 The magazine of the Melbourne PC User Group Web Usability - For the Bookshelf Major Keary |
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There is quite a stream of books about Web usability, a term that carries a
connotation of "securing a dedicated user base". That suggests commercial sites, where usability is perceived
as a prime element in successful marketing.
Web Usability and Navigation: A Beginner's Guide is pitched at designers and developers of
marketing-oriented sites. It is especially relevant to people who are interested in developing professional
skills in the Web design field and who are looking for a self-teaching resource. It is also a useful guide
for anyone who wants to build a non-commercial site.
Usability and navigation are often treated as separate subjects, even though navigation is of great
importance to overall usability. In this text the two are treated as part of a single design process, which
is a sensible approach.
Usability has many aspects, the ranking of which will depend on the nature of a particular Web site. For
example, some texts treat browser compatibility issues in considerable detail, describing how to ensure that
- regardless of browser "make" or version - every visitor will be able to use the given site. This book
addresses the issue, but points readers in the direction of identifying the browsers installed by target
users. That approach is consistent with the discussions on creating user profiles and gleaning information
about "your users' computer constraints". There is advice for those who want to cater for any-browser
contingencies, but is not very detailed.
The first third of the book is about creating user profiles (with sample questionnaires), getting to know
users and their computer constraints, and understanding Web limitations and possibilities.
About half the book is taken up with design and navigation issues that include such topics as, "the logistics
of getting users to your site", information architecture, navigation design, usability dilemmas, screen
design, and preparing user-friendly content. A chapter shows how to analyse Web sites for usability issues,
and another discusses usability testing.
A sound guide that focuses on usability for commercial sites, but is relevant to the design of non-profit
sites. Well suited for use as an instructor's manual, or for self-study.
| Merlyn Holmes: Web Usability & Navigation: A Beginner's Guide ISBN 0-07-219261-5 Published by Osborne/McGraw-Hill, 548 pp., RRP $55.00 incl. GST. |
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Reprinted from the April 2002 issue of PC Update, the magazine of Melbourne PC User Group, Australia
 
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