Best of
Usability

2009

Rocket Surgery Made Easy: The Do-It-Yourself Guide to Finding and Fixing Usability Problems


Steve Krug - 2009
    But with a typical price tag of $5,000 to $10,000 for a usability consultant to conduct each round of tests, it rarely happens. In this how-to companion to Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability, Steve Krug spells out an approach to usability testing that anyone can easily apply to their own web site, application, or other product. (As he said in Don't Make Me Think, "It's not rocket surgery".)In this new book, Steve explains how to: -Test any design, from a sketch on a napkin to a fully-functioning web site or application-Keep your focus on finding the most important problems (because no one has the time or resources to fix them all)-Fix the problems that you find, using his "The least you can do" approachBy pairing the process of testing and fixing products down to its essentials (A morning a month, that's all we ask ), Rocket Surgery makes it realistic for teams to test early and often, catching problems while it's still easy to fix them. Rocket Surgery Made Easy adds demonstration videos to the proven mix of clear writing, before-and-after examples, witty illustrations, and practical advice that made Don't Make Me Think so popular.

Research Methods in Human-Computer Interaction


Jonathan Lazar - 2009
    Featuring a plethora of real-world examples throughout, you'll discover how these methods have been used in HCI research so that you can gain a stronger understanding of the subject matter.Serves as an authoritative, comprehensive resource on all things related to research methods in human-computer interaction Addresses experimental research and design methods, statistical analysis, and time diaries Shares authentic case studies, interviews, and focus group experiences Reviews analyzing qualitative data, working with human subjects, handling automated computer data collection methods, and more If you are looking for a detailed, no-nonsense resource that offers in-depth coverage of HCI methods, then this is the book for you.

Conversations with Frank Gehry


Barbara Isenberg - 2009
    Drawing on the most candid, revealing, and entertaining conversations she has had with Gehry over the last twenty years, Barbara Isenberg provides new and fascinating insights into the man and his work.Gehry’s subjects range from his childhood—when he first built cities with wooden blocks on the floor of his grandmother’s kitchen—to his relationships with clients and his definition of a “great” client. We learn about his architectural influences (including Le Corbusier and Frank Lloyd Wright) and what he has learned from Michelangelo, Rembrandt, and Rauschenberg.We explore the thinking behind his designs for the Guggenheim Bilbao and the Walt Disney Concert Hall, the redevelopment of Atlantic Yards in Brooklyn and Grand Avenue in Los Angeles, the Gehry Collection at Tiffany’s, and ongoing projects in Toronto, Paris, Abu Dhabi, and elsewhere. And we follow as Gehry illuminates the creative process by which his ideas first take shape—for example, through early drawings for the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, when the building’s trademark undulating curves were mere scribbles on a page. Sketches, models, and computer images provided by Gehry himself allow us to see how so many of his landmark buildings have come to fruition, step by step.Conversations with Frank Gehry is essential reading for everyone interested in the art and craft of architecture, and for everyone fascinated by the most iconic buildings of our time, as well as the man and the mind behind them.

Online and On Mission: Practical Web Strategy for Breakthrough Results


C. David Gammel - 2009
    Get insight into revenue, market need, and marketing strategies that can quickly transform your site into one of the most powerful marketing and communication tools ever! Quick highlights include these:Seven drivers that should steer the development and execution of your website;Results-driven revenue, marketing, and branding strategies that really work;How to formulate and implement your web strategy.Transform your website into a mission-centric reflection of the value of your organization.

The Handbook of Global User Research


Robert Schumacher - 2009
    What may have worked in Nigeria may not be accepted in Russia, may be done differently in Brazil, may partly work in China, and may completely fail in Kuwait. And what often goes less noticed, but can be equally vexing are technical, logistical and planning issues such as hiring qualified translators, payment procedures, travel issues, setting up facilities and finding test participants.The Handbook of Global User Research is the first book to focus on global user research. The book collects insight from UX professionals from nine countries and, following a typical project timeline, presents practical insights into the preparation, fieldwork, analysis and reporting, and overall project management for global user research projects. Any user experience professional that works on global projects -- including those new to the field, UX veterans who need information on this expanding aspect of user research, and students -- will need this book to do their job effectively.

When Search Meets Web Usability


Shari Thurow - 2009
    It outlines the steps needed to bridge the gap between a Google search and a Web site, and also improve the users' experience once they get to the site.