Customer Reviews

Web Site Usability Handbook (Internet Series)

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4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

I loved this book. I am a new psychology PhD looking to get into web usability consulting and this book was perfect for me. I have not read other books on the topic but i can say that I am glad I found this one. It was a very easy read, and i really learned a lot. I like how it takes a psychological viewpoint much of the time. I also really like how he sets you up 100% to be a usability tester. He tells you everything you need to know from A-Z with very little budget. He is also very generous giving away all his secrets and a CD rom that has all sorts of pre-made forms to get you started (powerpoint presentation on usability to show clients, informed consent forms for experimental participants etc...). Now I feel i am ready to read something more technical.

The author states that the book was created as a text for his class and it certainly reads like a textbook. For a book that is about usability, the text is almost unreadably tedious at times. (e.g. "...the first step toward Web site usability is to figure out the main goals of your Web site. For labeling purposes we will call these 'goals of the purpose.'") Each of the points in the book is better made and illustrated in other texts (Krug - "Don't Make Me Think" is good). The attempts to lighten the subject with gratuitous cartoons and humor were more irritating than amusing.

The concept of what should go into a web site is constantly changing. Therre was a time not too many years ago when every site had to open with a long Flash sequence just to show you that the developer knew Flash. This soon changed as site developers learned that visitors came there for information and were not usually in the mood to watch a cartoon or type flying across the screen. Now the big sites seem to have gone away from all but a little bit of Flash.

This is just one example of things being done to make the web more usable. This book talks about making web sites more usable. It is not a checklist or simple cookbook of things to do. Instead it is a text on the overall concepts that you can use to put together a study to determine the usability of your site. Indeed it has enough information for you to become an expert working in this area as a consultant or corporate employee.

This is the second edition of this book, the main differences are that it is brought up to date, and is written in a much more serious tone as the whole concept of web usability has become more professional.

I have read and re-read this book until the cover is nearly worn out. I originally used it to get up to speed on what web site usability means to me as a User Interface designer and Information Architect. I more recently re-read it to prepare a presentation on Usability Engineering. Unlike many fluffy "design concepts" or "best practices illustrated" manuals, Mark's book goes into detail on "how to" evaluate web sites for potential usability problems. It goes into more depth (and yet is easier to comprehend) than most other texts I have read on the subject of web site / web application usability. After re-reading it for 1.5 hours I was able to put together an effective outline for my usability engineering presentation; the outline contained over 15 3" x 5" note cards distilling the essence of good usability practices into a series of audience understandable bullet points, and was successful in landing me the opportunity I was seeking with a very demanding client. I have also used it in the past to spec out the equipment, roles, staff, and monies needed to put together an effective usability testing center. Regardless of whether your needs be instructional or professional, this is the Usability primer for you!

I needed this book for a class of mine. I hesitated on buying it as I do all books for school, but I bought it. As soon as I started reading it it gave me information and answers I had been looking for. This book fills in the gaps about Web Usability that no other book has. It was a lofe saver.

I loved this book. I am a new psychology PhD looking to get into web usability consulting and this book was perfect for me. I have not read other books on the topic but i can say that I am glad I found this one. It was a very easy read, and i really learned a lot. I like how it takes a psychological viewpoint much of the time. I also really like how he sets you up 100% to be a usability tester. He tells you everything you need to know from A-Z with very little budget. He is also very generous giving away all his secrets and a CD rom that has all sorts of pre-made forms to get you started (powerpoint presentation on usability to show clients, informed consent forms for experimental participants etc...). Now I feel i am ready to read something more technical.