Book Review: The Elements of User Experience

July 6th, 2005

“User experience is about how [a product] works on the outside, where a person comes into contact with it and has to work with it.”

I have been intrigued about Jesse James Garrett’s The Elements of User Experience ever since reading a short blog post by the author in which he referenced some of its key concepts. Recently, I read his definition of the new technology (actually new application of old technologies) called AJAX and was reminded that I hadn’t read his book yet. Perhaps due to some overly technical works I had seen in the past, I harbored a bit of prejudice as I lifted the cover. I’m sure Garrett would attribute that to poor user experience design, but I digress.

As I read through the book, Garrett’s focus, excellent illustrations and exceptionally clear prose revealed a vision of what web design can be. This book is a compilation of best practices gleaned from much thought and practical application that will revolutionize my thinking about web design and development.

Let me illustrate: Since I have most often worked on web design jobs that have little room in their budget for planning, I have on occasion (let’s hope rarely) produced web sites that were not as effective in meeting the goals of my clients as I would have liked. While they didn’t completely bomb, they didn’t propel anyone to the pinnacle of success either. What does Garrett say about this?

“The worst mistake you can make is to gloss over the fundamental user experience issues of the project in the name of saving time or money.”

“Oh yeah, Mr. Jesse James Garrett”, I retort, “And where were you two years ago?”

Since the book was released in 2003, I guess the question is, “Where was I two years ago?”

As you can probably tell, reading this book was both as profound as a work of art and as mundane as a swift kick to the midriff! While setting out a clear framework for effective user experience design, Garrett uncovered some deep flaws in my design approach - design by mimicry and fiat rather than by careful assessment of user needs and design as an organic outgrowth of this assessment. In short, I haven’t been a user experience designer, only a web designer.

Briefly, the five planes of user experience design are a roadmap for the web development process. Moving from abstract to concrete, they are Strategy, Scope, Structure, Skeleton, and Surface. Each plane is dealt with in detail in a chapter of the book and is supported by illustrations, diagrams, and real-world examples.

“Potential should be measured not by what is possible, but how we can adapt the technologically possible to enhance the human experience” Richard Grefe, Executive Director AIGA - from the foreword.

As I have noted above, a key strength of this book is its clear portrayal of web design as user experience and a framework for approaching it as such. Its only potential weakness I detect is that it is theory heavy and some readers may not be able to find clear ways to apply its concepts. This is no real weakness as Garrett clearly intends The Elements of User Experience to propound a theory about how web design can be approached as user experience design. In fact, the author has taken pains on nearly every page of the book to clarify theory with clear diagrams and illustrations or to apply his elements of user experience to real-world design problems.

If you are looking for a technical how-to manual on web design, Jesse James Garrett’s The Elements of User Experience is not the book for you. Dozens of books describe technical challenges and help us navigate through them, but few make us stop and think clearly about how we are approaching a web design project. If you are comfortable with how you approach design challenges and convinced that your way is always best, this book is definitely NOT for you. However, If you are ready to think deeply, re-examine the vocabulary and framework with which you approach web development, or just to gain a fuller understanding of web design issues, then this book is worth your investment. Because of the simplicity of Garrett’s prose and his clearly defined technical terms, The Elements of User Experience is accessible to college student, copy editor, and web programmer alike; I recommend they all read it.

If you have ever wondered the best approach to the web design process, Garrett clears up any confusion. The best approach looks at web design as user experience design.

“The simple fact is this: The right approach is one in which no aspect of the user’s experience is left to chance. Make every decision consciously and deliberately and ground each decision in your understanding of the underlying issues at play.”

Jesse James Garrett has provided us with the tools to think about usability and be clear about what decisions we are making and why, and he has done so simply by reminding us to be vigilant and to do nothing by default.

Title: The Elements of User Experience
Author: Jesse James Garrett
Publisher: AIGA/New Riders/Peachpit Press
ISBN: 0735712026
Date: 2003
Format: Paperback
Pages: 189
Cover Price: USD: $29.99 CDN: $46.99 UK: 23.50