Making the Web Work :: Table of Contents

Contents and Summary

Weighing in with five parts, 14 chapters and 474 pages, Making the Web Work covers the following collection of topics, issues, concerns, and conundrums.

Part I, Foundations

• Chapter 1, Common Ground: The Goals of Design and the Purpose of Web Applications
• What is a Web application, and what are its natural advantages and disadvantages?
• What is the purpose and ultimate goal of a user-centric design methodology?
• Chapter 2, Putting the User First: The Process and Techniques of User-Centric Design
• What is the role of the design function?
• What are some of the common process issues associated with designing Web applications?
• Chapter 3, Deconstructing the Problem: Prioritizing and Categorizing Different Facets of the Interface
• How can a complex user interface be deconstructed into discrete issues that can be prioritized and solved individually?

Part II, Structure

• Chapter 4, The Conceptual Model: Identifying and Selecting a Fundamental Motif
• How can you create a fundamental model that helps users grasp the application’s basic purpose and nature?
• Chapter 5, The Structural Model: Understanding the Building Blocks of a Web Interface
• What are the most basic interface components of a Web application, and what are their appropriate uses?
• Chapter 6, The Organizational Model: Organizing and Structuring Content and Functionality
• What are the different ways to organize content and functionality?
• Which organizations and categorizations are appropriate in a given situation?

Part III, Behavior,

• Chapter 7, Viewing and Navigation: Creating Consistent Navigation, Sorting, Filtering, and Searching Behaviors
• What are the most effect navigation devices and conventions for Web applications?
• What is the best interface for sorting, filtering, and managing long lists of information?
• Chapter 8, Editing and Manipulation: Using HTML Input Controls to Accurately Capture User’s Data
• What is the appropriate use of each HTML input control?
• What are some of the interface options for selecting one or more items from a list?
• What are the interface options for entering dates?
• Chapter 9, User Assistance: Communicating with Users Through Help, Status, and Alerts
• What level of online help is appropriate for an application?
• What are the interface options for reporting errors and application status?

Part IV, Presentation,

• Chapter 10, Layout: Positioning Elements on the Page to Maximize User’s Understanding And Readability
• What are the best options for an overall page layout?
• What are the options for placement of primary, secondary, and lower-level navigation elements?
• Chapter 11, Style and Tone: Defining a Visual Appearance Consistent with Brand Values And User Needs
• What are the considerations when evaluating options for an application’s visual style?
• What factors affect legibility of text and data and which visual styles best communicate the behavior of buttons and links?
• Chapter 12, Text and Labels: Writing for the Web and Calling Things by Their Right Names
• What is the purpose of text in a user interface?
• How is writing for the Web different from writing for other mediums?

Part V, Case Studies

• Chapter 13, Amazon.com: Browsing the Aisles of the Web’s Supreme Retailer
• Chapter 14, Ofoto: Looking at the Leading Online Photo Processor