From: Ken Friedman <ken.friedman@bi.no> Subject: [Air-l] Two important books on Web design: Content Critical, Web Content Style Guide
Our universities, schools and departments are spending -- and wasting -- millions of dollars, pounds, kroner, lira, markka, etc., on Web sites that do not work. Far too many organizations mount Web sites loaded with special effects and fancy images, without attending to accessible information, ease of use, or good navigation. Many organizations mount Web sites that must be repeatedly redesigned. If we can develop and retain key knowledge on basic issues, the future investments we make will become a long-term gain.
This is not a comment on the value of the books recommended by Ken but I think the statement above is far too simplistic and similar to the usual Jakob Nielsen rant on usability which might have made sense in 1995 but doesn't make any more sense today than it would to recommend that all books be designed like text books, film like Red Cross training films or television like news programming on PBS/BBC. The content, goal and audience determines the structure and style. Web design is not about web design, it is about web-d 'media' design. We are talking about a medium of expression which will be expressed in many ways. Sometimes the best way to get across an idea is with the ambiguity and obfuscation common to art. A critique of the Bible and other holy documents could be that they might have been easier understood if they hadn't been written in parable form and just used bulleted action points not open to interpretation. Just another POV. Excuse me while I go look up the books Ken recommends which I might use in class but with a proviso. --Thom, Director of the MIME program in total media obfuscation \\\\//// tHoM gIllEsPiE /ww ww\ Indiana University, Telecommunications Dept 6 (*][*) ? 1229 E 7th St Radio & TV Bldg \ .7 / Bloomington, IN 47405-5501 USA ( --') thom@indiana.edu 812-855-3254 (v) WWWW THE MIME PROGRAM: www.mime.indiana.edu / WW \ www.indiana.edu/~slizzard/resume/page.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ What is the use of a book, thought Alice, without pictures or conversation. -Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventure in Wonderland