User-Centered Web Development

Designed to guide readers through the process of designing a Web site, start to finish.

Includes many unaddressed topics, such as The User-Centered Web Development Process, Requirements Gathering, Usability Testing, and Maintenance and Evaluation.

Designates separate chapters to the essential topics of Navigation Design, Page Design, and Design for Multiple Browsers.

The book includes case studies of user-centered design for Web sites in three different settings, a school, a non-profit organization, and a for-profit company. 

Case studies are presented in two different perspectives: designing a new Web site and redesigning a currently-existing Web site.

Discusses the maintenance and evaluation of a currently-existing Web site.

Preface

Chapter 1            Introduction to User-Centered Design for the Web
1.1        Focus on the User
1.2        User-Centered Web Development
1.3        Cognitive Foundations
1.4        The Process
1.5        Case Studies
Summary
Discussion Questions
References

Chapter 2            User-Centered Web Development Life Cycle
2.1        Traditional Lifecycle Model of Systems Development
2.2        New Challenges for Web Development Projects
2.3        Current Lifecycle Models for Managing Web Development Projects
2.4        User Needs at the Center of a Lifecycle Model
2.5        Project Management Techniques
Summary
Discussion Questions
References

Chapter 3            Defining the Site Mission and the Target User Population
3.1        Establishing the Mission and the Target User Population
3.2        Who Decides the Mission of the Web Site?
3.3        Why Must the Mission of the Web Site Be Established?]
3.4        How is the Web Site Mission Defined?
3.5        Targeted User Population
3.6        Additional Considerations for Web Site Redesign
Summary
Deliverables
Discussion Questions
References
            Case Study #1            Best Buddies Maryland
            Case Study #2            Institute of Notre Dame
            Case Study #3            Eastman Kodak Company

Chapter 4            Requirements Gathering from Users
4.1        General Demographic Information
4.2        Domain Knowledge
4.3        User Computing Experience
4.4        User Computing Environment
4.5        Content 
4.6        Benchmarking
4.7        Additional Considerations for Web Site Redesign
Summary
Deliverables
Discussion Questions
References

Chapter 5            Methods for Gathering Requirements
5.1        Determining the Access to Users
5.2        Choosing an Information Gathering Technique
5.3        Surveys            
5.4        Interviews
5.5        Focus Groups
5.6        Other Considerations
Summary
Deliverables
Discussion Questions
References
            Case Study #1            Best Buddies Maryland
            Case Study #2            Institute of Notre Dame
            Case Study #3            Eastman Kodak Company

Chapter 6            Conceptual Design of the Web Site: Site Architecture and Navigation
6.1        Characteristics of Web Sites
6.2        Organizational Structure of the Home Page
6.3        Information Architecture
6.4        Navigation
Summary
Deliverables
Discussion Questions
References
            Case Study #1            Best Buddies Maryland
            Case Study #2            Institute of Notre Dame  
            Case Study #3            Eastman Kodak Company

Chapter 7            Conceptual Design of the Web Site: Page Layout
7.1        Technical Considerations
7.2        Design Considerations
7.3        Content Considerations
Summary
Deliverables
Discussion Questions
References
           Case Study #1            Best Buddies Maryland
           Case Study #2            Institute of Notre Dame
           Case Study #3            Eastman Kodak Company

 Chapter 8            Conceptual Design of the Web Site: Designing for All Browsers
8.1        The Browser Challenge
8.2        Standardization
8.3        Some Common Browser Incompatibility Problems 
8.4        How to Design for Different Browsers
8.5        The Need for Testing
Summary
Discussion Questions
References

Chapter 9            Physical Design
9.1        Different Approaches to Coding Web Pages   
9.2        How to Code Navigation
9.3        Gathering Content for the Pages            
9.4        Testing the Pages
Summary
Deliverables
Discussion Questions
References
            Case Study #1            Best Buddies Maryland
            Case Study #2            Institute of Notre Dame
            Case Study #3            Eastman Kodak Company

Chapter 10            Usability Testing
10.1      The Usability Movement
10.2      Settings and Participants for User-Based Usability Testing
10.3      Process of User-Based Testing
10.4      Expert Reviews           
10.5      Incorporating Testing Feedback
Summary
Deliverables
Discussion Questions
References
            Case Study #1            Best Buddies Maryland
            Case Study #2            Institute of Notre Dame
            Case Study #3            Eastman Kodak Company

Chapter 11            Implementation and Marketing
11.1      Implementation: Housing the Web Site
11.2      Marketing the Web Site 
11.3      Considerations for Site Redesign
Summary
Deliverables
Discussion Questions
References
           Case Study #1            Best Buddies Maryland
           Case Study #2            Institute of Notre Dame
           Case Study #3            Eastman Kodak Company

 Chapter 12            Maintenance and Evaluation
12.1      Maintenance of Web Sites
12.2      Evaluation of Web Sites 
12.3      When to Redesign a Web Site           
Summary
Discussion Questions
References

• "This is a nice book for students. It covers the area in a no nonsense and clear style. There are even bits of discussion about Java script along the way. I must admit, I like books written by people who understand code. It seems to me that perhaps they are able to build the things as well as talking about building the things. The case studies are very thorough and useful and show students exactly what the author means. I've noticed that what makes sense to us as lecturers and developers is quite often way outside the experience of students and they do need examples of even the most simple of ideas. This book is good for doing just that without being condescending."

  Xristine Faulkner
  CISE

  "The greatest strength of this book is the emphasis on identifying and meeting the needs of users by continually involving them in the design process."

  Ruth V. Small
  Syracuse University

  "This is not a book of academic armchair philosophizing on a current topic but a very useful and practical book on Web development. It has the appropriate focus. It is obvious that many Web sites are created with limited or even no interaction with potential users of the site. Whereas user participation in development activities has been espoused in the literature for many years, in Web development it is often overlooked for perhaps reasons of time-pressure, cost or lack of knowledge of who the users may be. This book gives a very practical, useable ways of gearing a site to its users. The case studies are good and there is a full set reference for each chapter."

  Julian Terry
  Edith Cowan University
  Australia

The text is appropriate for classes in Web design, human factors, human-computer interaction, and online communities at the undergraduate and graduate level.  This text can also be used by professionals designing small- to medium-sized Web sites for companies and other organizations.

• Web Design 
• Web Programming 
• Web Development 
• Human Factors 
• Human-Computer Interaction 
• Systems Analysis