Customer Rating: 
Summary: Usability to the limit
Comment: Excelent guide to design ANY kind of web site keeping usability in mind. Fundaments most of the things that I used to guess.
Customer Rating:
Summary: nielsen is good, but all things in moderation
Comment: I've been an avid reader of Jakob Nielsen's alertbox web site for 2 years. One has to remember that Jakob's views are quite extreme - a "usability nazi" if you will - and using his comments to temper over-creativity can create some of the most functional Web sites out there.I believe that any members of a development team, particularly those without Web design experience, should read this book. It's an easy read with many, many real world examples. His breakdown is at times hard to follow if you are looking for specific examples of page elements (ie. is a navigational button part of the "page design", "site design" or "content design" chapter?). Overall, his work is an excellent refresher for any site architect or Web designer. His views, although extreme, can help most Web designers remember that this is very much a user-centric medium.
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Pre-requisite for Implementation
Comment: Virtually all of the content in the book is in some other format on his website . He could have done what Philip Greenspun did with "Philip and Alex's Guide to Web Publishing" and make the exact same content available online, but I'll only give Jakob minor points off for that. What is key, and I agree with Jakob on this point, is that people read this book, in order to grasp the concept of web usability, before they actually engage in the implementation of web sites.
Customer Rating:
Summary: For Advanced Users
Comment: I bought this book without knowing anything about it other than the title and the fact that it was published by New Riders (who I've had great luck with in the past). When you consider that in general I only buy 2-3 books a year and do all the rest of my considerable reading at the library, that's saying something.Jakob Nielson takes the world of web usability and makes it understandable to a complete usability ignoramus like me. After reading this book, I revamped almost all of my websites and yes, I'm getting more orders as a result. I'm also making sure I listen more closely to the negative feedback I get - because after reading this book I know that behind every person who does give negative feedback, there are 100 more who didn't bother to write. The only slightly annoying facet of the book was the way he kept wandering off into the future and what "might happen" and how that "might effect" the web in the year 2005. Well, that's all well and good, but I'm worried about designing in the year 2000. I would warn beginners NOT to purchase this book, however. This book is about *why* to make your website more user friendly. It does not tell anything about *how* to accomplish this. It's really for advanced users, and I would recommend it to any advanced user without reservations.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great book, very helpful.
Comment: I have seen harsh criticisms of this book. I suspect they may come from "artists" who are set on the defensive when Nielsen says something like, "Relish simplicity, and focus on the users' goals rather than glitzy design." His book is based on research. And years of it. When he says something is confusing to a user, it's not because he doesn't like it, or thinks that the users are dunderheads, but rather because he has statistically seen it fail. If you want good tips on usability based on statistics and research, this is your book. If you want to be pandered to and have some one tell you your graphics are king based on anecdotal information, look elsewhere. NOTE- For those of you get the impression that this book limits creativity, think again. Nielsen in NO way tries to limit creativity. He simply adds "usability" to the list of page requirements [meaningful graphic content, navigation, etc.]. For some, this will add a new, bigger, and more exciting "creative" challenge. For others it may be threatening. I doubt ANY BOOK can be a complete authority on any subject. But for usability, this has a LOT of information. It's not a "technical" book, so I found it easy reading. He may be repetitive at times, but lets face it, that's how humans learn (another statistical fact). So enjoy it, the ideas Nielsen shares can improve your site.
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