Review
"The purpose of Jakob Nielsen's Usability Engineering is to help nontechnical people improve the systems so that they are not only error-free but also easier and more pleasant to use, and more efficient. It is a book that ...shows us how to change the world and does so admirably...One of this book's strengths is that it provides a wide selection of methods for improving systems, and allows for the unavoidable constraints of the real world." --NEW SCIENTIST
Product Description
Written by the author of the best-selling "HyperText & HyperMedia", this book is an excellent guide to the methods of usability engineering. The book provides the tools needed to avoid usability surprises and improve product quality. Step-by-step information on which method to use at various stages during the development lifecycle are included, along with detailed information on how to run a usability test and the unique issues relating to international usability. It emphasizes cost-effective methods that developers can implement immediately. It instructs readers about which methods to use when, throughout the development lifecycle, which ultimately helps in cost-benefit analysis. It shows readers how to avoid the four most frequently listed reasons for delay in software projects. It includes detailed information on how to run a usability test. It covers unique issues of international usability. It features an extensive bibliography allowing readers to find additional information. It is written by an internationally renowned expert in the field and the author of the best-selling "HyperText & HyperMedia."
From the Author
Detailed ToC online
The basic philosophy of the book is YOU CAN DO IT! It is about cheap and fast methods that anybody can use in any interface design project (whether Web design, software design, or gadget design) to drastically improve usability. It is quite common to be able to cut users' learning time in half (thus cutting your training budget or support center costs by a similar amount).
The basic philosophy of the book is YOU CAN DO IT! It is about cheap and fast methods that anybody can use in any interface design project (whether Web design, software design, or gadget design) to drastically improve usability. It is quite common to be able to cut users' learning time in half (thus cutting your training budget or support center costs by a similar amount).
About the Author
Called the world's leading expert on Web usability by US News and World Report, Jakob Nielsen today serves as user advocate and principal of the Nielsen Norman Group. In the course of a career in which he held influential positions at Sun Microsystems, Bellcore, and IBM's T.J. Watson Research Center, Nielsen founded the "discount usability engineering" movement for fast and cheap improvements of user interfaces and invented several usability methods, including heuristic evaluation. He holds 58 US patents, many of which focus on ways to make the Internet easier to use. He has written the Alertbox column on Web usability since 1995 and is the author of Designing Web Usability: The Practice of Simplicity and Usability Engineering, plus eight other books.
