Many people learn by example. When reading documentation explaining the features of functionality, it doesn’t always make sense until seeing it in action. For instance, in CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) line-height is explained as:
{
line-height:
normal|npx|n%|…;
}
That isn’t going to make much sense to many of you even if you know CSS. What if I gave you an example of:
{
line-height: 150%;
}
Obviously, the 150% is represented by n% where n is the number. This command is telling the Web page to add spacing of about 1.5 lines.
Designing Websites for Every Audience starts with a chapter on usability with a focus on understanding users and the principles of usability. That’s the only lecture of the book and the rest is case studies.
The book has 25 case studies sorted by user goals, which include learners, shoppers, connection-seekers, transactors, business browsers, and fun-seekers. Each case study covers the old site and the transition to the new design. Essentially, a before and after, which is popular these days with interior design TV programs.
The case study pages are easy to scan. Everyone has the company information, site information, users with their goals and tasks, goals of the redesign, and pictures. Benum uses a variety of Web sites for the case studies and discusses the problems with the old design. Then, she analyzes the new design explaining the common traps that have been disposed of and the action taken to improve the user experience.
The pages are colorful including color screenshots of the designs. This is both a good thing and a bad thing. Some of the side notes have a color background with black font making it hard to read, but this is the only negative thing in the book.
We have plenty of excellent books on how to improve the user experience when designing Web pages, but there are few that guide you through actual examples. Any Web designer who learns by example should have this one on the desk for referencing when working on a redesign.
VITAL STATISTICS:
TITLE: Designing Websites for Every Audience
AUTHOR: Ilise Benun
PUBLISHER: How Design Books
PUBLICATION DATE: January 2003
ISBN: 158180301X
FORMAT: Paperback
PAGES: 144
PRICE: USD: 34.99
CDN: 46.09
UK: 24.99