User-Centered Web Site Development: A Human-Computer Interaction Approach (Paperback)

by Daniel D. McCracken (Author), Rosalee J. Wolfe (Author), Jared M. Spool (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is the kind of book I've been searching for!" — Robert Renman, Augustana University College

"I used your textbook in draft form this past semester for my undergraduate HCI course. It was fantastic. The students loved it, I loved it, and we had a great time. I think they learned a lot." — Mary Jane Wiltshire, School of Engineering, University of Portland

"I realty like the book and think that it would fit into the course I'm going to teach in the fall." — John K. Estelt, Ohio Northern University

Product Description
For one-quarter to one-semester undergraduate courses in Introduction to Human-Computer Interaction courses, Web Design and User Interface Design. This text is the only one of its kind that addresses Human-Computer Interaction as it relates to Web site design. It stresses principles that can be learned, not just implementation techniques. The text provides a working knowledge of Web design, aimed at creating Web pages and sites that are attractive and user-friendly, plus allows students to become familiar with the concepts and terminology of Web design as a basis for further study.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall (May 30, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0130411612
• ISBN-13: 978-0130411617
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #278,485 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Only instructors will get the full value of this book, November 22, 2003

By	Brett Merkey (Palm Harbor, FL United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Until it was finally in my hands, I wondered why this book had not received much reviewer attention, given its solid content and authorship. Keys to understanding that at once became obvious:

1) The book is much more expensive than books with similar content.

2) The eloquent Jared Spool, listed as an author, provided only a short preface.

3) The book was designed as a college textbook. Who loves or hates a textbook enough to bother to review it?

As a classroom aid, the book is superb. Usability principles are presented from foundations to applications clearly and without padding. Unlike many usability texts, statements are backed with ample references. The color illustrations lighten the book sufficiently to soften any textbooky stigma.

Each chapter ended with review questions and exercises. Some of them were very interesting and creative, but if you are not in a classroom with an instructor who has access to the password-protected answers, you are on your own.

So the Web professional attracted to the material and learning on his own will inevitably feel a bit cheated out of the full value of the book.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not worth the price, May 19, 2004

By A Customer

When I first bought this book, I expected to get more out of it in terms of designing web pages with users in mind. It focused a lot on setting up testing centers with a paper system and getting feedback from users. It was very brief on good web design techniques (doesn't cover navigation enough). The hands on exercises leaves something to be desired. Although there were some good ideas in this book, I found myself "hanging" at the end as if there should have been much more.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Your Website Needs This Book, October 2, 2003

By	Jane Weiss "Humanities Department, SUNY Colle... (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I had to design a website for the department in which I work, at short notice and with limited familiarity with internet technology and NO background in graphics or design. "User-Centered Website Development" came to the rescue. McCracken and Wolfe are not interested in flashy gimmicks; they concentrate on designing sites that the site visitors will find easy, pleasant, and efficient to use. Chapter 3, "Know Thy User," helped me figure out what the audience's top priorities were; Chapters 4 and 6, "Organization" and "Site Navigation," helped me organize the pages; Chapters 5, 9, and 10 taught me some basic design principles in a hurry. The best thing about the book, though, is its philosophy--that a well-designed website is for the users, not an ego-trip for the designer. It's clear that they extended that approach in writing their book, to make it as useful as possible for the people who will be using it.