Universal Web Design (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Every Web designer should read this eye-opener because it deals with accessibility considerations that other books don't. Crystal Waters applies Universal Design principles--designing to be useful to the greatest possible number of users--to the Web. Her examination encourages consideration of whether sites are usable, for example, by people with disabilities (one in five Americans have one) or environmental restrictions. Is an audio-rich site worthwhile to a hearing impaired user, or to a user who must maintain a quiet area? She provides examples and alternatives showing how to widen the reach of a site without losing excitement. The companion CD-ROM includes an array of useful design tools.

Product Description

A resource and guide to creating design alternatives for the Web, this book will lead Web site designers through those elements that can be easily--and some, not so easily--altered or enhanced. In-depth coverage and step-by-step solutions explains and shows how to design a site for optimum appearance and accessibility. The CD contains tutorial files, conversion and compression software, and more.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 305 pages
• Publisher: New Riders Publishing (May 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1562057383
• ISBN-13: 978-1562057381
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #3,275,178 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Would be a good college textbook, say for Web Design 101., December 2, 1998

By	Chris d'Aquin (Buena Vista, VA USA) - See all my reviews

The author does a good job of outlining several "problems" that should be considered when designing a web site. It assumes a basic understanding of HTML, but that is it. If you are preparing to create your first complete web site, this book will be very helpful. If you are a more accomplished web designer, this book will be a good reminder, at best, of what to do (and not do). The book offers a thorough list of items that are basic to all web sites -- hence the title "Universal Web Design." Among the items covered are making sure all the links work, testing the site on a variety of platforms and browsers, minimizing file sizes for graphics and other goodies, and keeping your audience in mind. The author lists numerous ways (and web sites) for you to use in checking your site. The CD is full of utilities, but I couldn't get mine to work correctly on Windows 95. There are also plenty of visual samples of what works and what doesn't work in designing your web site, which are very nice. However, the vast majority are black and white, which causes some problems when the author refers to the colors in the example. Several times throughout the book she reminds the reader to keep websurfers with visual disabilities in mind as they create pages. At times these constant reminders became annoying.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Issues you might not think about otherwise, September 20, 2000

By	Deborah Gray (Bay Area, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I found this book very helpful in raising my awareness of accessibility issues. Someone who has been online for years may not find the information new, but anyone who is fairly new to designing web pages will be glad that they read this book. Creating accessible web pages is becoming a necessity, not an afterthought, as disabled persons' organizations are moving toward approaching the issue from a legal standpoint.

3 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Easy to read and understand, April 15, 1998

By A Customer

Teaches you on how to design web pages for the world market. How to make you web page flexible and manageable.