Rating: 
Summary: good but not gospel
Review: I agree with other reviewers, Jakob does present his ideas as Rules You Must Follow, rather than observations or suggestions. On a few things, he offers no data to back up his assertion, and on a couple things I know he's factually incorrect. I also agree that there are a lot of typos in this book, but only if you're observant.However, what he does present is just great. I like the writing style. I like the example images. For example, when he says to design for "any" screen size, and then shows you 3 screenshots of Web sites that lock themselves into a certain size, that certainly illuminates how stupid some designers can be. One other point. Jakob is writing for usability, about how people get information. He pays no attention to marketing issues, such as branding, creating product interest, giving the customer a memorable experience, entertainment, etc. It is fine that he concentrates on other areas, but know before you buy the book that you will have to make up you own mind in those areas (at least). For instance, site reports from the Web site I work on show that any time I throw a DHTML "whiz-bang" widget onto the site, the area it is promoting gets a doubling to a quadrupling of traffic. That flies in the face of his "don't use whiz-bang features" philosophy. But I've learned that his data and my data don't always agree. So take Jakob with a grain of salt.
Rating: 
Summary: Good Book
Review: Good book, with common sense advice. I think every Web Designer (especially beginner ones) needs to read this book. However it is wordy, and much of the information focuses on what is wrong with a particular web page. It doesn't always focus enough on what can be done to fix the page. Overall though, this books positives far outweigh any shortcomings.
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Summary: Designing Web Visibility
Review: A model of clarity. The best of its type
Rating: 
Summary: Some Good Points, But It's Not the Gospel
Review: Some very good points (at least for someone with little or no experience). But I do find Nielsen absoluteness a little annoying. He doesn't just give his experiences and make suggestions, he gives commandments. I just don't think there are too many absolutes when it comes to designing for the web. Another annoying thing is how he can see the future so clearly. I always get a red flag when someone says "In 5 years the web WILL be [insert prediction here]" Still a worthy read, but it's not the gospel.
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Summary: Before You Build A Site, Read This Book
Review: Much of what is said in this book is pretty basic and common sense. But there are times when that is crucial. All of these are rules you should follow or at least be strongly aware of.
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Summary: usable web, un-usable book
Review: A valuable collection of design wisdom, as one would expect. Too bad this book is nearly impossible to use! - Although the screen captures provide wonderful examples, there are so many that they start to become obnoxious interruptions, obliterating the "big picture." - The gutters are so narrow that it's physically tiring (if not painful) to open the book wide enough to read (without breaking the binding). If you keep up with the author's AlertBox and devhead articles, save your money and your strength.
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Summary: Finally a Reference to Point to!
Review: Every member of your web design team should be required to read this. It is the best, simplest, and most concise reference I have ever read on web design. I've been doing this since 1994 (I spent two years reviewing websites for an online library. I have seen more bad design than anyone ever should - and have seen very little improvement since then.) Marketing folk, grumpy programmers/developers, and upper management who think that the web is their very own toy should read this and start to understand that the web is meant for the user, NOT THE DESIGNER! I don't agree with everything - but no two people ever do. By far, this is the best book to use as a web style manual / usability manual I have seen. <i>All opinions are my own and reflect on none of my colleagues.</i>
Rating:
Summary: Recommended reading for aspiring & practicing web masters.
Review: Designing Web Usability introduces the World Wide Web through the eyes of the average user. Users experience the usability of a site before they have committed to using it and before they have spent any money on potential purchases. The Web is the ultimate environment for empowerment. He or she who clicks the mouse decides everything. In this landmark design reference, the world's acknowledged authority on Web usability, Jakob Nielsen, shares with you the full weight of his wisdom and experience. From content and page design to designing for ease of navigation and users with disabilities, Jakob Nielsen delivers complete direction on how to connect with any Web user, in any situation.
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Summary: Designing Web Usability
Review: Found more "usability" in first chapter than I expected. Very pleased with the book. Excellent illustrations. Surprised to see the author talking about "right-now" technologies. Nothing out of date that I see so far. Discovered several "how-do-they-do-that" revelations that are worth much more than the book price. Covered over half of the book before I put it down after opening the box it arrived in. Wow.
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Summary: Jakob is dead on, but this should be common sense
Review: As a directory editor I review lots of web sites. The info, ideas, and critiques in this book would be very helpful to most designers/information architects/web site owners. People are looking for specific, information, quickly, on the web. Visitors should always know where they are in a site, should be able to quickly download information with a 28.8 connection, and be able to get from any page in a site to any other page in 3 clicks. There is a lot of good info in this book. If you've got a site with all the latest technologies that contains a lot of hype and self promotion, and was built to please the top brass in your organiztion get this book read it and use it. If you've got a site designed have as well as Amazon, skip it you've got the gist of this book.
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