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Recommended Books on Web Design

Don't Make Me Think : A Common sense Approach to Web Usability

If you are interested in web usability, this book should be on your reading list. Steve Krug does an excellent job outlining how to make websites as easy to use as possible. This details some usabilty best practices and outlines how to do usability testing on a budget.

It is the user that shouldn't have to think - designers, architects, developers and content authors really do need to think hard about how to create websites for the audience. This book goes a long way to helping them. I would recommend this book to anyone involved in website design.

Homepage Usability - 50 Websites Deconstructed

This book is all about making a first impression. Is your tag line effective. Can visitors find the search box? How difficult is it to navigate? This book contains hundreds of examples that you can employ on your own home page. A good reading for anybody. The main author is Jakob Nielsen, one of the world's leading expert on web usability.

Designing With Web Standards

This book...

Small Business Websites That Work: Get Online to Grow Your Company

This book is for "clients and customers" who have little knowledge of the process of web design, and need an understanding of how a web designer should work. It is a down-to-earth guide...if you have a client whose knowledge-or rather, lack of it-is causing problems, then consider buying this for them.

• How can you manage website designers if you don't understand the technology?
• How can you create a website that increases your business's profits?
• Will a website designer understand your business and your customers as intimately as you do?

Even the best designers probably have no background in marketing, no previous contact with your target audience and little experience in setting a business strategy for a website. That's why it's important that you learn enough about how the Internet works and how your business will benefit from having a website, to manage the design team.

Packed with practical tips, checklists, and numerous examples, Small Business Websites that Work will walk you through the decisions you need to make in commissioning a website for your organization and managing the team responsible. Learn how to,

• Spot common defects in the website design
• Make the site more profitable for the company
• Differentiate the company on the Internet
• Promote the website effectively
• Integrate your website with the rest of your business

The Unusually Useful Web Book

This book is a summary of everything involved in building a website, from initial planning, project management and usability, through to explanations of the various technologies that go into making up a site. This is also very useful for getting non technical people such as print designers, project managers or even clients, up to speed with what goes into building a successful website.

Web Redesign Workflow That Works

This book contains methodologies to plan, budget, organise, and manage web design and redesign projects from start to finish. It gets at the business approach to Web design. Intuitive organisation will make it easy for readers to find the material they need. It is written with the designer in mind.