Balanced Website Design: Optimising Aesthetics, Usability and Purpose [Paperback]

Dave Lawrence (Author), Soheyla Tavakol (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 17, 2006

Real Website Design is a new methodology that fuses traditional strengths of structured, stepped, and iterative approaches to design and implementation, sharply focused throughout a project on defining and achieving the desired purpose, usability and aesthetic characteristics – which are essential requirements of any website. This book offers practical discussion of new perspectives on usability and aesthetics, and a down-to-earth, structured approach to designing a website or teaching website design.

Editorial Reviews

Review

From the reviews: "‘Balanced Website Design (BWD) is a new methodology that fuses the strengths of traditional structured, stepped, and iterative approaches with … the desired characteristics of purpose, usability and aesthetics.’ … Throughout the book, there are many helpful figures and tables to support the methodology. The structure of the book makes it appropriate for academic use. In addition, practitioners looking for ways to improve or broaden their skills, to serve clients with varying needs and interests, will be interested in reading the book." (M. G. Murphy, ACM Computing Reviews, Vol. 49 (3), March, 2008)

From the Back Cover

Balanced Website Design (BWD) is a new methodology that fuses the strengths of traditional structured, stepped, and iterative approaches with a sharp focus on defining and achieving the desired characteristics of purpose, usability and aesthetics – absolutely essential requirements for any website. The book includes discussions of new perspectives on usability and aesthetics in the special context of website design. BWD is suitable for all types of websites, for individual and/or team projects, and should prove to be of significant value for even the most experienced of website designers. BWD provides guidance, structure and detailed documentation/process support for the activity of designing and implementing your next website – helping you to maximise its effectiveness and relevance. Features: A stepped, iterative, comprehensively structured and easy to follow approach to website design An approach that identifies and balances design needs against specific design ideas across each of the categories of aesthetics, usability and purpose New perspectives on usability and aesthetics Specially designed documentation provided to facilitate and support each process step A methodology that is applicable to all types of website, and to all project scenarios Resource based support via the book’s website (www.springer.com/1-84628-518-6) Dr. Dave Lawrence is a Senior Lecturer in multimedia web technology at Middlesex University, and has been researching in this field for over a decade. The BWD concept and material have been progressively tested in classes over the past five years. Soheyla Tavakol comes from a freelance graphic design background and has been teaching at university level in desktop publishing and digital media for many years.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Springer; 1st Edition. edition (November 17, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1846285186
• ISBN-13: 978-1846285189
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,965,383 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unique, aestehtically organized, informative & easy to follow, August 21, 2007

By 

V. Ameli - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Balanced Website Design: Optimising Aesthetics, Usability and Purpose (Paperback)

I've found in many website design books, if it is too focused on technical information, it soon feels outdated. I'm pleasantly surprised with this book, since the information offered is mainly on how to design a balanced and aesthetically working website, suitable for any level of expertise in designing a website and for any purpose. I am an artist and love designing my own websites - with mid level technical understanding. To me, the basic knowledge & psychology of aesthetics is essential, and remains always the same - - it can never go out of date. This book has a large focus on that. I highly recommend this book.

I particularly enjoyed the flow of ease of the book, explaining from the beginning what the book is about, and how to use it, with clear and easy to understand tables and images. The authors have kept their promise.