Customer Rating:  
Summary: Generally good advice, well illustrated
Comment: Enough of the reviews here already praise this book for theauthor's qualifications and his good advice, and they're generallyright. It might be useful in addition to note that the book isprofusely illustrated (it had better be, at [the price]). The emphasis on commerce may not appeal to all readers, but Nielsen's recommendations are usually easy to apply to non-commercial projects.There are some points on which I'd disagree with the author (e.g., I'd say the "tradition" of blue for unvisited links and red for visited ones is not worth preserving), but Nielsen is good at outlining the sometimes conflicting priorities in web design so that readers can have an informed basis for agreeing or disagreeing. So let's talk about what needs to be fixed for the second edition. Start with the cover. Why is it that the subtitle ("The Practice of Simplicity"), which encapsulates the book's message, appears not on the front or the spine, but only on the back cover? In fact, the only other places it appears are on the inside flap (which also features nearly unreadable text in white reversed out of fluorescent lime green) and the copyright page. A bizarre flaw in an otherwise crisp and readable design. This is a book whose topic cries out for checklists to refer back to after the argument has been digested. They would be a tremendous asset. Nielsen has read Edward Tufte's fabulous "The Visual Display of Quantitative Information", but apparently the book designer hasn't: the pie chart on page 314 is needlessly rendered in 3 dimensions, causing slight but noticeable distortion of the data. Note to the author and New Riders Press: the ethnic slur on page 182 ("Chinese Embassy design") is disgraceful. Still a good book.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A brilliant, concise reference for Web designers
Comment: Dr. Nielsen's new book is a revelation. It offers wonderful insight into his experience dealing with the Web and is an invaluable reference for Web designers. His examples are relevant and his prose concise, making for an extremely easy reading experience. If you design Web sites or work in other areas of multimedia, this book is a must.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Simply Elegant!
Comment: Jakob Nielsen has created the perfect guidebook for Web usability. Based on a simple premise -- simplicity yields usability -- he has cut to the heart of great web design. He has recognized that, above all else, Web users want things made easy. If it loads quickly, tells you exactly where you are, provides information in highly useable form and doesn't attempt to take advantage of the user and cause them to be disoriented, the design will succeed.I have purchased copies for everyone on my Web development team. They have all instantly recognized the value of the many guidelines and rules the Nielsen sets out throughout the book. We have already adopted many of these rules as our own. His 1/10th second-1 second-10 second guidline reflects the experience of the everyday user. Since reading that chapter of the book, I rarely wait long once I know I have passed the one second mark and am likely on my way to ten or more. If you go ten pages without exclaiming' "Ah! ha!', then you are not paying attention. Nielsen has created the "Web Field of Dreams" -- if you build it [with usability and simplicity], they will come [back again and again]."
Customer Rating:
Summary: Excellent in its simplicity
Comment: This book should be on the desk of all web designers, amateur and professional. Jakob Nielsen is to the point and brief as he discusses (or critiques) websites and his thoughts on what makes a website pleasing yet functional. I gave this book 4 stars because much of the info in the book is available on his website. He doesn't write about anything new or something you couldn't look up at his site. The advantage of the book is that you're free to mark it up with your sticky notes and pen -- so you can implement what you learned into your site. While all may not agree with Nielsen's opinions about website design , he does have very valid points and the web would do well to heed some of his advice.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great for Web design newcomers; some interest for experts
Comment: Jackob Nielsen is an inspiring effective Web Guru. Unlike many Web commentators he has also worked on many research and commerical Web developments. He knows what he is talking about.For newcomers to Web design (or others interested in the area, e.g. strategic managers) this is an excellent overview of what makes a web site work (from a usability) point of view. Nielsen also gives some insights into the way the Web is going (e.g., what content will / will not work). This book is _quite_ suitable for some University level courses in Web technologies. However, the lack of an in-book set of references is a drawback (there is an online bibliography).
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