Train of Thoughts: Designing the Effective Web Experience - Softcover

Lenker, John C

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0735711747 ISBN 13: 9780735711747

Publisher: New Riders, 2002

Synopsis

Is creativity the enemy of usability? How do you judge the success of a person's experience interacting with a web enterprise? Is the effectiveness of an online resource defined only by how "usable" it is? In Train of Thoughts, web strategy and design consultant John C. Lenker Jr. provides insight into how web enterprises must interact with people to be successful in the twenty-first century.

Train of Thoughts is non-technical and written not only for web designers and developers, but also for any stakeholder in a web enterprise that has a vested interest in ensuring that their online resources become more meaningful and valuable. In this book, you'll learn to understand what motivates people's online behavior and then convert that motivation into online results; communicate with people effectively online so that they really understand what the value proposition of an online resource is; combine forward-thinking information design techniques with systems that pave experiential pathways for people to journey along in pursuit of their interests and goals; properly employ personalization to build relationships; understand the true role of creativity online; uncover screen-space designs that aid and inspire the mind; reconcile business objectives with stakeholder needs; approach process in a way that keeps projects on time, on budget, and on target; create online resources that actually work when they're completed; and actualize creative vision appropriately for the web.

About this title

About the Author

John C. Lenker Jr-an author, educator, and interactive multimedia design specialist-is the co-founder and president of invioni, a Web-strategy and design consulting firm based in Minneapolis. He's won awards for both his on- and offline interactive projects as well as for his commercial illustration. He's also been a contributing author to New Riders Publishing's Flash Magic series of books. Over the course of his career (which included leadership roles at both Allen Interactions and Martin/Williams), John has worked on numerous projects for notable organizations including: AT&T, Comcast, DaimlerChrysler, Digital Equipment Corporation, Eli Lilly and Company, Fallon Worldwide, Farmers Insurance, Frigidaire, IBM, Imation, Lucent Technologies, Lincoln Financial, Marvin Windows & Doors, Nestlé USA, Nexus Lexus, Northern States Power, Novartis, Pillsbury, Powertel, RCA, Syngenta, Texas Instruments Inc., United Airlines, and U.S. West. Although he began his education studying film music composition and music synthesis at Berklee College of Music in Boston (he still writes and performs music as a hobby), John earned a BS degree in Business Administration from Indiana Wesleyan University. John's family includes his wife, Jennifer, and their three soon-to-be-famous children, Adrianne, 1991; Zoë, 1993; and Noah, 1995.

From the Back Cover

Is creativity the enemy of usability? How do we judge the success of a persons¿ experience interacting with a Web enterprise? Is the effectiveness of an online resource defined only by how ¿usable¿ it is? In Train of Thoughts: Designing the Effective Web Experience, Web strategy and design consultant, John Lenker, gives us a vision for how Web enterprises must interact with people to be successful in the twenty-first century. This book is non-technical and is written not only for Web designers and developers, but also for any stakeholder in a Web enterprise that has a vested interest in making sure that their online resources become more meaningful and valuable. You¿ll learn to: - Understand what motivates people¿s online behavior and then convert that motivation into online results - Communicate with people effectively online so that they really understand what the value proposition of an online resource is - Combine forward-thinking information design techniques with systems that pave experiential pathways for people to journey along in pursuit of their interests and goals - Properly employ personalization to build relationships - Understand the true role of creativity online - Uncover screen-space designs that aid and inspire the mind - Reconcile business objectives with stakeholders¿ needs - Approach process in a way that keeps projects on time, on budget, and on target - Create online resources that actually work when they¿re completed - Actualize creative vision appropriately for the Web "While leading Web design experts rely on fixed usability standards as their guidepost which focus almost entirely on practical issues, these standards are overly restrictive, don¿t consider people¿s needs holistically, and are keeping the Web from living up to its fullest potential. John Lenker offers an alternative perspective that addresses peoples¿ online needs much more comprehensively. Tackling an aspect of the usability debate that¿s often misunderstood, Lenker explores why soul-less rejection of creativity can be every bit as ineffective as graphically garish design. Specifically, he brings important principles of psychology, understandability, and creativity to bear on Web experience design in a way that¿s easy for everyone to follow along with and understand. This book teaches you to look beyond the status quo to find experience design strategies that increase the value of online resources. It¿s refreshing to read a thoughtful title like this, in which the author digs deep into real issues instead of trying to find the lowest common denominator, one size fits all approach." -Lynda Weinman author, educator URL: www.trainofthoughts.com

Edition details

• Publisher: New Riders
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0735711747
• ISBN 13: 9780735711747
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 352