Smart organizations recognize that Web design is more than just creating clean code and sharp graphics. Building a site that really works means making sure it fulfills your strategic objectives while meeting the needs of your users. Having the best content and the most sophisticated technology won't help you balance those goals if you don't integrate them within a coherent, consistent user experience.

But creating the user experience can seem overwhelmingly complex. With so many issues to deal with usability, brand identity, information architecture, interaction design it can seem that the only way to build a successful site is to spend a fortune on specialists who understand all the details.

The Elements of User Experience cuts through the complexity of user-centered design for the Web, breaking it down with clear explanations and vivid illustrations that focus on ideas rather than tools or techniques. Jesse James Garrett gives readers the big picture of Web user experience development, from strategy and requirements to information architecture and visual design. This accessible introduction demystifies the field, putting key concepts in context so that any web development team, large or small, can create a successful user experience.

Thousands of web developers around the world have used Jesse James Garrett's ideas to build sites that work more effectively. Instead of a cookie-cutter process or a list of rules to follow, The Elements of User Experience provides the strategic foundation for solving the problems unique to your business and your users.

Contents

• CHAPTER 1 User Experience and Why It Matters
• CHAPTER 2 Meet the Elements
• CHAPTER 3 The Strategy Plane:Site Objectives and User Needs
• CHAPTER 4 The Scope Plane:Functional Specifications and Content Requirements
• CHAPTER 5 The Structure Plane:Interaction Design and Information Architecture
• CHAPTER 6 The Skeleton Plane:Interface Design, Navigation Design, and Information Design
• CHAPTER 7 The Surface Plane:Visual Design
• CHAPTER 8 The Elements Applied