Customer Reviews

Mapping Websites: Digital Media Design

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If you're looking for a book that can give you insight on how to structure and organize a web site, or any other screen based application for that matter (wireless, desktop, etc.), keep looking because this is not it.

If you already have a good idea of how you want to organize your website and want to take it to the next level, you need a map that can sequence and structure your ideas in a visual format. Its is one of the best ways to gain insight into the overall user experience, help you optimize your architecture and share it with others (no web skills necessary).

This book is a great tool when it comes to looking at examples that illustrate the best mapping alternative for your particular project. As with all maps, the detailed visual examples are a great way to convey the essence of mapping (yes, it is an art).

I've used the information in this book to build maps that help design efficient sites from scratch and optimize the user experience of highly complex mega-portals.

The only thing missing? A section on software applications that will help you to design maps - I use freehand and illustrator which elevate mapping to art form (great for creating an impact in important pitches). A CD with design clipart would also be a useful resource (symbols, icons, pages, etc.).

When I first opened the cover of this book, I was surprised to find that the pages were full-color and glossy. The majority of the text was white on a black background. Screen shots abounded. I was overwhelmed!

I read the book because it was an assigned textbook for a graduate class I took on Information Architecture. The book did get me thinking about site maps and their usefulness or lack thereof. By the time I finished the book, I was less overwhelmed by the artsy style and better able to see the value in the material.

The book offers multiple case studies and examples of site maps, however many of the site maps do not exist on the web sites today.

another title aimed at information architects/web designers that doesn't really do the business. it's got some good pictures, but there isn't a great deal of rewarding stuff there.

This book is a must have for any designer's shelf. It offers an intelligent and rational itemization of the ins and outs of website creation. But what is the point of it?

A precise title would have been "Maps of Websites" as it doesn't offer much in terms of step by step instructions on how to do what the authors point out is "good."

So, it comes the closest out of any web-design manual/showcase to a lucid vision of proper web architecture. . .

all of these ideas, however, are thoroughly covered in organizational and planning manuals.

This book is not only for beginners but also for other levels. I think you will not feel relax, until you finish reading this book.