The Elements of User Experience

Introduction. 1. User Experience and Why It Matters. Everyday Miseries. Introducing User Experience. User Experience and the Web. Competitive Advantage and ROI. Minding Your Users. 2. Meet the Elements. The Five Planes. Building from Bottom to Top. A Basic Duality. The Elements of User Experience. Using the Elements. 3. The Strategy Plane: Site Objectives and User Needs. Defining the Strategy. Site Objectives. User Needs. Team Roles and Process. Further Reading. 4. The Scope Plane: Functional Specifications and Content Requirements. Defining the Scope. Functionality and Content. Gathering Requirements. Functional Specifications. Content Requirements. Prioritizing Requirements. Further Reading. 5. The Structure Plane: Interaction Design and Information Architecture. Defining the Structure. Interaction Design. Information Architecture. Team Roles and Process. Further Reading. 6. The Skeleton Plane: Interface Design, Navigation Design, and Information Design. Defining the Skeleton. Convention and Metaphor. Interface Design. Navigation Design. Information Design. Wireframes. Further Reading. 7. The Surface Plane: Visual Design. Defining the Surface. Follow the Eye. Contrast and Uniformity. Internal and External Consistency. Color Palettes and Typography. Design Comps and Style Guides. Further Reading. 8. The Elements Applied. An Example: Search Engine Implementation. Asking the Right Questions. The Marathon and the Sprint. Index.

Jesse James Garrett is one of the founders of Adaptive Path, a user experience consultancy based in San Francisco. Since it was first released in March 2000, his "Elements of User Experience" model has been downloaded more than 20,000 times. Jesse's Web experience includes projects for companies such as AT&T, Intel, Boeing, Motorola, Hewlett-Packard, and National Public Radio. His other contributions to the field of user experience include the Visual Vocabulary, an open notation system for information architecture documentation that is now used by organizations around the world. His personal site at www.jjg.net is one of the Web's most popular destinations for information architecture resources.