The Elements of User Experience

From the moment it was published almost ten years ago, Elements of User Experience became a vital reference for web and interaction designers the world over, and has come to define the core principles of the practice. Now, in this updated, expanded, and full-color new edition, Jesse James Garrett has refined his thinking about the Web, going beyond the desktop to include information that also applies to the sudden proliferation of mobile devices and applications.

Successful interaction design requires more than just creating clean code and sharp graphics. You must also fulfill your strategic objectives while meeting the needs of your users. Even the best content and the most sophisticated technology won’t help you balance those goals without a cohesive, consistent user experience to support it.

With so many issues involved—usability, brand identity, information architecture, interaction design— creating the user experience can be overwhelmingly complex. This new edition of The Elements of User Experience cuts through that complexity with clear explanations and vivid illustrations that focus on ideas rather than tools or techniques. Garrett gives readers the big picture of user experience development, from strategy and requirements to information architecture and visual design.

Table of Contents

CHAPTER 1 User Experience and Why It Matters

CHAPTER 2 Meet the Elements

CHAPTER 3 The Strategy Plane: Product Objectives and User Needs

CHAPTER 4 The Scope Plane: Functional Specifications and Content Requirements

CHAPTER 5 The Structure Plane: Interaction Design and Information Architecture

CHAPTER 6 The Skeleton Plane: Interface Design, Navigation Design, and Information Design

CHAPTER 7 The Surface Plane: Sensory Design

CHAPTER 8 The Elements Applied

About the Author

Jesse James Garrett is co-founder and president of Adaptive Path, a user experience design consultancy. His contributions to the field include creating the seminal “Elements of User Experience” model; developing the Visual Vocabulary, a notation system for documenting user experience design; and defining Ajax, an approach to creating Web applications. Jesse has received Wired Magazine’s Rave Award for Technology and has been named one of the “50 Most Important People on the Web” by PC World. His client work includes engagements for Twitter, NPR, Skype, Harvard Business Review, and Crayola. He is a frequent keynote speaker addressing audiences around the world on product design, user experience, and innovation