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.
Instead of advocating archaic rules and conventions that are merely reactionary to the mistakes made in the last few years, 'Train of Thoughts' takes steps to review and proactively improve/expand upon the manner in which we communicate and do business on the web in the future. The views here are a world away from Nielsen et al - and as such are extremely valuable for at the very least providing balance to the usability argument, and at the most, changing your perception of what is and isn't a good website and providing you with new ways to approach your work.
I have been in the web industry in the UK for 6 years now, and I have a constant battle to change perceptions in people - both within the company I work for, and in clients (potential and existing) of the company I work for. This book is going to be a great help to me in changing those perceptions.
Whether you agree with John Lenker's views or not (for the record - I do), this is a fantastic book that every web professional whether design or business focused (or both) should read.
Actually, I've been waiting for a book like this for some time. In my 6+ years of designing sites and 5+ years of doing Flash, I always try to stray away from the cookie-cutter, portal, hit-em-over-the-head approach so many websites try to do ala Yahoo. Considering the city where I currently call home, New Orleans, isn't the most sophisticated and well-educated city going, you can imagine how so many people here get so confused going to sites like that. Instead, I try to sell each individual website as an experience in which you really do feel like you're part of the atmosphere that the client is trying to produce with the brand.
TOT effectively explains this in full detail. Promoting simplicity in most cases over the whack-a-mole approach or the extreme simplicity (read: usability) of Nielsen. Kind of interesting then that Lenker bashes Nielsen BUT praises his partner in crime for actually figuring it out.
While definitely not your typical web design book (you won't learn Flash or Dreamweaver here.) The book is loaded with lots of inspirational sites and ideas to reinvigorate your mind better than any can of Red Bull could ever do. (Personally, I prefer 180 over Red Bull. 180's got a better orang-y taste....oh wait.....this isn't epicurious.com now is it?) I thoroughly enjoyed the book and i think it'll definitely get people talking.
Now let's just hope these ideas won't make us as bankrupt as Amtrak is........
