User-Centered Web Design (Paperback)

~ John Cato (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In this thoughtful book, usability expert John Cato outlines a design process that has a Web site visitor's needs in mind. He offers both theoretical discussions and real-world case studies. Although the illustrations in this compact book are small and not always well printed, the insightful advice is clearly communicated and is valuable to anyone setting out on the open sea of Web development. And, with its analyses of various corporate Web sites (including this one at Amazon.com), User-Centered Web Design addresses particularly important issues for those involved with e-business. This is neither a software how-to book nor a showcase of what's cutting-edge on the Web today. But it does inspire the sort of careful thinking found in Don Norman's The Psychology of Everyday Things.

Throughout the book, Cato offers diagrams, paradigms, and to-do lists, the first being his looping description of one's relation to the world: Awareness - Understanding - Action. His model for designing is Discover - Design - Use. Discovery includes the vision, exploration, "the 'Ah ha' moment." Design is where it is all born, and Use involves market testing and verification. These are just a few of the theoretical game plans he offers. Cato uses case studies to show how one can make user profiles contribute to the design process. It feels very similar to learning good marketing skills in business school.

The book also takes a careful look at visual techniques used on many sites today, breaking down what works and what doesn't, even proposing alternatives. For example, is the user confused over whether something is a button? Cato writes, "Make it buttony, and employ mouseovers to give confirmatory feedback," and "Go for creative ways of grabbing attention; they do not have to be large things."

You'll also learn how to push your creativity, get over your fears, and believe in yourself (good all-around life advice). There's even a section that looks at design issues for Web-enabled cell phones. This book won't wow you with its visuals, but the ideas and inspiration within may help you wow others with your Web design. --Angelynn Grant

From Library Journal

Finding information on large web sites can be a chore because they are often created without the user in mind. Cato's book addresses this problem with an awareness, understanding, and action methodology. Though more of a treatise on user-centered design than a how-to book on web site creation, it offers real-life scenarios and site critiques that lay readers will find practical. Recommended as a supplement to HTML/how-to-build-a-web-site manuals already in your collection.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Addison Wesley Longman; 1st edition (June 26, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0201398605
• ISBN-13: 978-0201398601
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,703,602 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A "user friendly' and practical guide, August 10, 2001

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

A "user friendly' and practical guide to designing or transforming personal or professional interactive websites, John Cato's User-Centered Web Design specifically focuses on designing for the end-user. A concise, readable text presents a comprehensive overview, practical advice, proven methodology, ideas and advice for insuring that final web designs meet the needs of both the client and the end-user. Strongly recommended for the novice web designer, User-Centered Web Design will also prove an invaluable reference for even the more experienced web master in tweaking websites for maximum effectiveness and ease of use by site visitors.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Usable book for user centered design, August 5, 2001

By	Thomas Vander Wal (Bethesda, MD, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book by John Cato offers a great set of examples on how to move the the process of user-centered development for websites. The book is filled with examples that help developers, designers, and managers get a grasp of the steps, thought process, interaction with users, process, and documentation that is greatly helpful in building a product the intended audience uses. Cato includes helpful lists, advice, and points out common problems along with instruction for correcting them.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Practical, but based in good theory, June 6, 2002

By A Customer

Some may consider that user evaluation is a "luxury" - but you may do well to consider the cost of NOT incorporating any user evaluation/involvement. Well documented examples of commercial websites that have failed are legion, often because the "designers" simply designed for themselves or their clients, ignoring their target audience.

This book offers practical advice that enables web designers to satisfy the people that really matter - the users. It is a very good example of academic research translated into everyday practice.