User-Centered Web Site Development A Human-Computer Interaction Approach

by McCracken, Daniel D.; Wolfe, Rosalee J.; Spool, Jared M.

• ISBN13: 9780130411617
• ISBN10: 0130411612
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-05-20
• Publisher: Pearson

Summary

This is an innovative and timely book that introduces the reader to the human component of Web site design. Readers will be able to do a much better job of writing front ends or other interactive software, as the book describes the creation of user-friendly Web sites.In the context of Human-Computer Interaction and Web design, this book covers such topics as user and task analysis, content organization, visual organization, navigation design, prototyping, and evaluation, as well as color, typography, multimedia, accessibility, globalization.For individuals interested in entering the field of Web page and site design, as well as industrial team workers in HCI and Web site development.

Author Biography

Don McCracken is Professor of Computer Science at City College, CUNY, and the author of more than 20 textbooks in computer science. He is a past president of ACM and the 1992 recipient of the ACM SIGCSE Award for Outstanding Contributions to Computer Science Education.

Rosalee Wolf is Professor of Computer Science at the School of Computer Science, Telecommunications and Information Systems of DePaul University, where she was the first Director of the HCI program and was instrumental in creating the first bachelor's program and the second master's program in HCI in the United States. A -former NASA fellow, she leads the groundbreaking American Sign Language project at DePaul.

