Newsletter of the East Bay Chapter of STC
May/June 2003

Book Review: Designing Web Usability

by Josephine Giaimo
Philadelphia Metro Chapter

Nielsen, Jakob, Designing Web Usability: The Practice of Simplicity. Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, New Riders Publishing Company, 1999. ISBN 1-56205-810-X (paper), 432 pages, $45.00.

This article is reprinted from the May 2002 issue of News & Views, Philadelphia Metro Chapter.

Jakob Nielsen's book Designing Web Usability has been described as "the most important book on web publishing yet to appear" (SlashDot), a book that "should be read by any executive with responsibility for managing online operations" (Business Week).

I learned about Nielsen's work back in the mid-1980s while performing usability testing as part of an R&D effort to create computerized conferencing and communications software. In those days, people were "discovering" fax machines, and 1200 baud was considered fast. I mention this because some readers may not know how much research on usability was done decades ago, even before there was an Internet. Dr. Nielsen and others researched usability before web-based software became widespread.

Right for its Time

Nielsen's book is right for its time, reflecting his clear understanding of the goals and behavior of web users. This book focuses on the "what" of good web sites (his recently published book Homepage Usability focuses on the "how").

The book's first chapter looks at the main aspects of web design, including page design, content design, and overall site architecture design. Subsequent chapters discuss intranets, disabled users, international users, and other topics. Nielsen's thought-provoking final chapter looks toward the future of the Internet and web development.

This book offers its reader numerous design insights, tips, recommendations, and examples. Its content reflects Dr. Nielsen's commitment to basing web design on the actual user experience (and not, as one of his popular articles warns, on what users say they want). For those who have worked with at least one developer, writer, or marketer who "knew" what a user wanted, without having collected a shred of data, Dr. Nielsen's book is a refreshing alternative.

Invaluable Handbook

Anyone who seeks a simple, powerful web design or is intrigued by the usability conversation will find this an invaluable handbook. Numerous color, full-page examples of good and bad web pages are accompanied by clear explanations. Turn to a page at random, and you may find a layout of two web home pages. Each layout is accompanied by a brief evaluation and commentary, explaining how one home page is one of the most valuable Nielsen's seen, and how the other page is one of the least valuable. As you read his comments, you may find yourself agreeing with him.

Nielsen uses examples to report how long users are willing to wait for a page to load. (His own web site contains almost no graphics, providing users with fast page loading.) He recommends that all pages work on two-year-old browsers and versions of plug-ins and other software, so that you don't turn away 10% of your customers.

Nielsen reminds us that people go to the Web for content, not for window dressing. He suggests that, from a usability perspective, the site design is more important than the page design. Using examples of popular web sites, he discusses navigation interfaces and site structure. His Intranet Design chapter includes sections on improving the bottom line through employee productivity, the use of intranet portals, and managing employee web access. His slim chapter on disabled users is thoughtful and comprehensive, cautioning us that while there are always design trade-offs, there's a difference between less-than-perfect and reckless design.

Web Darwinism

As the Web serves an increasingly international audience, there's increased responsibility for designers to ensure usability. Nielsen anticipates web usage to top one billion around 2010, with the proportion of North American users steadily dwindling. Nielsen discusses internationalization and localization, translated and multilingual sites, and regional differences.

Nielsen's concluding chapter reveals his commitment to user advocacy. Those of you who don't buy the humanistic case for it may buy the business case for it. He discusses why users return to web sites, and says that users "vote" with their mouse clicks, using useful sites and ignoring the others. The way of "Web Darwinism" is survival of the "fittest" web site.

As the Web is here to stay, it seems clear that its future will be quite different from its past. Users of e-mail and groupware in the mid-1980s can attest that, while the basic principles of user-centered design remain the same, today's electronic world is far different from that of two decades ago. It will be interesting to see how many of Dr. Nielsen's predictions are realized.

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