Web Anatomy

Book excerpt: At the start of every web design project, the ongoing struggles reappear. We want to design highly usable and self-evident applications, but we also want to devise innovative, compelling, and exciting interactions that make waves in the market. Projects are more sophisticated than ever, but we have fewer resources with which to complete them. Requirements are fuzzy at best, but we’re expected to have everything done yesterday. What we need is a reuse strategy, coupled with a pathway to innovation. Patterns are part of the game. Components take us further. In Web Anatomy: Interaction Design Frameworks That Work, user experience experts Hoekman and Spool introduce “interaction design frameworks”, the third and final piece of what they call “The Reuse Trinity”, and resolve these issues once and for all. Frameworks are sets of design patterns and other elements that comprise entire systems, and in this game-changing book, Hoekman and Spool show you how to identify, document, share, use, and reap the benefits of frameworks. They also dive deep into several major frameworks to reveal how the psychology behind these standards leads not only to effective designs, but can also serve as the basis for cutting-edge innovations and superior user experiences. Web Anatomy delivers: A complete guide to using interaction design frameworks An examination of the psychology behind major frameworks A thorough look at how frameworks will change the way you work for the better Citing examples from both the successful and not-so-successful, the authors break down the elements that comprise several common interactive web systems, discuss implementation considerations, offer examples of innovations based on these standards, reveal how frameworks work hand in hand with patterns and components, and show you how to integrate frameworks into your process. Read Web Anatomy now. Benefit from it for years to come. Jared Spool is a world-renowned design researcher and the founder of UIE.com. Robert Hoekman, Jr. is a veteran user experience specialist and the author of Designing the Obvious and Designing the Moment.