designing
web usability
Nielsen gained a PhD in user interface design and computer
science, and is now generally regarded as 'the guru of usable web design'.
He insists that every aspect of web design comes back to 'usability',
whether it functions for the purpose intended. The book is designed to
stop users making common beginner mistakes. He defines two approaches
to designing sites, artistic where designers/companies can express themselves,
or (and it's obvious he takes this perspective) engineering, where the
goal is to solve problems for the customer. Within the book, he concentrates
on design principles, rather than the technology in current use.
The book states that the web is not always the most
suitable medium for the message, but once the web is defined as the most
suitable medium, sites need to be tested and optimised for the web rather
than producing another business product or marketing message. The site
must be viewed as a whole, but equally, each page must be designed with
care. A professional look is important as the site needs to build credibility
and trust with its users. Nielsen considers the different function of
Intranets within companies, and the issues to be considered for sites
with a global market: what problems do different cultures and languages
cause for the web designer?
Nielsen takes a very minimalist approach to web design,
and feels that design should facilitate content, only those elements that
add to the site should be utilised. Download time is the overriding concern
in all cases, and aesthetic principles may need to be sacrificed in order
to achieve this. Web design is now largely based on visual encoding, he
feels it should return to semantic encoding as the meaning is most important.
He devotes a lot of attention to navigation and structural
elements, his feeling being that users should be steered, rather than
forced, through the site, whilst maintaining a sense of where they are,
and providing an escape route to the crucial homepage at all times. Conventions
should be adhered to where possible as users do not want to relearn for
each site. He addresses the use of fonts, colour, graphics, frames and
links, metatags and file naming, the impact of browsers, accessibility
issues (devoting the whole of Chapter 6 to the issue), and new technology
for in the future "the only constant is change". (January 2002)
Not everyone
is pro-Nielsen!
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