Old Hat Seeks New Tricks

I've done the dirty HTML side of web site, now I wanna try IA

[Viscount9]

Hey there,

I have worked as a freenlancer for many years on the side of implementing web sites. The graphic designers, the copy writers and the IA people had everything set-up, and I just put everything to HTML.

Now, I wanna try to get into some IA. I have checked out Jakob Nielsen's web site and searched around Google.

But, I am quite confused on which author/book I should get for a in-depth crash course on IA and usability. Any help would be most welcomed!

[tedster]

The O'Reilly Information Architecture book (second edition) gives a very good overview of the discipline. Nielsen's "Home Page Usability" may be the best executed web usability book I've ever seen, but it is limited just to Home Page design.

Steve Krug's "Don't Make Me Think" is excellent, as is the Nielsen Norman Group's study: "E-commerce User Experience". Pricey but also quite valuable for me.

[Viscount9]

Thanks for your help.

I did a search on Amazon and found "The Elements of User Experience: User-Centered Design for the Web" by Jesse James Garrett.

What do you think of him?

And another dumb question...besides NN Group, who else is big in the IA/Usability area for web design?

Thanks again

[Sinner_G]

Forget about NN and just start using your brain. This is not meant to say or not doing it yet, just that common sense (and not forgetting not every user is as advanced as you are) is the only thing one needs when entering the field of usability. Just go out there (that place called real life) and talk to real people (your friends, family and so on) about what they think, which sites they found well done and why, what difficulties they had and so forth.

There is no book that will teach you as much as regular people around you.

[tedster]

Sounds like you're pointing to the necessity of real user testing -- even if it's an informal user survey of friends and family. And I wholeheartedly agree.

This is an essential activity - and it's even better if you can watch your friends and family use your site in real time. Nothing so eye-opening as watching an ordinary user try to navigate your domain. And this is why I value the NNG materials - they are not just opinions, they are the result of serious testing with real end-users.

On a site of significant size, you need to work out the Information aArchitecture before you create any design. You can change the "label" for any section after you're up and running, or switch to a different color palette or page template. But the actual division and subdivision of information is the foundation on which you build a site. Pouring a new foundation is not the same as redecorating a room!

So it pays off to put in some solid time considering the IA, and treading the experiences of those who have done a lot of this.

[Viscount9]

Hey Guys

Sinner G:

I agree, ultimately it is not something you find in books, nor is their any exact formula. Its all about being practical and extensive real user testing.

But, I would still like some books, outline or something, to:
1) At least make sure I have covered all the areas I should be concerned about
2) Confirm (or counter) certain theories I already have on AI/Usability.

Anyway, thanks to the both of you - Sinner G and tedster.

Any further help, potential books/sites I should look up is always appreciated!

Cheers!

[Sinner_G]

If you really want a book about IA, I would second tedster's choice of the O'Reilly book (Information Architecture for the World Wide Web, 2nd Edition, By Morville/Rosenfeld). I read it and found nothing new, but it did confirm my views on the subject. Furthermore it is well structured (the opposite would be bad ;)) with many examples.

[JamesR]

Books can give you a decent foundation (especially if you read tedster's examples) to work from. Your own experience can refine your knowledge from there.

I am big on books, you can often get ideas to launch you in new directions that you never thought of before. I guess i am just not smart enough to think of everything myself.

[tedster]

A lot of the time I need a kick just to LOOK at some area or other of web page usability. Once a book or article gives me that kick, then I can self-educate.

A good online resource if you haven't already seen it is Usability News [psychology.wichita.edu] from wichita.edu

Another is WebWord [webword.com], a usability blog