 |
 |
|
|
|
||||||
|
|
 |
  |
|
||||||
|
 |
The Elements of User Experience
The Elements of User Experience cuts through the complexity of user-centered design for the Web with clear explanations and vivid illustrations that focus on ideas rather than tools or techniques. Jesse James Garrett gives readers the big picture of Web user experience development, from strategy and requirements to information architecture and visual design. This accessible introduction helps any Web development team, large or small, to create a successful user experience. The Author's History Jesse James Garrett is one of the founders of Adaptive Path, a user experience consultancy based in San Francisco. He has worked in the Internet industry since 1995, and is recognized as a leading contributor to the growing discipline of information architecture. Of particular note is his Visual Vocabulary, an open notation system for information architecture documentation. This book builds and expands on a diagram first published by Garrett on his Website (www.jjg.net) in the spring of 2000. This diagram visually depicts the relationships between different approaches to Web design, showing how they all fit together as a greater whole, bound by the common thread of user experience. In the final product, Garrett delivers a cohesive and overarching framework for understanding and dealing with the issues involved with user-centered design. The Book's Philosophy and Contents User experience, defined as how a product behaves and is used in the real world, is critical to the success of a Website. If your users do not have a positive experience using your site, the likelihood that they will return is greatly reduced. Recognizing this important fact, the author asserts that "everything the user experiences should be the result of a conscious decision on your part." Therefore, "The user experience development process is all about ensuring that no aspect of the user's experience with your site happens without your conscious, explicit intent. This means taking into account every possibility of every action the user is likely to take and understanding the user's expectations at every step of the way through that process." While this initially appears to be a daunting task, Garrett helps us think through the wide variety of issues that effect user experience by breaking the Web design process into five "planes": These planes are both interrelated and interdependent, with the choices available to us on each plane constrained by our previous decisions. Beginning with the more abstract (strategy and planning) and progressing towards the concrete (visual design), Garrett identifies issues that effect user experience at each stage. With a complete chapter dedicated to each plane, the discussion is salted with practical advice based on the author's experience, with particular attention given to team roles and process. Appreciating the unique situations encountered with every Web design project, Garrett is more concerned with helping us learn to ask the right questions rather than presuming to provide the "right answers." Garrett maintains this focus throughout the book, and refrains from venturing into technical details (which, in this case, is a good thing). For those of us who are hungry for more information, the end of each chapter provides valuable references for further reading. Designing successful Websites requires meeting both business goals and user needs while working with the (often limited) resources available. Accomplishing this requires that everyone involved on a project understands the "big picture" and where they fit into that big picture. Regardless of whether you work as a freelancer or as part of a Web design team, you will appreciate the serious ammunition provided in this book for explaining the importance of planning and "big picture" thinking to clients and other stakeholders. |
||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
 |
copyright
(c) 1992-2002 VITech, All Rights Reserved. Terms
and Conditions of Use.
Email: info@vit.net - Toll Free Call: 888-607-2538 This site is best viewd on MSIE 5+ |