This section features tutorials on all the basic skills for web site design and designing good usable web pages, through insight into the core thinking that supports the design of effective and usable web sites.
Using web sites should be easy and pleasant, just like a great experience in a shop, hotel, or library. I believe that the all Web sites can be made lovable - easy, rewarding and pleasurable to use.
Most web sites suck, even ones created by experienced and highly-paid web designers. They're either hard to navigate, confusing, cryptic, badly organised, badly written, stupid, obscure, rude, over-designed, under-designed, or simply don't give us what we want.
Too often we are left feeling either stupid, let down, frustrated, or angry. This situation is not okay any more.
These articles look at the web browsing experience (See: How people use web pages, People are impatient; No-one looks at the screen; Scanning, Other online factors).
Web design is a complex discipline, and there is a tension between designing for beauty and designing for function. However, you can make web sites both pleasurable and functional, appealing and usable. In fact, this should be your goal as a designer. (See: Web sites and buildings, Sphere of Design; Using your Ink)
Basics also include ways of approaching web design that help us create better sites. See: Conventions; Don't decorate, communicate!, Simplicity).
This is the one must-read usability book for all web designer and developers.
Steve Krug's masterpice (now in its second edition) achieves the amazing feat of making very complex concepts simple enough for anyone to understand.
It's a very easy, lighthearted and quick read, thanks to great writing, smart page design and lots of pictures.
The second edition has several worthwhile additions over the classic original book, with 3 new chapters covering important stuff like accessibility.
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