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Make: The First Year (4 vol. set)
Mark Frauenfelder Manufacturer: O'Reilly Media, Inc. ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback Similar Items:
ASIN: 0596526776 |
Book Description
From out of nowhere, MAKE has rapidly become one of the hottest new magazines to hit the newsstands. Often coined "the bible of the Tech DIY movement" MAKE has coalesced a passionate if rather unorthodox following of geeks, gearheads, tech enthusiasts, hackers, tinkerers and artists united by a common compulsion to reconfigure the technology in their lives; even when it means violating a manufacturer's warranty or two.Through the brilliantly written and beautifully illustrated magazine, podcasts and makezine.com website, the MAKE team has already won broad acclaim for their clear yet down-to-earth coverage and uncanny instinct for what moves Makers, and their ability to nail the curiosity, vibrance, and passion of the rapidly emerging "tech DIY" movement.
In this special re-release, all 4-Volumes of MAKE's first year are combined in a special 4-Volume Collector's Set.
Customer Reviews:
excellent source of ideas an inspiration.......2007-08-31
Cover to Cover Goodness.......2007-08-04
Good tinkerers mag.......2007-01-21
Deceptive description??.......2006-03-09
Make Magazine... Makin' Waves.......2006-02-25
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Usability Testing and Research (Part of the Allyn & Bacon Series in Technical Communication)
Carol M. Barnum Manufacturer: Longman ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback Similar Items:
ASIN: 0205315194 |
Book Description
Built on a solid foundation of current research in the field, Usability Testing and Research provides a comprehensive, up-to-date perspective in this increasingly important area of technical communication. Based on the most current research in the field, this book reflects the most recent developments and studies on this topic available. Sidebars throughout the book catch the attention of the readers and highlight key concepts in the text. A chapter on web testing provides coverage of what is now the hottest area in usability testing. End of chapter discussions and exercises reinforce learning. Frequent examples of planning, conducting, and reporting usability tests present current samples of projects. An appendix on teamwork gives pertinent advice in an area neglected by other texts: building and coordinating cross-functional teams for usability testing. For those interested in usability testing and research.Customer Reviews:
Excellent introduction to usability testing.......2003-06-23
The first four chapters form an introduction to user-centred design: definitions, testing models, other methods for gathering usability data, user analysis, task analysis, and prototyping. The remaining chapters discuss the process of usability testing itself: planning the test, preparing for the test, and conducting the test. One interesting chapter discusses a topic that is usually overlooked in the other usability literature: analysing the data and writing the report. This chapter also discusses the Common Industry Format for reporting usability results. The inclusion of this discussion increases the usefulness of this book for usability professionals.
Dr Barnum devotes a chapter to the sometimes nebulous topic of usability testing for the web. Although there are other books that discuss this topic alone, the inclusion of this material in this book is excellent. Students who are new to usability testing will find this book more useful than a book devoted solely to web usability testing. After completing this, a student can then go on to read web-specific books such as Nielsen's recent "Designing Web Usability".
Students and others learning about the field will find the extensive examples used throughout the book to be extremely helpful. Together, these examples provide sufficient material for a student to model their complete usability test, from planning to reporting the results. Additional examples are available on a website maintained by the publisher. These examples are less useful for current practicioners, but do not detract from the overall text for this audience.
For those who are interested in this field, this book an excellent introduction. It is well-written, and the examples provide a cookbook for students to emulate. Experienced professionals will probably not find this book to be as useful as a new student, although it is a very useful refresher.
Disclaimer: I am a past student of Dr Barnum's, and the work that my student team produced for her class is used in this book. I am now a human factors engineer for a large corporation. I keep this book on my shelf in my office, and often lend it out to our interns who are learning about this field.
A solid textbook on usability testing that includes web.......2003-05-30
The book opens with chapters on `What is Usability and What is Usability Testing', `Other Methods for Getting Feedback About Product Usability', `User and Task Analysis', and `Iterative Testing for User-Centred Design'. I can see that Carol wants to set user testing in context, but I was concerned that if you're really new to usability testing then you might be put off by Chapter 2 `Other methods', as it is a very densely written chapter that describes many techniques very briefly.
The meat of the book starts at Chapter 5 with `Planning for Usability Testing' and continues through `Preparing for Usability Testing', `Conducting the Usability Test', and `Analysing and Reporting Results'. The book then changes course slightly with a chapter on 'Web Usability', giving some design principles as well as details of applying the methods to the web.
