Rating: 
Summary: Rant
Review: I thought it ironic that a book on usability is such a ridiculous size and shape. Try finding a shelf on your bookcase for a 10" x 10" book. It sticks out a good 2" further than industry standards. While some of this is justified, because of the web screen shots, there is a thick red border on all pages that could have been trimmed to make this book more USABLE.It's kind of like a book on brevity being 3,000 pages...
Rating: 
Summary: Tedious, very tedious
Review: Don't even bother with this book unless you've also read Jakob Nielsen's "Designing Web Usability : The Practice of Simplicity" -- his vastly superior work. It's not that the content of "Homepage Usability" is wrong. It's actually insightful analysis... repeated 50 times. The redundancy is the problem. I like Nielsen's work, and it's important to me because I manage a popular website. But this book feels like it was something written as a regular column for a monthly magazine. The redundancy is has a nice preaching-to-the-choir effect if it's a once-a-month reminder; it's mind-numbing if you try to ready 50 of them in a row.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent and Worthwhile Information
Review: After reading some of the reviews here, I almost didn't buy this book. But I'm glad I did. I agree that some people might find some of the critiques nit-picking. I also agree that the authors are not qualified to give copywriting advice. But the point about exclamation marks on the homepage is a good one. They are overused. I've overused them myself. And they do make a page look like so much hype in many cases. Copywriters get carried away with hype and the web is no place for that. I don't think we can take anyone's advice in total all the time. But I can tell you this. After I read only a few pages in this book I saw changes that I needed to make. After looking at the critiques in the book, I can easily see the small very fine details that can make all the difference in the world in usability and, moreover, in marketing. Jakob does extensive testing with real people and I have a lot of faith in his findings. His word is not the last word. But I trust him and I think people who are involved with designing or writing Web sites should read what he writes. They don't have to agree with everything. But not to read him would be a mistake. The changes I've made due to his advice have paid big dividends. I don't hold 100 percent to everything he says. But I believe I have a site that is very user-friendly in part because I apply his principals and I pass them on to my clients. If people would just read the intricate detail in each critique, they would see what one small change could make and why it should be done the way the authors suggest. I would have given the book five stars but the book itself had some misspelled words and it used the word "website" instead of "Web site" which is the accepted way to write it. I don't necessarily blame the authors for that. It was probably a low level editor who let those errors happen. But they shouldn't be there. Especially in a slick, well designed book and a book about usability and perfection. But to anyone involved in making decisions about a Web site --- especially designers and copywriters --- I highly recommend this book. Susanna K. Hutcheson
Owner and Executive Copy Director
Powerwriting.com LLC
Rating: 
Summary: highly overrated
Review: I don't understand why anyone wants to bother with this book. After reviewing it for 1 hour or less, I sold it. Most of what it says is obvious, and some of what it says is wrong. As for what are wrong--I recall it was suggesting that certain words be made more efficient (shorter). But the problem is that those words are the same words that the firm has spent millions of dollars to brand better with. Also, I feel that it nearly disregards the strategic reasoning behind some of the website's design objectives. If you've got the time to read this tedious, nit-picky text, you're better off spending the time to analyze a website yourself and make your own judgments.
Rating:
Summary: Read the checklist and skim the site reviews.
Review: As fifty web sites are deconstructed (mostly criticized for poor design and lack of content), the main takeaway is a mental list of "don'ts" with some hints of what to do instead. The book could have analyzed only half the number of sites and still been useful: after the 20th or 30th, the critiques become redundant, and it's tiring to read the same problems (and solutions) over and over. However, the 113-point checklist at the beginning of the book makes for a great reference: use the list to systematically review your own site or next project, and see how it stacks up. You won't agree with every requirement of the authors, but at least you'll have to think and justify the times when you do something they wouldn't.
Rating: 
Summary: One of the top sources for usability
Review: This book shows why Jakob Nielsen is so highly respected in the field of usability. The first part of the book contains the principles and concepts used for properly designing Websites. They are very detailed and very complete. The second part of the book contains critiques of 50 different homepages. Most of the homepages are from medium to large companies (FedEx, Accenture, ...), but there are also a few from local companies. Nielsen sticks with the homepages because it's the most important page on most sites, and the homepage tends to reflect the structure of the rest of the site. Nielsen points out the good and bad aspects of the homepages. He also does it in a very clearly designed graphic presentation. He numbers the areas of the homepage he wishes to comment on, then follows the graphic homepages with pages of comments clearly cross-referenced to the numbers. A very easy to follow format that I will use in my own presentations from now on. Easily done using layers in Paint Shop Pro. This section of the book shows how few companies actually follow good usability practices. In fact, some of the companies that supposedly help other companies develop a Web presence actually have atrocious usability practices on their own sites (the Accenture site is particularly hideous and poorly structured, although they have improved it slightly since the book's release). The mistakes are common among designers, so Nielsen tends to be a little repetitive. Not really something he can avoid since the common mistakes are made by the page designers and they must be pointed out. We all know how bad Web design currently is because we're continually looking for things or confused by the structure or navigation of newly visited Websites. Using Nielsen's examples, any designer should be able to greatly improve their design practices. At least they'll be better than the designers at most of these 50 companies. Along with Steve Krug's Don't Make Me Think and Alan Cooper's The Inmates Are Running The Asylum, this book stands at the top of the heap of usability books. And it's a better tool, especially for quick reference, than Nielsen's last book, Designing Web Usability.
