Site-Seeing: A Visual Approach to Web Usability [Paperback]

Luke Wroblewski (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0764536745 | ISBN-13: 978-0764536748 | Publication Date: June 28, 2002 | Edition: 1st

Although Web usability has received lots of hype, especially during the dot-com meltdown, the focus has been mostly on technical issues. Usability experts stress the pitfalls of frames and too many images on Web pages. They recommend editing out unnecessary words and writing in a non-linear style-all valuable advice, of course. But less frequently do they highlight the importance of the visual presentation of Web pages.

The Web is a communication medium that does most of its talking visually. What you see on a Web page tells you what you might find within the site, how to get there, and why it might interest you-not to mention the instinctive emotional response that shapes your Web experience. As a result, Web usability issues are communication issues. Easy-to-use sites are those that communicate quickly and effectively.

Site-Seeing takes a fresh approach to Web usability by applying visual communication principles and decision-making to Web design. Specifically, readers will learn the key concepts behind visual organization, look and feel, technical considerations, and clear planning that stem from audience awareness. Through numerous, full-color examples author Luke Wroblewski deconstructs "the good, the bad, and the ugly" of Web design.

The visual presentation of a site does more than merely making it pretty. It organizes information according to function. It creates distinct and appropriate personalities. It provides emotional impact and attachment. In short, it engages the audience-and keeps them coming back.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"?a carefully considered text?if you are involved in designing a website this is one of the books you should consider reading before you start?" (Cvu, October 2002)

From the Back Cover

"Usability" has become the watchword of contemporary Web design, and with good reason. But until now, books on Web usability have focused chiefly on response times, compatibility, and other technical matters, providing only limited guidance on design issues. This book takes Web usability a step further-and shows how good visual design can make a site not just usable, but user-friendly.

Using hundreds of real-world Web examples, interface expert Luke Wroblewski explains how to enhance usability by applying the principles of visual communications to site design. Good visual design, he demonstrates, can make a site's organization crystal clear-and convey its personality or "attitude" in an instant. Offering lots of specific design recommendations for text, links, images, navigation, forms, home pages, dynamic content, and Web services, Site-Seeing delivers the insights and advice you need to boost a site's visual appeal-and take Web usability to the next level.
* Learn how colors, type, photos, and more work together to give each site a distinct personality
* Create Web sites that are both practical and charged with emotion
* Discover how visual organization can clarify Web site elements and simplify interactions

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 364 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1st edition (June 28, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764536745
• ISBN-13: 978-0764536748
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #466,531 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Luke Wroblewski is an internationally recognized product design leader who has designed or contributed to software used by more than 700 million people worldwide. He is currently Chief Design Architect at Yahoo! Inc. where he works on forward-looking integrated customer experiences on the Web, mobile, TV, and beyond.

Luke is the author of two popular Web design books: Web Form Design (2008) and Site-Seeing: A Visual Approach to Web Usability (2002). He also publishes Functioning Form, a leading online publication for interaction designers. Luke is consistently a top-rated speaker at conferences and companies around the world, and is a co-founder and former Board member of the Interaction Design Association (IxDA).

Previously, Luke was the Lead User Interface Designer of eBay Inc.'s platform team, where he led the strategic design of new consumer products (such as eBay Express and Kijiji) and internal tools and processes. He also founded LukeW Interface Designs, a product strategy and design consultancy, taught interface design courses at the University of Illinois and worked as a Senior Interface Designer at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA), the birthplace of the first popular graphical Web browser, NCSA Mosaic.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good info, could be condensed, March 21, 2003

By 

Kathryn A. Pineo (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Site-Seeing: A Visual Approach to Web Usability (Paperback)

This book lays a good foundation for web design by emphasizing planning, meeting clients' goals, and understanding the target audience. Wroblewski emphasizes usability when describing the core of the site- structure, navigation, content- and how it will affect the experience of the audience. He uses numerous examples to illustrate layout, visual heirarchy, color schemes, and how they work together (or don't!) to communicate quickly and effectively to the site visitor.

I got frustrated about the amount of fluff surrounding actual information. He makes plenty of good points and then buries them beneath a barrage of condescending, long-winded metaphors, like the way we can read a map and know that blue represents water. The analogy itself could be helpful, but three paragraphs to explain the analogy is just distracting.

I'm glad I read it... it opened my eyes to many challenges that web designers face, and inspired me to infuse life and personality into my own site. I'm also glad I highlighted the meaningful parts so I (or friends who borrow it) can skip past the fluff in the future.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Visual & "wordy" is what makes this book great!, July 26, 2003

By 

"spira333" (Milwaukee, WI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Site-Seeing: A Visual Approach to Web Usability (Paperback)

As a fan of Site-Seeing, I must respond to a few of the reviews asserting that the author should have condensed certain material in the book. For me, the many visual examples and the great, detailed explanations (one reviewer suggested "wordy") are exactly what makes this book so useful. Rather than just skimming over important design concepts, the author actually takes the time to properly explain these important principles and illustrate them with examples. In my opinion, many other web design books use only words, whereas in this book, you can actually see and understand what the author is talking about. This is very important to me, as a visual learner. That is just one reason why this book is still on my desk.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Usability - Physician Heal Thyself, July 21, 2008

By 

D. W. Larson "Potato Hate" (Peoria, IL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Site-Seeing: A Visual Approach to Web Usability (Paperback)

To be fair about this, I am not judging the content of the book, but the format of the book is horrific. The author presents concepts for implementing usable web design through a book that seems to ignor hundreds of years of proven usability principles for the printed word. Interesting design, or even attractive design, is not always usable design.

The book looks like an undergraduate graphic design project - and not a successful one at that. While the author may have many good things to say, communication of those points gets lost in the design. His credibility for what he has to say also gets lost, because of the way he presents his information. I purchased this book for about $6 (used), that's a fair price for an example of what not to do. If you want to gain a solid understanding of basic usability principles, start with Steve Krug's "Don't Make Me Think".