Our Open University students love the plentiful examples in our course on User Interface Design and Evaluation. Carol Barnum's book should also appeal because of its extensive use of examples. She gives lots of detail from a student team's test of Hotmail (Microsoft's web-based e-mail service) so you can see the process as they tackled it. I found it a little frustrating that there weren't any screen shots of Hotmail as it stood at the time of the test. As well as the Hotmail example she uses excerpts from a test of a University web site, and has lots of anecdotes and smaller examples as well, many of them aimed at testing documentation - a neglected area. Perhaps the amount of space taken up the examples means that there is less meat in the core of the book, but if I were a beginner I'd find it very reassuring. Conversely, though, experienced practitioners might find Chapter 5 onwards a bit basic.
Academics and practitioners who like to follow up interesting ideas will be glad to know that there is extensive referencing. The appendices placed in context with the chapters broke the flow for me somewhat when I was reading the book at a sitting, but I think they would be more convenient placed where they are when using the book to actually plan and conduct a test. Each chapter closes with questions/topics for discussion and exercises which looked helpful to me if you were planning to use this as a textbook, or if you are a new practitioner who is using the book as a guide through your first usability tests.
Carol Barnum's style is clear and easy to read as you would expect from a Professor in Technical Communication. She often uses comments from Chauncey Wilson, a very experienced practitioner to give some practical tips and insights, but I sometimes found myself wishing that she had put more a more personal touch, more of her own practical experience, explicitly into the book. Apart from a couple of anecdotes, the word `I' hardly appears until we get some of her own opinions on web usability at the end of Chapter 9. We can guess at one of her concerns because she includes an interesting appendix on `Making it work as a team', which I though was a good, concise introduction.
I would recommend this book as an introductory text for undergraduates because of the extensive examples, fairly reasonable price and referencing. I think it would also be good for practitioners - for people who are getting started with user testing - to help them through their first test. I think that I'll find myself recommending that readers should start with Chapter 5, and then come back to Chapters 1 to 4 later.
(This review was written for 'Interfaces', the magazine of the British HCI Group)
STC Usability SIG review.......2003-01-30
Donýt be fooled by the somewhat unmemorable cover of Usability Testing and Research. Carol Barnum combines research findings with practitioner experience to produce probably the most comprehensive but concise resources on usability testing now available.
This book is part of the Allyn & Bacon series in technical communication. Designed in part to fulfill the needs of students in a graduate-level class in usability, it is also a great resource for usability practitioners as a tool to update and upgrade their skills. The structure of this book should suit both neophytes and the experienced. Each chapter and its subsections are well structured with a logical progression from one section to the next. The table of contents is well organized and very readable so that a knowledgeable individual can scan to find those sections that are of most immediate interest. The index is likely to be a great reference tool as it was created by a professional usability tester, someone who should know what a reader is likely to need.
Dr. Barnum, a usability consultant and professor to graduate usability students, draws upon nearly every prominent usability authority to build a comprehensive bible of usability testing. The authorýs academic background is evident in the careful footnoting of every page and the detailed listing of scores of references at the end of each chapter. If there is an issue the reader wishes to further explore, the source is cited for ready access. The findings from top usability professionals are distilled to their essence and woven into comprehensive work on usability. The reader gains the primary benefit of hundreds of books, papers, and articles without having to filter though this sea of information. There is little if anything of importance that is left out of this 448-page book of concentrated wisdom and knowledge.
The reader, whether a student or an experienced practitioner, gets the benefit of both analytic research and its practical application. Many examples of actual real-world, usability test plans, data, analysis, or summary reports are reprinted. These examples are great models for the practice of usability. This book has not just general how you might do something but also how it was actually done ý not just theory but actual practice.
Anyone interested in the usability of hardware, software, computer games, Web sites ý any product that has a user interface ý will find a great wealth of information. The first chapter starts off defining usability and explaining usability testing models and theory. It also provides a methodology for cost justification and the basis to proselytiz for usability.
In Chapter 2, the author should be commended for taking a holistic view of usability and discussing how heuristics, surveys, and focus groups play a role in the design of a usable product. Chapters 3 through 7 explain user and task analysis as a precursor to designing, planning, preparing, and conducting the test. Chapter 8 details not just the analyses of the collected data but also different methods of reporting the findings to obtain the best result. The final chapter builds on everything before and discusses those issues specific to Web usability. Nearly every chapter has an appendix with real-world examples specific to that chapter. The end-of-the-book appendix discusses how to make usability testers work as a well-functioning team.
Some books are chock full of scholarly research and empirical data and great for academia. This book has a solid base in research but was written for the real-world practitioners of usability. Itýs this steady focus on practical real-world application that most impresses me about this book.
Still not convinced this book is for you? Check out the companion Web site, ..... Download material from the bookýs appendices and sidebars. Peruse the many usability tools and link to other usability resources on the Web.
Usability Testing and Research is not only of great value as a resource of practical information to usability professionals but also as a tool to explain the benefits of usability design and testing to skeptical management. Carol Barnum should be congratulated for a great job in bringing together in one book such a complete, well-organized compilation of usability theory and practicality.
