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Web Site Usability (Interactive Technologies)
As a report on a major usability study this one is probably pivotal and I would recommend it to anyone involved in delivering a commercial web presence.Jared Spool and the UIE team discovered many new things in the studies this book is about. Up to the point of publication, web usability and general usability were closely equated, and not just the test methodology. But Spool's studies find unpredictable users surprising our preconceptions at every turn.Some may say that the book contains too many questions, but when Spool admits "we don't really know what makes a site usable" he is reflecting the number of surprises his studies unearthed.As for the causes of those surprises... the studies were performed as 'comparison tests' between sites that fulfilled wholly different purposes.... between (for example) Disney and Edmunds (car facts)... it may be invalid to compare usability between sites even if they are in the same domain, however, let alone when they are so diverse. For it may be a usability test can only identify weaknesses, not strengths. Perhaps that's why Spool says we don't know how to design for usability.One possible weakness of the tests was that they were designed as 'scavenger hunts.' This is still very common, however, and only by studying the results of this book is one led to suspect that this approach generates an overly-directed browsing behaviour, and thereore measures only a subset of real web visitors utilising only a subset of possible tasks, which are not a proxy for general usability.If you only read three books on web usability, this should be one of them.... Essential.
Web Site Usability (Interactive Technologies)
This book is useful if:1. You are involved in designing a site that is solely information-oriented.2. You want a counter-point to Jakob Nielsen, who really has some helpful information.3. You have a boss who doesn't know anything about the web and you want back-up documentation for your decisions.Otherwise, this book has the following weaknesses:1. Too many questions are asked with the answer being "we do not know why" and too many sentences beginning: "we believe, but do not know"2. The goal was too specific: how well do users find information. This leaves out any websites designed for casual use, 'browsing', or entertainment.3. The authors keep comparing apples to oranges. They do not usually take into account that some sites might have done better due to the type of content rather than the architecture or design.4. There is no credence given to learned behavior (which, admittedly, Nielsen also gives short shrift).5. It's just a TAD obvious. For example, "The better users could predict where a link would lead, the more successful they were in finding information." Well, uh, duh.6. I don't agree with the model of testing. Users were given 4 questions they were to answer on each of 10 existing sites. Hypotheses were created from the results. However, none of the sites were amended to specifically address these hypotheses (unless, through some coincidence, the sites were updated during the process, and even then there was little before/after comparison).7. The authors keep stressing throughout the entire book that web site usability differs from software usability. However, not once did they step back and think "maybe web site usability TESTING differs from software usability testing."While Jared Spool is a great speaker (having seen him in person, I was very impressed with his humor and intelligence), this book leaves a lot to be desired.
Web Site Usability (Interactive Technologies)
I can appreciate that often an author becomes experienced enough that he/she can accurately state opinions. These authors are certainly qualified to do so, yet skip the ego boost and simply present their findings, making this a valuable reference tool.I have both this book and Jakob Neilsen's book of an almost exactly similar title. I use this book far more often. In fact, I've purchased several copies for others on my team.Plus, you can easily read it on a flight. Some complain that it lacks directives. Jared accurately states that the immaturity of web interfaces relative to OS specific interfaces creates an environment where the experts are without all the answers.In which case, we as creative people must leverage all facts and make choices we feel most productive. This book will help the person who approaches problems creatively. It will not help those looking for cookie cutter solutions for difficult problems.
Web Site Usability (Interactive Technologies)
Basically, the value of this book is that it is one of the only empirical studies of web site usability. It challenges the opinions of designers and pundits without offering any reasons why conventional wisdom may be right ot wrong.However, the book suffers from serious flaws. Granted, the $40 price reflects the number of people and hours involved in creating this book, it does not seem to offer the answers to justify it. Questions that should have been followed up on were left unanswered. Site designers were not consulted. Grammatical errors abound.However, the details of the tests ARE clearly delineated, although one would assume that would be covered in the beginning.
Privateers
The characters are the good guy and bad guy but in a spce setting. If you like adventure with a touch of sci-fi you'll enjoy this book. Not real heavy reading and the ending is a bit different from what I expected.
Privateers
OK, the story itself is now a little dated (among other things, the Soviet Union is still around), but aside from that this is a nice little brain-dead novel. Don't expect the kind of hard-SF extrapolation you'll find in most of Bova's other novels; rather, this one is more or less a James Bond movie in space, complete with over-the-top villians, femme fatales, and enough plot holes to fit an asteroid or two in. It's popcorn of the printed variety, not meant to make you think but just to have a good time. Read it on the beach.