Looking Ahead, Through the Users' Eyes
- Part III: Appendixes
- Mastery Check Answers
- Print and Web Resources
- Web Site Functionality Testing
- Web Site Usability Checklists
Other Information
A sample module, You as a Preeminent User: Put on Your Usability Specticles, is available from the Osborne Web Site. The module list, book cover image and sample chapter are used with kind permission from Osborne McGraw-Hill.
Rather than having chapters, Web Usability & Navigation: A Beginner's Guide structures it's content in modules. Each module is a self contained unit complete with projects and one minute drills to help you absorb ideas and concepts through active learning.