Prioritizing Web Usability |  | Authors: Jakob Nielsen, Hoa Loranger
Publisher: New Riders Press
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Rating:  28 reviews
Sales Rank: 98004
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1
Pages: 432
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.7
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.7 x 0.9
ISBN: 0321350316
Dewey Decimal Number: 006.7019
EAN: 9780321350312
ASIN: 0321350316
Publication Date: April 30, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
In 2000, Jakob Nielsen, the world’s leading expert on Web usability, published a book that changed how people think about the Web—Designing Web Usability (New Riders). Many applauded. A few jeered. But everyone listened. The best-selling usability guru is back and has revisited his classic guide, joined forces with Web usability consultant Hoa Loranger, and created an updated companion book that covers the essential changes to the Web and usability today. Prioritizing Web Usability is the guide for anyone who wants to take their Web site(s) to next level and make usability a priority! Through the authors’ wisdom, experience, and hundreds of real-world user tests and contemporary Web site critiques, you’ll learn about site design, user experience and usability testing, navigation and search capabilities, old guidelines and prioritizing usability issues, page design and layout, content design, and more!
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 28
 Usability 101: Making Your Web Site the Best it Can Be October 5, 2009
Angela Davis (Pullman, WA USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Jakob Nielsen and Hoa Loranger paired together to create a book packed with the information necessary on what it takes to create a user-friendly Web site. Prioritizing Web Usability hits the center of the target on what the main problems with usability are. This book was written based on a study that the authors performed; this study consisted of testing 69 users across 25 Web sites. After finding out main usability problems today, they take us back to previous usability issues and compare with what many Web designers still do not understand about usability today. Although there are many problems with usability, these authors center on seven ongoing problems:
1. Search
2. Navigation and Information Architecture
3. Typography: Readability and Legibility
4. Writing for the Web
5. Providing Good Product Information
6. Presenting Page Elements
7. Balancing Technology with People's Needs
Search is one feature that will help users navigate to and inside your Web page more easily. Internal search engines are actually better than external when looking for site-specific information; also, utilizing search engine optimization and rankings on the search engine results page will increase visits to your site. Once users get to your site, they need to be able to navigate it; users have certain expectations of how each site they visit will work. Navigation on your Web site needs to be consistent with other sites navigation designs. Also, make sure your Web site's clutter is reduced, avoid redundancy, and be specific with links and label names. Once you have made your appearance preferable and easy for the user, you then need to focus on content.
Users speak a different language than Web site developers. When putting content on your Web site, first make sure you use minimum 10-point font and have a readable mix of font styles and colors. Then, you need to understand how Web users read; users are turned away by confusing content. The key is to use simple language and only put what is necessary on the home page; you can always layer more information on deeper links. Once this is done, the authors advise readers to provide good product information and win customer confidence. Finally, make sure to balance technology and multimedia content on your Web page; do not make your page confusing or bloated with videos and un-loadable items. The final and most important rule of usability is to keep your design and content simple; this is the most difficult combination to perfect, but if you get user input and listen, your Web page will be successful.
Nielsen and Loranger went very in depth about all of the above aspects of this book. If you are looking to learn about a specific topic or about everything to do with usability, this book can satisfy that craving. The one thing I noticed first about this book was that it was a real study conducted and therefore, very credible. A big positive of the book was that it was packed full of examples. For almost every point made, there were pictures of Web sites that both represented the positives and negatives of the point. I also liked the fact that the past, present, and future were addressed; the authors referenced a lot to what problems used to be in Web site usability, then what problems have continued on into current usability problems, and then forecasted what future usability problems will look like. I do not know a lot about usability or Web terms, so a drawback for me was that the information bored me in some places and I would get tired of reading the book after a chapter. I found that moving slowly through the book was the key to optimal learning.
I would give this book 4 out of 5 stars. It was a very good read; this book was written in plain language and had a lot of good information that could be used for any person's website. The one drawback was that it had almost too much information in it; I was so overwhelmed by all the problems to do with usability that I never could really focus in on a few main ideas. Overall, though, great book!
Good webpage resource June 11, 2009
Elizebeth A. Murray (Gulfport, FL USA)
This book has a lot of information for those learning to build websites or desire to improve webpage design. The book is well organized and has lots of examples to illustrate the principles.
This book was a very helpful resource in my research April 3, 2009
Regnard Raquedan
I did my thesis on web usability and this book was a very helpful resource in my research. Why helpful? Because instead of sifting through literally hundreds of published papers, some of the info is readily available in this book. After all, author and usability pioneer wrote most of the papers I deal with.
The book is a follow-up to 1999's Designing Web Usability: The Practice of Simplicity (DWU). The simple cover is an indication of what the book is all about-- when it comes to the web a little common sense and simplicity goes a long way.
Twelve chapters comprise the book and are a wealth of information and even critiques some of the conventions web professionals are used to, an example is the Three Click Rule. The book also contains guidelines and best practices for an array of website types (product pages, search, help pages, etc.). Past issues dealt with on DWU were revisited as well.
If you need intermediate facts and figures on usability, visit UseIt.com, Jakob Nielsen's website. But for more in-depth and extensive information, Prioritizing Web Usability is for you.
A thorough reefrence on web usability December 11, 2008
Bettergears (East Side, USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I found this book to be a rare gem. The author provides concise, factual, practical information on web usability. I found it invaluable in our web projects and I believe you will too.
If you've ever sorted through the many volumes you'll soon discover that most books are written to be sold to you and contain only enough info to make for useful sound bites on the back cover. This book is an exception. It is fantastic. You will learn from this book.
Usability is often overlooked September 3, 2008
Noah Spahn (Santa Barbara)
If you don't yet know much about web usability, I would recommend this book (and it's predecessor) to you. If you are already keen on the idea of web usability, then you may want to skip the first book (it is a bit dated), and grab this one as a reference.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 28
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