| Overview
Some web sites "work" and some don't. Good web site consultants
know that you can't just jump in and start writing HTML, the same
way you can't build a house by just pouring a foundation and
putting up some walls. You need to know who will be using the site,
and what they'll be using it for. You need some idea of what you'd
like to draw their attention to during their visit. Overall, you
need a strong, cohesive vision for the site that makes it both
distinctive and usable. Information Architecture for the World
Wide Web is about applying the principles of architecture and
library science to web site design. Each web site is like a public
building, available for tourists and regulars alike to breeze
through at their leisure. The job of the architect is to set up the
framework for the site to make it comfortable and inviting for
people to visit, relax in, and perhaps even return to someday. Most
books on web development concentrate either on the aesthetics or
the mechanics of the site. This book is about the framework that
holds the two together. With this book, you learn how to design web
sites and intranets that support growth, management, and ease of
use. Special attention is given to:
Information Architecture for the World Wide Web is for
webmasters, designers, and anyone else involved in building a web
site. It's for novice web designers who, from the start, want to
avoid the traps that result in poorly designed sites. It's for
experienced web designers who have already created sites but
realize that something "is missing" from their sites and want to
improve them. It's for programmers and administrators who are
comfortable with HTML, CGI, and Java but want to understand how to
organize their web pages into a cohesive site. The authors are two
of the principals of Argus Associates, a web consulting firm. At
Argus, they have created information architectures for web sites
and intranets of some of the largest companies in the United
States, including Chrysler Corporation, Barron's, and Dow Chemical.
Editorial ReviewsProduct DescriptionSome web sites "work" and some don't. This book shows how to use both aesthetics and mechanics to design distinctive, cohesive web sites that "work." Most books on web development concentrate either on the aesthetics or the mechanics of a site. This book focuses on the framework that holds the two together. Information Architecture for the World Wide Web shows how to apply principles of architecture and library science to design web sites and intranets that are easy to use, manage, and expand. It's for novice designers who want to avoid the pitfalls of poorly designed sites; experienced designers who've created sites but realize something "is missing"; and programmers and administrators who are comfortable with HTML, CGI, and Java but want to organize their web pages into a cohesive site. Special attention is given to: - The process behind architecting a large, complex site
- Web site hierarchy design and organization
- Techniques for making a site easier to search
| Amazon.com ReviewIn Chapter 6 of Information Architecture for the World Wide Web, the authors discuss the details of good search-engine design. In a bitingly humorous segment, they analyze a Web site's search-page results: "Let's say you're interested in knowing what the New Jersey sales tax is.... So you go to the State of New Jersey web site and search on sales tax. The 20 results are scored at either 84% or 82% relevant. Why does each document receive only one of two scores?... And what the heck makes a document 2% more relevant than another?" With a swift and convincing stroke, the authors of Information Architecture for the World Wide Web tear down many entrenched ideas about Web design. Flashy animations are cool, they agree, as long as they don't aggravate the viewer. Nifty clickable icons are nice, but are their meanings universal? Is the search engine providing results that are useful and relevant? This book acts as a mirror and with careful questioning causes the reader to think through all the elements and decisions required for well-crafted Web design. --Jennifer Buckendorff |
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Reader Reviews From Amazon (Ranked by 'Helpfulness') Average Customer Rating: based on 106 reviews. Too Little Useful Information , 2009-03-20 Reviewer rating: Lot of text, nicely written, easy read, finished the book in one hour.
Not much useful
Gained almost nothing from the book. where can I get my money back ? | A book that defines a new field in the digital world., 2009-02-23 Reviewer rating: I did not know the astounding amount of intersection between Library Science and Web Site Design until I read this book. If you design big web sites, corporate intranets, or other information sources you owe it to your users to read this book.
The first part of the book starts with a gentle, but cogent introduction to the nascent field of Information Architecture. Part two looks at ways of organizing information for web sites (e.g. taxonomies, controlled vocabularies, thesauri). The next three parts give you ways to implement Information Architecture in a variety of contexts (e.g. corporate, world wide web) with different methodologies and processes. The last part is also very helpful in that gives you two case studies, one being for Microsoft's intranet.
The authors are experienced in the IT world and steeped in knowledge of Library Science. Broaden your horizons in IT by reading this important book. | Easy to understand, 2008-10-31 Reviewer rating: One thing I found great about this book is the way it backs up its arguments with proper evidence with real-time examples. It would put an explanation (for example about labeling and navigation) then introduce a site and analyze it from that particular perspective.
For someone who wants to know how information architecture works, this is a great book. But be careful. This books focuses heavily on the world wide web part (well it said it would) so make sure you keep that in mind if you were looking for general knowlede about information architecture.
| Phenomenal book on information architecture, 2008-10-02 Reviewer rating: I bought this book shortly before starting my new job as the webmaster for a division of the federal governement. It was invaluable to me in planning our current internet redesign project and helping to explain information architecture to non-web designers/developers. I highly recommend reading this book from cover to cover. | Good enough, 2007-09-19 Reviewer rating: This is a perfectly good resource, if you're looking for the theoretical underpinnings of how IA should work. I was, however, looking for more specifically technical information, along the lines of algorithms and integration techniques. For this I ended up going with Programming Collective Intelligence: Building Smart Web 2.0 Applications, which is more geared in that direction. Again, if IA is your whole intention, then this is a great resource, but if you're looking for technical detail, look elsewhere. |
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