the Nielsen book (was: Modern Contemporary Web Site)

At 11:33 AM 5/30/01 +0100, Hay Isabel wrote:
>What's the Nielsen book?
>I'm interested in finding out more about website design in terms of
>graphics, visual design, style and the like, as I can structure content
>well but want it to look good (and not flog modems on download). Anyone
>got any books/sites they could point me at?
>
>Cheers
>Is.

Hello

The Nielson book is a reference on how to make sites usable, not about 
graphics so much. Jakob Nielson is a person who believes in keeping sites 
simple to use, and is minimalist in graphics content, as graphics tend to 
clog bandwidth. It is a good read, and something to keep in mind when 
designing for a site, especially if you want to understand how people 
navigate a site, why a page should load in under 10 seconds (or less) and 
much more.

Designing Web Usability: The Practice of Simplicity
Book by Jakob Nielsen, New Riders Publishing, Indianapolis, 2000.
ISBN 1-56205-810-X.
http://www.useit.com/jakob/webusability/

I bought the book and read it. I don't agree with everything 100%, but it 
gave me a lot to think and learn about, and has changed my perspective on 
what a good site should and should not do. And while I still design with 
graphics, I work harder on good navigation and getting a page to load 
quickly with highly optimized graphics. Oh, and I am in no way a paid 
endorser for this book. This is just one of those if you are interested in 
Jakob's style of web design, or want a well thought out book on the current 
web design problems and some solutions, try the book. And if nothing else, 
try his website, and see if what he says there makes sense to you. The 
website at least is free. http://www.useit.com/

hth


Kimiko Drew
macruimmon(at)earthlink.net
http://home.earthlink.net/~macruimmon/

a web designer in The Camarilla
White Wolf's Official Fan Club

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