In this thoughtful book, usability expert John Cato outlines a design process that has a Web site visitor's needs in mind. He offers both theoretical discussions and real-world case studies. Although the illustrations in this compact book are small and not always well printed, the insightful advice is clearly communicated and is valuable to anyone setting out on the open sea of Web development. And, with its analyses of various corporate Web sites (including this one at Amazon.com), User-Centered Web Design addresses particularly important issues for those involved with e-business. This is neither a software how-to book nor a showcase of what's cutting-edge on the Web today. But it does inspire the sort of careful thinking found in Don Norman's The Psychology of Everyday Things.

Throughout the book, Cato offers diagrams, paradigms, and to-do lists, the first being his looping description of one's relation to the world: Awareness - Understanding - Action. His model for designing is Discover - Design - Use. Discovery includes the vision, exploration, "the 'Ah ha' moment." Design is where it is all born, and Use involves market testing and verification. These are just a few of the theoretical game plans he offers. Cato uses case studies to show how one can make user profiles contribute to the design process. It feels very similar to learning good marketing skills in business school.

The book also takes a careful look at visual techniques used on many sites today, breaking down what works and what doesn't, even proposing alternatives. For example, is the user confused over whether something is a button? Cato writes, "Make it buttony, and employ mouseovers to give confirmatory feedback," and "Go for creative ways of grabbing attention; they do not have to be large things."

You'll also learn how to push your creativity, get over your fears, and believe in yourself (good all-around life advice). There's even a section that looks at design issues for Web-enabled cell phones. This book won't wow you with its visuals, but the ideas and inspiration within may help you wow others with your Web design. --Angelynn Grant