Rating:
Summary: an Usability book that's un-usable...
Review: This book basically lays out the fundamentals of home page usability and then points out things that are right or wrong with some 50 popular websites. Although the content of the book is ok, it is highly ironic that the book itself violates the very principles it is trying to preach. First of all, the book is very HEAVY because it has color pages which are printed on heavy bond paper. It is also unwieldy because the pages are LARGE (Since the authors print out those website homepages at almost 100% of their actual size). It is simply to cumbersome to read on the train, or laying on a bed. One has to read it with the book rested on a table because it is so hard to manage (It won't even stand by itself because it is soft covered.) Second of all, some pages are completely wasted, which is again highly ironical since the authors talk about spaces WASTED on webpages...) For example on pages 5-6 entitled "Homepage Guidlines," page 5 is black with no content, and there's content on only half of page of page 6. In the "website decontruction pages" section, webpages that are being analyzed are printed in the same size twice, one with red numbered circles(to be pointed out in the opposite page), one without. The authors could have just printed the pages with the red cicles on it (or have the original in a smaller size) and still achieve the same effect. The red border to the side of the book is completely useless (other than for visual effect). While its purpose is to indicate which webpage it is analyzing, it could have been done without this SIZABLE red border . They could also have used this sizeable border to color-code the various sections of the book. As it is, it is space wasted that adds to the already massive size of the book. Without the wasted page real estate, the book would have been tremendously lighter, more portable, and would have allowed the reader to enjoy reading it more. I understand that it is suppose to be a book relating to webpage design (hence the fancy layout), but it is an "usability" book, not a "fancy design 101" book. While the information given is good, I could have brought another book that offers same amount of content, but with less hassle (and probably with less amount of money given the fact that bond paper is expensive.) If Jacob Nielsen were to deconstruct his own book, he would fail to meet his own standard of usability.
Rating:
Summary: Skim this book rather than buying it
Review: As a software designer, I keep pretty close tabs on the current thinking about usability. And while Nielsen's periodic AlertBox column is excellent, this book seemed more like something you simply flip through rather than use as a solid desk reference on Web site and homepage design. Several times as I read through the book, I thought to myself that he really sold himself short. Lists are so long as to be utterly unusable, and the "mistakes" he highlights are too repetitive, and often ambiguous. This is hardly the kind of empirical-evidence-based advice I was hoping for; in the end, it seemed like he just jotted down notes as he went along and found someone to publish it. And while the look and feel of the book itself is excellent, the content is poorly thought out. Maybe he just needs a better editor (after all, I found many typos, something that's hard to stomach when he is so critical of similar mistakes). Finally, some of the advice he offers merely serves to demonstrate his lack of business experience and basic branding and marketing, which is both ironic and embarrassing. I'll admit that his task isn't an easy one, as he faces a central dilemma: he either must point out every little problem, or risk coming under fire for missing something. Unfortunately, I think he erred on the side of "too much trivia" at the expense of his readers. The book was fun to look through, and it gave me several important insights into homepage design, but I can' t imagine that I will ever refer to it. If you want excellent insight into web page and homepage usability, I would stick with the Alertbox.
Rating:
Summary: Breaks New Ground in Critiquing Website Designing
Review: Homepage Usability: 50 Websites Deconstructed by Jakob Nielsen and Marie Tahir, breaks new ground in the art and science of critiquing Website design. This full-color book features assessments of 50 popular corporate Website home pages and provides significant insight for developing sharp eyes and minds for objectively evaluating Website design efforts. Website home pages featured in the book includes Amazon, Boeing, FedEx, Gateway, General Motors, IBM, Microsoft, Ticket Master, USA Today, and Wal-Mart. As the authors point out in the book, and rightfully so, company home pages - and those of others - must advance and protect their public image. Any inconsistencies and weaknesses can have a negative impact on the way companies and other people are perceived by the public. Trust and reputation are important commodities to convey. And it starts with the home page. The book offers readers many important Website design learning experiences. They will learn to develop keen awareness for communicating Website purpose through the effective use of Web page space, by using particular features when most appropriate, understanding and applying general layout design principles, developing clear and precise written content, designing and effectively placing graphics, and incorporating purposeful navigation and linking. Readers will also pick up on the marketing and promotion strategies that are heavily dependent upon these and other important design considerations. The authors survey the use of specific Website design features, they set forth certain criteria for effective Website design, and offer readers valuable constructive criticism throughout the book that will encourage them to enhance their own Website design efforts. Although some comments in the book appear to be picky, they do make good sense. We should always be assessing our own Website design strategies and sometimes the best way to learn is by objectively analyzing the work of others. We owe it ourselves and to others to be aware of the world around us and to design Websites that are totally relevant and effective in conveying their intended messages. This book will contribute to our understanding of human nature and public response to the Web as a leading communications medium. It will also generate additional interest and enthusiasm for designing Websites. There are many exciting lessons to learn from it. The instruction is clear, the color graphics are great, and the layout is spacious, making it an excellent workshop and classroom course book.
Rating:
Summary: a ticket to the world wide web
Review: This book really helped me when it was time for me to design my own website. Reading the book Guerrilla PR Wired convinced me of the necessity of having a website and how much it could benefit me, and Homepage Usability showed me how to make that possible.
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