Web Site Usability Handbook (Internet Series) [Paperback]

Mark Pearrow (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2, 2006

Since the first edition of the Web Site Usability Handbook was published in 2000 there have been numerous changes in the technology world. After the Dot-Com bubble burst, corporate training and education budgets were cut severely and investment in new technology businesses slowed down. But today things have turned around again and behind the scenes at technology companies, usability specialists are still quietly working to make the electronic world easier to manage. This second edition provides the new insights and guidance needed to help make usability an effective and enjoyable journey. Every word from the first edition of this book has been revised, or at least heavily reconsidered; and in many cases, whole sections have been removed or rewritten entirely, while other sections are completely new to this edition. The casual and conversational tone of the fi rst edition has also changed because the current wave of usability specialists embodies a much higher degree of training and knowledge of basic science. The goals of the book, however, have not changed: to train those concerned with usability how to understand it as one piece of the large technology puzzle that is affecting and shaping the human and natural worlds. Usability is an art and a science, but it is also an obligation we have to society. Accessibility and usability form the foundation of human-enabling technology; that is, technology that serves us, rather than technology that we serve. Everything from understanding the human factors of design and how to generate user-centered designs to accessibility, usability metrics, heuristic evaluation, and testing are detailed. Whether you are a usability professional seeking methods for transforming data into change or a web designer seeking guidance for making your sites easier to navigate, you'll find information and practical tools you can apply to your own sites today.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The Web Site Usability Handbook is for individuals who evaluate and improve the usability of Web sites. It does not, as the title might imply, specifically show Web developers how to make their sites more usable.

The book explores the growing field of Web usability, with equal emphasis on theory and practicality, and focuses primarily on measuring usability accurately and applying it to formal and informal testing. The concept of a usability toolbox--a collection of tools and techniques--is presented, along with sound reasoning for the use of each component. The tools vary from index-card sorting to heuristic evaluation to focus groups. There is some fascinating material also about the human factors of usability, such as the mechanics of vision and the idiosyncrasies of human memory.

A chapter that's devoted to design guidelines includes some concrete suggestions, such as "don't overuse emphasis" and "make printer-friendly pages." This chapter contains no revolutionary ideas; instead, it's a helpful list of pointers that are worth revisiting from time to time. More elemental are the 10 usability heuristics that are presented in the next chapter and that were developed originally by usability guru Jakob Nielsen. These high-level concepts demand careful consideration, but can produce impressive results.

The Web Site Usability Handbook presents the framework for a usability lab complete with video observation, and shows how to conduct objective usability testing. Many organizations skip the potentially critical development step of usability analysis; however, if yours wants to be more forward-looking in Web strategy, this is a good guide for getting it started in usability. --Stephen W Plain

Topics covered:

• User-centered design
• Usability tools
• Human-factors psychology
• Sensation and perception
• Design guidelines
• Heuristic evaluation
• Usability lab setup
• Usability testing
• Web accessibility
• Usability statistic analysis

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Publisher

KEY FEATURES:

-- Provides practical information for increasing your web sites usability

-- Explains the principles of User Centered Design

-- Details what you need in your Usability Toolbox including usability testing

-- Takes you through the testing and evaluation process, from a scientific and heurisitc approach

-- Teaches you how to implement the results and transform the data into change

ABOUT THE CD-ROM This hybrid (Win/Mac) CD will include sample Web site designs with an analysis of good and bad features; and free usability testing software! --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Charles River Media; 2 edition (October 2, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1584504692
• ISBN-13: 978-1584504696
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #549,748 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Needed Resource, July 31, 2000

By 

Scott Standridge (Fayetteville, AR) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Web Site Usability Handbook (Internet Series) (Paperback)

Many websites you surf into these days seem less than user-unfriendly--they seem openly user-hostile. If more web site designers made themselves more knowledgeable about usability in their design, everyone would benefit.

This book is a great introduction to web site usability. I've been interested in learning more about this subject but haven't been able to find a book (other than Jakob Nielsen's recent work) that puts all the pieces together. This book does that. The parts I found most useful were the chapter on "usability tools" and the chapters on heuristic evaluation and classical usability testing. The chapters on statistics and research design were a little on the elementary side for anyone with research or statistical background, but I can see how someone new to the topic could benefit.

The author has rather a strange sense of humor, but this keeps the material interesting--and let's face it, without a sense of humor this is pretty dry stuff. It's refreshing to read someone willing to crack a smile or give the reader a wink in such a usually arid subject. I highly recommend Pearrow's book to both novice and intermediate web site designers.

32 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Very Practical, Useful and Usable Book, August 30, 2000

By 

George M. Donahue (Atlanta, GA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Web Site Usability Handbook (Internet Series) (Paperback)

Though it's probably most helpful for newcomers to usability (I refuse to say "user experience"), this little gem of a handbook may also be quite helpful to more experienced u-pros, in that it provides a very approachable, clear and cogent discussion of usability, common usability techniques, how and when to apply them, etc., that could be shared with non-usability colleagues (or quoted from) to educate them about usability. It's greatest strength is its practicality. I wish I'd had this book four years ago. Although I don't agree with every point Pearrow makes, my hat's off to him for the contribution he's made to the field. If you only recommend one usability book this year, this is the one.

29 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More then I expected, September 1, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Web Site Usability Handbook (Internet Series) (Paperback)

I had ordered this book a few months before I took my new job. My second day at work I was told that I was in charge of organizing the Heuristic Evaluation for a new product being developed. Since I had never even heard of a Heuristic Evaluation I was beginning to stress. I came home that very same night to find that my new book had been delivered. As I was flipping the pages I stumbled upon the chapter on performing Heuristic Evaluation. This was a godsend. The book saved me a lot of worry and stress. Since then I have refereed to almost every chapter in the book to help me with many different projects. If you are looking for something that is easy to read and explains the principles usability and usability testing then I highly recommend this book.