Product Description

(Pearson Education) A step-by-step guide to creating Web sites with a good underlying structure that can communicate the ideas, services and goals of the owner. Shows how to incorporate features for a more pleasurable user experience, how to define menus that users can understand, and how to understand the impact of wireless technologies. Softcover.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1238586 in Books
• Published on: 2000-11-09
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 192 pages

From the Back Cover
you how to create an underlying structure so your site communicates your ideas, promotes your services, and sells your goods. In many ways, this structure is like an architectural blueprint - but instead of showing the builders where to put the kitchen, the structure maps out the location of the information you want to share with those who visit your site. The structure is the "blueprint" of the information architect.

"A well-designed structure helps the designer create more effective graphics and navigation. It helps the programmer write the code. Most important of all, it keeps your visitors from getting lost, frustrated or bored.

"Unfortunately, most people don't think about the structure; in fact, most people don't even know such a thing exists. Instead, they plunge ahead with the more entertaining parts of a web project, like the graphics and typefaces, and let the structure grow naturally - like weeds in a garden.

"It doesn't have to be that way…"

Practical Information Architecture is a concise, step-by-step guide to this vital but all too often neglected aspect of website creation. Author Eric Reiss draws on his extensive experience in the field to guide you through the information architecture process, from defining your goals to fine-tuning your site. Supported by a wealth of illustrations and examples, Practical Information Architecture is an invaluable source of hands-on advice to help you:

o set meaningful website goals
o determine what information needs to be on the site to achieve these goals
o incorporate useful browser-based features that enhance the user experience
o produce easily understood diagrams to guide programmers and graphic designers
o define menus that visitors will immediately understand
o segment a site to meet the needs of widely divergent target audiences
o understand the impact of wireless technologies such as WAP.

Practical Information Architecture is written for web marketing professionals, site-owners, designers, webmasters, copywriters, consultants, students, and anyone else involved in building a website.

About the Author
Eric Reiss has been actively involved in the creation of multimedia and web projects for over a decade. Following a long career as a senior copywriter for one of Europe's leading business-to-business advertising agencies, he now heads e-reiss, which provides specialized business services for on-line ventures. A Texan by birth, Mr. Reiss has lived in Copenhagen, Denmark since 1976.

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Customer Reviews

A "must have" for beginners and pros alike
I've worked with web development for some time now, and having read the previous review, I hesitated to buy this book. Now I'm glad I did! Reiss writes like a dream and makes this important subject accessable to everyone - not just a few seasoned pros. Yes, we've heard most of this before, but never so clearly, and Reiss' shares his experience on several subjects (such as personalization and audience segmentation) that most of us have never had to deal with personally. Far from "dumbing down," his explanations are lucid and his observations are right on target. Reiss also provide loads of hands-on advice, which helps beginners and pros alike avoid expensive mistakes. When presented this logically, the rules of site organization all seems so obvious. But if they really were, why are so many designers still repeating the same dumb mistakes? This book is a "must have."

I want my boss to read this book, too!
As a professional information architect, I was weened on the classic Rosenfeld and Morville book and on first glance, there would seem to be a lot of repitition. However, Eric Reiss has recognized the broader business concerns and helped place information architecture in its proper perspective within the overall project framework. This makes it a VERY valuable book (it certainly got me thinking about a lot of issues I had previously ignored). His examples are well-chosen, his explanations are precise, and his observations are timely. Most important of all, he makes the entire subject MUCH more understandable, particularly for uninformed clients and employers. I hope my boss reads this before the next round of layoffs!

Very informative book!
I found this book to be a great first read and an excellent resource to go back to. I'm a producer at a web firm and information design is a part of my job. This book helped me move to the next level of knowledge and helped confirm, what the author calls "common sense", issues for me. More than worth the investment.