Customer Rating:  
Summary: good but not gospel
Comment: I agree with other reviewers, Jakob does present his ideas as Rules You Must Follow, rather than observations or suggestions. On a few things, he offers no data to back up his assertion, and on a couple things I know he's factually incorrect. I also agree that there are a lot of typos in this book, but only if you're observant.However, what he does present is just great. I like the writing style. I like the example images. For example, when he says to design for "any" screen size, and then shows you 3 screenshots of Web sites that lock themselves into a certain size, that certainly illuminates how stupid some designers can be. One other point. Jakob is writing for usability, about how people get information. He pays no attention to marketing issues, such as branding, creating product interest, giving the customer a memorable experience, entertainment, etc. It is fine that he concentrates on other areas, but know before you buy the book that you will have to make up you own mind in those areas (at least). For instance, site reports from the Web site I work on show that any time I throw a DHTML "whiz-bang" widget onto the site, the area it is promoting gets a doubling to a quadrupling of traffic. That flies in the face of his "don't use whiz-bang features" philosophy. But I've learned that his data and my data don't always agree. So take Jakob with a grain of salt.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Good Book
Comment: Good book, with common sense advice. I think every Web Designer (especially beginner ones) needs to read this book. However it is wordy, and much of the information focuses on what is wrong with a particular web page. It doesn't always focus enough on what can be done to fix the page. Overall though, this books positives far outweigh any shortcomings.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Designing Web Visibility
Comment: A model of clarity. The best of its type
Customer Rating:
Summary: Before You Build A Site, Read This Book
Comment: Much of what is said in this book is pretty basic and common sense. But there are times when that is crucial. All of these are rules you should follow or at least be strongly aware of.
Customer Rating:
Summary: usable web, un-usable book
Comment: A valuable collection of design wisdom, as one would expect.Too bad this book is nearly impossible to use! - Although the screen captures provide wonderful examples, there are so many that they start to become obnoxious interruptions, obliterating the "big picture." - The gutters are so narrow that it's physically tiring (if not painful) to open the book wide enough to read (without breaking the binding). If you keep up with the author's AlertBox and devhead articles, save your money and your strength.
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