|
|
Message from Dean - May 8th 2007
I am currently testing out a new version of the APF Bridge Component - If you notice any errors within this demo store please drop me a line.
Rating:  -
The topic of the Polar Bear is very defined and focused, and the book reflects this. It's a bit dry - reads much like stereo instructions - but for someone who is dedicated to exploring content and information architecture in depth, there's simply no better reference.
I wouldn't call this a good primer, but I'd definitely recommend it for more advanced reading, and definitely as a reference book.
Rating:  -
In general, this book contains some useful yet common sense information. This book is more about how to become a talker than a worker. I read through and found the first half confirmed my experience and the second half is a bust. If you want to become an office politician, this is a must have.
Rating:  -
Although this book does provide a nice overview of the field of IA, it provided me with very little useful information in regards to advanced IA techniques and practices. The few bits of useful information that I found we're sandwiched between pages upon pages of common sense, no-brainer techniques.
If your a beginner in the fields, or an outsider hoping to learn about IA, perhaps you might benefit from this book. If you've been in the industry for awhile, I'd suggest getting your IA info from a better source. Information Architecture: Blueprints For The Web is a good one. So are Defensive Design for The Web, and Getting Real, by 37 Signals.
Rating:  -
Very good book that has some really good sections on IA documentation, planning navigation, and good tools for putting things to gether. All chapters have plenty examples of web sites so you can visualize what is being taught. This book was used in an IA class I took recently.
Rating: -
What this book does is show you how librarians fit into 21st century. The book does very good promotion of IA itself, and shows why it's important.
The first half of the book is somewhat theoretical and hard to read. However, it's really worth reading. It will explain some concepts (thesaurus, categorization,...) librarians have used for a very long time, and how to easily used them while designing web sites.
The second part is where the book gets more practical and actually shows how to use IA in practice, which was, at least for me, the more interesting part. If you are in any way connected to web development, you should read this book.
The entire book is exactly what it says it is - "Designing large-scale web sites". Although some concepts can be applied to smaller sites, you will hardly find resources to make use of some of the things authors talk about.
There are many books on usability out there, but this one is dedicated to findability. If these terms are new to you, I recommend you read Steve Krug's "Don't Make Me Think" and Jakob Nielsen's "Prioritizing Web Usability" before reading this book. It might make it easier to read, and the book will definitely make more sense to you.
|
Amazon Store