Complete guide to usability research.......2002-10-16
Carol Barnum's book is at first a typical academic textbook that explains not only the principles of usability, but also the argument for usability and user-centered design. However, it is the presence of appendices at the end of most chapters that will help readers perform usability testing.
The appendices are detailed copies of documents and protocols used in previous usability tests. The aforementioned principles and arguments would stand on their own merits, but the added appendices give context to the principles and arguments, thus giving the reader the opportunity to see the principles and prototypes in action.
From my standpoint as a professional in the field, valid usability testing starts with careful, in-depth preparation. Usability Testing and Research handholds readers through this process, starting with objectives and ending with participant recruitment. This is a very important aspect of testing, as poor planning always equals poor results.
Barnum devotes several pages of the book to a very overlooked aspect of usability testing: reporting the results. Besides the detailed attention given to writing the results in a formal report or a quick report (or roadrunner as the book explains), the book also explains how to present and prepare for an oral report. No matter how valid the test may be, without an accurate, to-the-point report that gives the audience what it needs, the test results and associated costs are wasted. Barnum even discusses visual aids and the importance of the highlight tape. This, of course, is paramount to the report's success, since seeing is believing.
The book even contains a chapter devoted solely to Web usability that details common Web problems as well as insight into the Web's goal-driven users. Although research on the Web is constantly changing due to the experience level of the user base and innovative technology, the Web chapter offers an easy to understand benchmark for all usability professionals who evaluate the Web.
All in all, Usability Testing and Research covers everything that an individual new to the field needs to know. It also contains practical advice and how-to that even seasoned usability professionals need to review from time to time.
Ken Kellogg
Manager - Usability Research
First new book on the topic in a while........2002-09-27
Besides a lot of detail on usability testing protocol (well written and highly readable) there are lots of examples of facilitator scripts, recruiting and screener forms, Think Aloud instructions, etc.
I wish the book itself were of a higher quality. The binding, paper, and printing seem low budget, yet the price is not low! No matter, buy it anyway. Whether you are new to usability testing or an experienced tester, it's a useful book.
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American Cinema/American Culture
John Belton Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback Similar Items:
ASIN: 007004466X |
Book Description
Developed to accompany the Annenberg-funded telecourse American Cinema, and written under the aegis of The New York Center for Visual History, this text offers a fascinating look at the interplay between the movie industry and mass culture in America.Ideal for film appreciation and film and culture courses found in Cinema Studies, English, History, American Studies, or other departments, American Cinema/American Culture first examines the industry, its narrative conventions, and its cinematographic style.
Following this introduction, students are exposed to the sweep of film history in the U.S. using five genres as the bases for discussion and focusing on the point at which each had the greatest affect on the industry, film aesthetics, and American culture.
Finally, the book concludes with a look at Hollywood post World War II, giving separate chapter coverage to the effects of the Cold War, television, the counterculture of the Sixties, directors from the film school generation, and the trends of the Eighties and Nineties.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent as a Historical Text Book.......2007-03-24
Not very good..........2005-03-05
A very useful beginners guide to American film........2003-01-08
The first third of the book starts with the birth of film, moves quickly on to the Hollywood studio system, and walks us through the basics of film style (camerawork, lighting, editing, etc.). The second third covers the basics of film genre; there is a chapter about film noir, one on comedies, one on war films, and one on westerns. This second section was particularly useful to me. I could read each chapter, jot down a list of promising titles, hit my local video store, and I was good to go. The third section covers American film after World War II. In this section things seem a little compressed. 110 pages for 50 years of film? A lot is lost on the cutting room floor. But there's lots to dig into all the same. There's a chapter on Hollywood during the McCarthy years (yikes!), one on film's evolution during the emergence of television, a chapter on 1960s counterculture films, one on the film school directors of the 1970s and 1980s, and finally a pretty weak chapter on film in the 1990s. Oh yeah, and at the end of the book there's a handy glossary (in case you're ever stuck on what point-of-view editing is) and a pretty thorough index.
Again, not a book for someone who already has a good feel for film history. But definitely a great resource for someone new to film studies, or for someone who has trouble finding a movie at Blockbuster on Fridays. It did a great job getting me excited about movies, and I imagine its done the same for others.... A good companion to this text (or possibly an all-out replacement of it) is Scorsese's VHS/DVD, "A Personal Journey With Martin Scorsese Through American Movies."
Movie spoiler.......2002-10-08
I also don't like the prose of the author, as he excessively uses sentences "in quotations". The writing structure is very formulaic and boring. The "5 paragraph essay" format is good for high school students learning to write, but imagine an entire book written that way. I can only read it for 15 minutes before losing interest.
The book does, however, provide plenty of examples from a variety of films.