Table of Contents

Foreword	xi
Preface	xv
Human-Computer Interaction: An Overview	1	(15)
Introduction	1	(1)
Benefits of Usable Websites	1	(2)
Gaining a Competitive Edge	1	(1)
Reduced Development and Maintenance Costs	2	(1)
Improved Productivity	2	(1)
Lower Support Costs	2	(1)
What Is HCI?	3	(1)
Goals of HCI	4	(1)
User-Centered Development Methodology	5	(4)
Needs Analysis	5	(1)
User and Task Analysis	6	(1)
Functional Analysis	7	(1)
Requirements Analysis	7	(1)
Setting Usability Specifications	7	(1)
Design	7	(1)
Prototyping	8	(1)
Evaluation	8	(1)
Characteristics of User-Centered Development	9	(1)
Implementation Techniques, Accessibility, and Trust	10	(1)
Summary	10	(1)
Other Resources	11	(5)
Association for Computing Machinery, Special Interest Group on Computer-Human Interaction (ACM SIGCHI)	11	(1)
Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES)	12	(1)
Usability Professionals Association (UPA)	12	(1)
Review Questions and Exercises	12	(2)
Project Activities	14	(1)
References	15	(1)
Capabilities of Human Beings	16	(21)
Introduction	16	(1)
Senses	16	(1)
Perception	17	(7)
Memory	24	(4)
The Hierarchical Model of Memory	26	(1)
Chunking	27	(1)
Recognition vs. Recall	27	(1)
Interruptions	28	(1)
Mental Models	29	(1)
Metaphors	29	(1)
Perceived Affordance	30	(1)
Some Design Implications	31	(6)
Review Questions and Exercises	32	(3)
References	35	(2)
Know Thy User	37	(22)
Introduction	37	(1)
User Analysis	37	(4)
Why User Analysis?	38	(1)
Generic User Characterizations	38	(3)
Specific User Characterization	41	(2)
Gathering Information About Users	43
Task Analysis	41	(10)
Goals, Tasks, and Actions	44	(1)
Methodologies for Identifying Types and Granularity of Tasks	45	(3)
Techniques for Observing and Listening to Users	48	(2)
Other Techniques	50	(1)
Environment Analysis	51	(1)
Recruiting Users	52	(1)
How Much Data Is Enough?	52	(1)
Usability Specifications	53	(6)
Review Questions and Exercises	54	(2)
Project Activities	56	(1)
References	57	(2)
Content Organization	59	(23)
Purpose	59	(1)
Organizational Systems	59	(3)
Organizational Schemes	60	(1)
Exact Organizational Schemes	60	(1)
Ambiguous Organizational Schemes	60	(2)
Organizational Structures	62	(7)
Controlled Vocabularies and Thesauri	68	(1)
Research and Interview Techniques	69	(13)
Analyze Documents for Objects and Actions	69	(1)
Card Sorting	69	(2)
Review Questions and Exercises	71	(9)
Project Activities	80	(1)
References	81	(1)
Visual Organization	82	(23)
Introduction	82	(1)
The Four Principles	83	(1)
Proximity	83	(3)
Alignment	86	(4)
Consistency	90	(3)
Contrast	93	(1)
Summary	94	(11)
Review Questions and Exercises	96	(7)
Project Activities	103	(1)
References	104	(1)
Navigation	105	(19)
Introduction	105	(1)
Strategies for Effective Site Navigation	105	(13)
Navigation Systems	106	(4)
Building Context	110	(8)
Built-In Browser Services	118	(1)
Effective Navigation at the Page Level	118	(1)
Summary	119	(5)
Review Questions and Exercises	121	(1)
Project Activities	122	(1)
References	122	(2)
Prototyping	124	(10)
Introduction	124	(1)
Why Prototype?	124	(1)
Basic Terminology	125	(2)
Benefits of Prototyping	127	(1)
Disadvantages	127	(1)
Low-fidelity and Other Prototyping	128	(1)
Paper-Prototype Advantages	128	(1)
Problems with High-Fidelity Prototypes	128	(1)
Disadvantages of Low-Fidelity Prototypes	129	(1)
Building a Paper Prototype	129	(2)
What's Next?	131	(3)
Review Questions and Exercises	132	(1)
Project Activities	132	(1)
References	132	(2)
Evaluation	134	(16)
Introduction	134	(1)
Why Test?	134	(2)
When to Test?	136	(1)
Expert-based Evaluation	136	(1)
User Testing with a Paper Prototype	137	(1)
Preparing Test Scenarios	137	(1)
Creating a Prototype	138	(1)
Practicing	138	(1)
Recruiting Users	138	(1)
Conducting a Test	138	(7)
Format	138	(3)
Roles	141	(3)
Team Demeanor during Test	144	(1)
Debriefing the User	144	(1)
Evaluating Results	145	(1)
Sort the Note Cards	145	(1)
Associate Cards with Prototype and Prioritize	145	(1)
Review Usability Specifications	145	(1)
Refining the Design	146	(1)
Writing the Report	146	(1)
Summary	147	(3)
Review Questions and Exercises	148	(1)
Project Activities	148	(1)
References	149	(1)
Color	150	(21)
Introduction	150	(1)
The Physics of Color	150	(2)
Color Models	152	(5)
A Time-Tested Model: RYB	153	(1)
Additive Color: RGB	153	(1)
Subtractive Color: CMYK	154	(1)
The HSB System	155	(2)
Comparing the Four Models	157	(1)
Color-Harmony Schemes	157	(8)
Monochromatic	158	(1)
Complementary	158	(3)
Analogous	161	(1)
Triadic	161	(4)
Color in Text and Background	165	(1)
Color as Organizer and Attention Getter	166	(1)
Summary	166	(5)
Review Questions	166	(1)
Exercises	167	(2)
References	169	(2)
Typography	171	(18)
Introduction	171	(1)
Concepts and Terminology	171	(3)
A Dozen Font Families	174	(8)
Serif Typefaces	174	(3)
Sans-Serif Typefaces	177	(2)
Monospaced Typefaces	179	(1)
Script Typefaces	180	(1)
Miscellaneous and Decorative Typefaces	181	(1)
A Web Page Is Not a Printed Page	182	(1)
Text in Graphics	182	(1)
Guidelines: Body Type on the Web	183	(1)
Guidelines: Display Type on the Web	184	(5)
Review Questions	185	(2)
Exercises	187	(1)
References	188	(1)
Multimedia	189	(21)
Introduction	189	(1)
Audio	189	(2)
Video	191	(3)
Animation	194	(8)
Future Developments: 3D Animation	202	(4)
Conclusions	206	(4)
Review Questions	206	(1)
Exercises	206	(1)
References	207	(3)
Accessibility	210	(25)
Introduction	210	(1)
The Scope of the Challenge	210	(1)
Issues Involving Vision	211	(9)
Blindness	211	(6)
Low Vision	217	(1)
Color Blindness	218	(1)
Photosensitive Epilepsy	219	(1)
Issues Involving Mobility Impairments	220	(2)
Issues Involving Hearing Impairments	222	(2)
The Web Accessibility Initiative	224	(3)
Guidelines	224	(1)
Checkpoints	225	(1)
Evaluating for Accessibility	225	(2)
The Human Side	227	(8)
Review Questions	227	(1)
Exercises	228	(3)
References	231	(4)
Globalization	235	(16)
Benefits	235	(1)
Internationalization and Localization	235	(1)
Text Considerations	236	(2)
Color, Icons, and Images	238	(3)
Formatting and Page-Layout Considerations	241	(1)
User Testing	242	(2)
Conclusions	244	(7)
Review Questions	244	(1)
Exercises	245	(3)
References	248	(3)
Personalization and Trust	251	(13)
Introduction	251	(1)
Benefits of Personalization	251	(2)
Privacy Concerns	253	(4)
Factors Affecting Trust	257	(1)
Fostering Trust in Websites	258	(2)
New Developments in Controlling Privacy	260	(1)
Conclusion	261	(3)
Review Questions	261	(1)
Exercises	261	(1)
References	262	(2)
Appendix: Introduction to XHTML and Cascading Style Sheets	264	(32)
Index	296

