Making the Web work : defining effective Web applications

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Where to find it

Information & Library Science Library

Call Number
TK5105.888 .B395 2002
Status
Available

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Names:

Summary

Making the Web Work is one of the first books to discuss in detail the unique challenges and issues involved in designing Web-based applications and services. The book tackles this subject on three levels by describing a structured method for prioritizing and categorizing individual design decisions, by offering a detailed analysis of various design options, and by documenting established Web interface conventions. Individual chapters focus on conceptual modeling, task flow, information architecture, navigation, form design, online help, and visual design for Web applications. The book concludes with an in-depth analysis of two well-known consumer applications, Amazon.com and Ofoto.

"Applications are clearly at the heart of the future of web interaction. Bob has created a clear and compelling guide for the creation of web activities that successfully and realistically address people's needs and aspirations." --John Rheinfrank, CEO, seeSpace and Clinical Professor, Kellogg School of Management

"Although a corporation's web site can have a huge impact on their brand, image, and customer satisfaction, the unfortunate reality is that web design is not a well-understood discipline within corporate America. This book makes a compelling case for the importance of web design and provides a comprehensive framework and processes for creating web applications that are both useful and usable. Bob's real-life examples and humor make the book approachable and practical for all professionals involved in the creation of web applications." --Jennifer Bailey, Former SVP, Netscape Communications

Contents

  • Introduction
  • Goals and Objectives
  • Why I Wrote Making the Web Work
  • Who You Are
  • What You Will Find
  • What You Will Not Find
  • Conventions Used in This Book
  • Terminology
  • Examples
  • Onward
  • I Foundations
  • 1 Common Ground: Defining Web Applications and Establishing the Goals of Design
  • Defining Web Applications
  • Web Applications: The Good, The Bad, and The Unfortunate
  • Bringing Design to Software
  • Marketing and Engineering: What Can We Sell? What Can We Build? p. 34
  • Design: What Do Users Want? p. 37
  • Summary
  • 2 Putting the User First: Describing Target Users and Product Goals
  • Anchoring Design: The Core Values of Control and Satisfaction
  • Core Value: Control
  • Core Value: Satisfaction
  • Bounding the Problem: Creating a Comprehensive Product Vision
  • The Opportunity Statement: Outlining the Business Opportunity
  • Persona Bios and Goals: Making "Users" Real
  • The Concept Statement: Describing the Products Essence p. 65
  • Summary
  • 3 Deconstructing the Problem: Prioritizing and Categorizing Different Aspects of an Interface
  • Deconstructing Cinema: Looking at Movies from the Ground Up
  • Deconstructing an Interface: Designing from the Conceptual to the Concrete
  • Tier 1: Structure
  • Tier 2: Behavior
  • Tier 3: Presentation
  • Living with a Model: What the Model Implies About Design Priorities, Resources, and Feedback
  • Summary
  • II
  • 4 The Conceptual Model: Selecting a Fundamental Motif
  • First Things First: The Importance of a Conceptual Model
  • Building on the Vision: Identifying and Selecting an Appropriate Conceptual Model
  • Putting Conceptual Models to Work: Whats in a Store?
  • What Defines a Store? What Defines a Catalog?
  • What Defines BananaRepublic.com?
  • Summary
  • 5 The Structural Model: Understanding the Building Blocks of a Web Interface

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