This book is a companion piece to the PBS series by the same name. The series is much more interesting. Don't bother with the book. A much better film text is "Film: An Introduction", by William Phillips, ISBN: 0312258968.
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The Field Guide to Understanding Human Error
Sidney Dekker Manufacturer: Ashgate Publishing ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback Similar Items:
ASIN: 0754648265 |
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A Systems Approach to Small Group Interaction with Student CD-ROM and PowerWeb
Stewart L. Tubbs Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback Similar Items:
ASIN: 0073228710 |
Book Description
The only book that integrates all important small group topics into a single comprehensive conceptual model, this text pioneered the systems approach for the group communication course. Each chapter begins with a brief preview, followed by a glossary of terms and a real life case study; the chapter text material is followed by several experiential exercises for skill development and two original readings. The new edition has been extensively updated and revised, with new information on virtual teams and streamlined exercises at the end of each chapter.Customer Reviews:
Great Experience.......2005-09-29
This is MY professor you guys are talkin' about!!!!.......2004-02-03
Stewart Tubbs offers a solid body of research........2000-09-13
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Social Software in Libraries: Building Collaboration, Communication, and Community Online
Meredith G. Farkas Manufacturer: Information Today, Inc. ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback Similar Items:
ASIN: 157387275X Release Date: 2007-03-20 |
Product Description
Here is the first book to explore the growing phenomenon of social software and how these technologies can be applied in libraries. Social software lets libraries show a human face online, helping them communicate, educate, and interact with their communities. This nuts-and-bolts guide provides librarians with the information and skills necessary to implement the most popular and effective social software technologies: blogs, RSS, wikis, social networking software, screencasting, photo-sharing, podcasting, instant messaging, gaming, and more. Success stories and interviews highlight these tools ease-of-use and tremendous impact. Novice readers will find ample descriptions and advice on using each technology, while veteran users of social software will discover new applications and approaches. Supported by the author s Web page.Customer Reviews:
An outstanding, practical reference........2007-09-08
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The Social Construction of Technological Systems: New Directions in the Sociology and History of Technology
Manufacturer: The MIT Press ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback Similar Items:
ASIN: 0262521377 |
Book Description
The impact of technology on society is clear and unmistakable. The influence of society on technology is more subtle. The 13 essays in this book draw on a wide array of case studies from cooking stoves to missile systems, from 15thÃcentury Portugal to today's AI labs - to outline an original research program based on a synthesis of ideas from the social studies of science and the history of technology. Together they affirm the need for a study of technology that gives equal weight to technical, social, economic, and political questions.
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GIS for the Urban Environment
Juliana Maantay , and John Ziegler Manufacturer: Esri Press ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover Similar Items:
ASIN: 1589480821 |
Book Description
This introduction to urban planning applications and problem solving with CIS is appropriate for students and professionals in the fields of geography, urban studies, urban planning, urban public health, urban environmental assessment, and hazard and emergency management. Technical jargon is minimized while the analytical concepts are fully described, enabling full use and understanding of GIS techniques. Infused in the included laboratory exercises are real-world activities that are often required in urban GIS projects but rarely included in prepared lab work, such as data acquisition, integrating data into the GIS, and manipulation of real data. Project design and analysis methodologies are also demonstrated with real-life examples of urban GIS projects.Customer Reviews:
Great for Teaching Classes.......2007-05-06
Bullshit.......2007-03-09
Great Purchase.......2007-02-19
GIS Made Easy.......2007-01-21
GIS for the Urban Environment.......2006-09-21
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MAKE: Technology on Your Time Volume 08 (Make: Technology on Your Time)
Mark Frauenfelder Manufacturer: O'Reilly Media, Inc. ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback Similar Items:
ASIN: 0596527195 |
Book Description
If you like to tweak, disassemble, recreate, and invent cool new uses for technology, you'll love MAKE, our project-based quarterly for the inquisitive do-it-yourselfer.Get ready to play when MAKE Volume 08, our "Toys and Games" issue, hits the stands. You'll learn how to build a wind-up bird that really flies, how to restore an old pinball machine, and learn the secret history of the world's best-selling computer game from Myst's co-creator. You'll also meet a well-known toy inventor and learn how to make molds and casts with MythBusters star Adam Savage.
Customer Reviews:
Best issue yet!.......2006-11-22
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Rapid Contextual Design: A How-to Guide to Key Techniques for User-Centered Design (Interactive Technologies)
Karen Holtzblatt , Jessamyn Burns Wendell , and Shelley Wood Manufacturer: Morgan Kaufmann ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback Similar Items:
ASIN: 0123540518 |
Book Description
Is it impossible to schedule enough time to include users in your design process? Is it difficult to incorporate elaborate user-centered design techniques into your own standard design practices? Do the resources needed seem overwhelming?Books:
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