Excerpts

This text combines an introduction to human-computer interaction (HCI) with an exposition of website development. No one today needs convincing that the World Wide Web is a major phenomenon. Students are surely convinced, and they desire instruction in developing websites, but they usually see the subject in terms of writing HTML and of associated implementation tools. They often undervalue what the established field of HCI has to contribute to a good website. This book is intended for such a student and for anyone else who wants to build effective interfaces between people and computers. Goal The goal of any course based on the book is to enable students to develop interfaces that are usable:they permit the user to find what he or she wants, find it quickly, and carry out any interaction effectively and efficiently. This goal has much broader applicability than the World Wide Web, of course. But with the Web being pervasive and of much interest to students, we chose to build our presentation around the Web. Most of today''s software is interactive, and most of our graduates will be called upon to write front ends or other interactive software as part of their jobs. People who have mastered the material in this book will be able to do a much better job of interaction design than they could without that knowledge. They will also be better prepared to work with HCI and website development experts in an industrial team setting. Topics Covered The order of presentation of the topics was given a great deal of thought, with revisions based on teaching experience. Details may be seen in the Table of Contents. Here is an overview: The first eight chapters build a solid foundation of HCI concepts and practice as outlined in the ACM SIGCHI''s Curricula for Human-Computer Interaction. Topics include human perception, user and task analysis, content organization, visual organization, navigation, prototyping, and evaluation. The next six chapters are devoted to issues specific to website development: color, typography, multimedia, accessibility, globalization, and trust. A generous appendix presents an expository introduction to XHTML and Cascading Style Sheets. All formatting, after a first few examples, is done with Cascading Style Sheets, which has numerous advantages that are explained in the text. Support for Instructors The many review questions and exercises are a major feature of the book. The review questions help a student master the principles. But, as with sports, playing a musical instrument, or software engineering, a student learns to apply HCI principles to website development by doing it.You can''t learn to swim simply by listening to lectures, and you can''t learn user-centered development that way either. The way to learn is to take an assigned design task, carry it through, then compare one''s work with that of other students under the guidance of the instructor. A model solution can be most helpful if presented afterthe students have tried to do it on their own. This raises the always challenging issue of how an instructor should grade this type of project, especially if the instructor has limited experience in teaching the subject. Our response is an extensive Instructor''s Manual. It contains suggestions for applications, ranging from short assignments to term-long projects, plus model solutions in the form of some of the best student work we have encountered in our teaching. The Instructor''s Manual also contains tips for teaching and grading, sample syllabi, and sample exams. The book has a companion website at http://www.prenhall.com/mccracken_wolfe. It contains links to illustrations in the text, URLs for simplicity in following links in the text, and other materials. A password-protected site contains the Instructors Manual and a set of PowerPoint slides for each chapter. The bibliography for each chapter lists all literature cited in the text. These sources are both industrial and academic. Citations of relevant sources accompany design rules and guidelines as they appear in the text. Classroom Tested To practice what we preach, the book and supporting materials have been thoroughly use tested. Over a period of 18 months, several drafts of this book have been test-taught to approximately 1000 students at eight colleges and universities. Feedback from students and instructors has been instrumental in shaping the topic coverage and pedagogical strategy. How to Use This Book This organization permits great flexibility in how a course based on the text is structured. A prerequisite knowledge of Web-page authoring can be assumed or not. A prepublication version of this book has been taught successfully, using Web examples, both to students having no background in website development and to students who have extensive Web development experience.