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Information Architecture for the World Wide Web

By Peter Morville, Jakob Nielsen, Louis Rosenfeld

(67)

| Hardcover | 9780613911856

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Book Description

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:

The process behind architecting a large, complex siteWeb site hierarchy design and organization

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.

3 Reviews

Section 1[return]Interactive media

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Jonaschau said on Jul 18, 2009 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

Probably interesting enough for the new practicioner or the aspiring librarian but I found this to be an exceptionally dry read (even compared to the admittedly very detailed About Face).
I'd recommend skimming content, skipping chapters and focusing most probably on part III (Process and Meth ... (continue)

Probably interesting enough for the new practicioner or the aspiring librarian but I found this to be an exceptionally dry read (even compared to the admittedly very detailed About Face).
I'd recommend skimming content, skipping chapters and focusing most probably on part III (Process and Methodology) of the book.
Still a must probably in this field, so better just get it over with.

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alper said on Dec 23, 2008 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

One is not really supposed to sit an read an o'reilly book cover to cover, but I started to do this anyway. This was the last book of the "preparatory reading" and was worried that I was going to be in the position that I'd done all the reading for the term before it started, looks like I may indeed ... (continue)

One is not really supposed to sit an read an o'reilly book cover to cover, but I started to do this anyway. This was the last book of the "preparatory reading" and was worried that I was going to be in the position that I'd done all the reading for the term before it started, looks like I may indeed be in that boat! As it turns out this is the only book for the data information technologies architecture course, (though lots of e-resources will be used).
I did actually stop reading this half way through, as when I discovered I could read my course description online, they said that parts 4 and 5 weren't very useful.
The rest of the book though I did find quite interesting. It gave me a good idea of what information architecture is, which I had no idea when i started. It talked about what made good and bad organisation of web pages, and information on web pages. While I don't think that this level of web design is something I really want to pursue it'll be useful to be able to evaluate stuff and possibly will end up utilising some of this information in relation to digital libraries at some point in the future.

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Robot-mel said on Sep 26, 2008 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback