Web ReDesign 2.0: Workflow that Works

Amazon.com

Anyone who has managed the process of developing or redesigning a Web site of significant size has likely learned the hard way the complexities, pitfalls, and cost risk of such an undertaking. While many Web development firms have fantastic technical expertise, what sets the topnotch organizations apart is the ability to accurately manage the planning and development process. Web Redesign: Workflow That Works directly addresses this crucial area with a specific, proven process.

This brief but important book lays out a specific five-step strategy--called the Core Process--that can always be applied to the development of Web sites and fine-tuned to almost any type of project. Each step--defining the project, developing site structure, visual design and testing, production and QA, and launch and beyond--contains three related but distinct tracks. The text begins with a brief overview of each of the steps, then delves deeper into each with detailed explanations as well as specific forms and project-management strategies. This book does not cover back-end, server-side programming. Instead, it focuses primarily on the visual, conventional components of a Web site.

Authors Kelly Goto and Emily Cotler compiled this book in an attractive, easy-to-read format. This process guide uses numerous full-color screen shots to illustrate site examples, as well as plenty of site diagrams and sample forms. The book even has a companion Web site with downloadable forms in PDF format to put the Core Process into immediate action. --Stephen W. Plain

Topics covered:

Step 1--Defining the Core Process: discovery, planning, and clarification;
Step 2--Developing site structure: content-view, site-view, and page-view;
Step 3--Visual design and testing: creating, confirming, and handing off;
Step 4--Production and QA: prepping, building, and testing;
Step 5--Launch and beyond: delivery, launch, and maintenance.

Book Description

If anything, this volume's premise--that the business of Web design is one of constant change-has only proven truer over time. So much so, in fact, that the 12-month design cycles cited in the last edition have shrunk to 6 or even 3 months today. Which is why, more than ever, you need a smart, practical guide that demonstrates how to plan, budget, organize, and manage your Web redesign - or even you initial design - projects from conceptualization to launch. This volume delivers! In these pages Web designer extraordinaire Kelly Goto and coauthor Emily Cotler have distilled their real-world experience into a sound approach to Web redesign workflow that is as much about business priorities as it is about good design. By focusing on where these priorities intersect, Kelly and Emily get straight to the heart of the matter. Each chapter includes a case study that illustrates a key step in the process, and you'll find a plethora of forms, checklists, and worksheets that help you put knowledge into action.

Customer Reviews:

Good Book .......2007-04-11

This book is a good intro into how to manage a website implementation or redesign from the prospective of a designer. I am not a designer, but still found the book useful because it does cover all the steps; not just the ones that designers are concerned with. The book takes a good approach and is easy and interesting to read.

The best treatment of the web design process around.......2007-02-06

I have my quibbles with this book, but they are all very minor. It could stand an update, but what web book over 6 months old couldn't. I have to give it five stars because it is head and shoulders above anything else.

Thoughtful yet a little dated.......2007-01-12

Despite being the best book I have read thus far on this topic, it's content now is a little dated. Certainly a worthwhile purchase, it outlines a typical site development workflow and now having deployed portions of this methodology in my workplace I know it works.

Great Guide for Web Redesigns.......2007-01-09

This is a good detailed process for designing and redesigning web sites. Great re-usable documents and worksheets to help you on your way. Details and describes the process very well with good examples.

Worth the buy........2006-09-28

I found it a very useful book, especially with all the downloadable forms. I felt it was a little light on user testing - but otherwise, very good. It felt a bit repetitive and that things were presented in an odd order sometimes, but it's still worth the buy.

Rethink Redesign Reconstruct: How Top Designers Create Bold New Work by Re:Interpreting Original Designs

Average customer rating:

Exercise for the Creative Imagination
So far so good...
Inspirational!
Una guia para entender que siempre hay recursos
Totally reinvents the 'redesign' genre of design books

Rethink Redesign Reconstruct: How Top Designers Create Bold New Work by Re:Interpreting Original Designs
Mark Wasserman
Manufacturer: How Design Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1581804598

Book Description

This book is a powerful reminder that there's more than one solution to every creative problem. Author Mark Wasserman has created a unique experiment in design that is much like the process of remixing music. Top designers were given the source files to one of 37 original designs and asked to reinterpret the original art into new creations. Ultimately, the project was not about making a design better, but about different visual approaches. Besides being a visual treat, these remixes can also serve as a creative jolt for those inevitable times when designers need a little extra inspiration.

Each section starts with an original design and detailed Q&A-style captions that explain the concept and process behind the design. The following redesigns--ranging from wild freeform creations to more subtle changes--are paired with insightful interviews that give readers a rare glimpse into the creative thought process.

In all, the book features 160 designers, from 20 countries around the world. Designers involved include such notables as Stefan Sagmeister, Dave Eggers, eBoy, KINSEYvisual, Joshua Davis (PrayStation), Modern Dog, The Heads of State, WeWorkForThem, Jemma Gura, UPSO, Aesthetic Apparatus, Brent Rollins (Ego Trip), Plinko, Deanne Cheuk (neomu), 2Advanced, Nonconceptual, Jon Santos, HONEST, kozyndan, Milky Elephant, Patent Pending (SubPop), Mr. Jago, and many many more.

With page after page full of never-before-seen artwork, this book is equally at home in a designer's bookshelf, and a non-designer's coffee table.

Customer Reviews:

Exercise for the Creative Imagination.......2007-06-08

This collection of original ads and the subsequent exercise done by at least 4 different design firms is a very interesting approach to an art book. I enjoyed the accompanying "interview" with each designer so you could align the feeling you got from the rework with their explanation of the approach.

So far so good..........2007-05-07

I work as a designer myself in an advertising agency and have only had this book for a short time, but really enjoy looking and reading through it. It has givien me inspiration and motivation in my own work. Also it has been a good way of seeing how other designers and artist percieve the same idea or concept. This book is great for anyone who wants to see or learn how other designers work, it's a good motivational tool.

Inspirational!.......2007-02-09

Right when I opened this book I already knew that I would be hooked. The idea that certain design work would be redesigned by other designers helps me to see that there is never one way to solving a problem. If you want a new perspective on a project you are on, perhaps this book will help!

Una guia para entender que siempre hay recursos.......2006-09-02

Quizás lo que aprendí en este libro es que cuando estamos trancados en un diseño, es mejor empezar desde cero, como si nunca hubieramos trabajado alguna idea sobre el mismo desde el comienzo.

Totally reinvents the 'redesign' genre of design books.......2004-09-30

If design books have one general fault, it is failing to keep up with the curve, the leading edge of graphic design. Things change so quickly. The subgenre of redesign books has been among the worst offenders in this area. That's because many have been content to take 15 year old designs and reconfigure them for today, in the process inadvertently passing off more or less standard results as special work. This book is a total break with this lazy tradition of contrasting your father's design and your own generation's. It does that by picking relatively recent designs for "what if" rethinking. The results play out as mind-blowing re-envisionings of already edgy design. To me that's what sets this book apart: the pieces being redesigned aren't ancient, they aren't the least bit stodgy. In most cases, the originals up for redesign could probably themselves have appeared in fairly recent design annuals, and may have, in many instances.

Rethink Redesign Reconstruct is a fresh, exciting book that stands out in a genre of the design book field that has settled into a comfortable rut. I would call it a definite must have among current design books.

Rethinking the Church: A Challenge to Creative Redesign in an Age of Transition

Average customer rating:

Why your church must change to be effective
Challenging the way evangelicals "do" church
Great Book
A must read for every church leader
Good Introduction

Rethinking the Church: A Challenge to Creative Redesign in an Age of Transition
James Emery White
Manufacturer: Baker Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0801090393

Book Description

James Emery White focuses his attention on redesigning the contemporary church to correspond to the shape of society in a transitional age. The book will help you grapple with the deepest nature of the church in order to enhance its mission.

Customer Reviews:

Why your church must change to be effective.......2007-05-16

White writes one of the best works available on why a church must be flexible to be effective and how that flexibility is created. For a church or leader contemplating changing styles to be more effective this is a must read. For a church that has already made the changes needed to be effective or for a newer church plant, this work is a great resource to help new people that come from a traditional background to understand flexibility in style.

Challenging the way evangelicals "do" church.......2007-05-14

Dr. White's book is an excellent overview of the some of the problems with the way most churches are doing church. Along with the problem, Dr. White offers some solutions. This is a must-read for anyone in church leadership.

Great Book.......2006-11-10

I really enjoy reading the book and wished I had read it a long time ago.

A must read for every church leader.......2006-09-04

This is an excellent book that brings us to rethink who the church is and what the church is about. James Emery White takes us through rethinking evangelism, discipleship, ministry, worship, structure and community... every aspect vitally important to the life of any church.

In his introduction, Emery states 8 reasons people give for not attending church:
1. There is no value in attending (74%).
2. Churches have too many problems (61%).
3. I do not have the time (48%).
4. I am simply not interested (42%).
5. Churches ask for money too frequently (40%).
6. Church services are usually boring (36%).
7. Christian churches hold no relevance for the way I live (34%).
8. I do not believe in God, or I am unsure that God exists (12%).

When you read a list like that, how do you feel? Would you feel compassion for the lost, or would you feel that we are not here to please the lost? The book does not ask us to compromise God's standards, but to look closely what we hold on to, and whether they are God's standards, or just something we created to protect God's standards.

When Emery talks about "rethinking", he is referring to the effectiveness of the church, i.e. doing the right things. Any church can be efficient, i.e. doing things right, but efficiency does not mean that the church is effective in what she does. Emery does not give us a set of methods to follow, but draws for us the picture of the current culture and society that we live in, asks questions for us to reflect on what is happening, and at the end of the day, we need to decide what needs to change and how the change is to take place.

As Emery states, "the biggest barrier to reengineering is the past success of the institution", we need to look past our past successes and look at the now, and the future. In the past, churches use big tent revival meetings very effectively to reach the lost, but does that mean that we must do the same today? Emery helps us to understand the difference in culture 40 years ago as compared to today, e.g. 40 years ago, there is a general sense that there is a God, but today, many question if there is a God. So, by seeing the change in culture and values of society, it may be seen that big tent revival meetings may not be the best way at reaching the lost because the church is preaching to a group of people who are at different levels of receptivity. This is one example of how this book helps us rethink the church.

One aspect that I like about this book from many other books on church or leadership is that Emery brings in God in his writings. I have read many books that makes it seem that if we do all of what it says, the church will grow... but Emery looks at Prov 21:32 that "victory rests with God, but we must prepare the horse to the best of our abilities."

Good Introduction.......2004-01-27

Rethinking The Church explores the nature of the church with a view to making the necessary changes that will ensure that the church remains relevant to our culture. The author proceeds from the foundation that much of what we do and see in today's churches is derived from 17th to 19th century culture, and as such has lost much of its relevance to our postmodern society. We need to critically examine our churches to discern to the world today and what is simply tradition holding over from days gone by.

White draws heavily on the writings of Rick Warren, Bill Hybels and George Barna: so heavily, in fact, that it often seems he has little to say that is truly original. If you have read The Purpose Driven Church and are familiar with Hybels' writings, you will find a lot of repetition in this book. Still, at only 128 pages it is an easy read and still worth your while. If you have not read books on this topic before, this makes an excellent introduction.

Book Description

"A how-to approach to planning, implementing, and evaluating redesign efforts . . . this book has much to offer. It is a clear discussion of this commonly used but relatively new strategy. The tools, models, and examples provide much help and insight. It is the kind of book that pays for itself with its practical impact."--Journal of Nursing Care Quality

Book Description

The complexity and dynamism of organizations make them difficult to understand and manage. This book presents the workings and designs of organizations and identifies the types of problems encountered by organizational workers. Allcorn provides an essential focus on dynamic workplace theory, questioning the current and future value of today's bureaucratic, hierarchic organizational structure. Allcorn advocates a shared theoretical perspective that is clear and comprehensive. His theory explains organizational life, encompassing four types of work experience: chaotic, bureaucratic, charismatic, and balanced. He proposes an organizational design that eschews positions of authority and power and eliminates severe, often hindering bureaucracy. Clear and comprehensible without being simplistic, the book offers insights into how organizations actually function and proposes ways to intervene when organizations grow stale, become self-defeating in their missions, or develop into hostile environments for their employees. The insights and ideas presented here are of considerable and enduring importance to corporate trainers, consultants, group process experts, governmental agencies and entities, executives at all levels, academics, and students of organizational life and its various processes.

Empowerment: How to Build an Empowered Workplace (A Practice Guide for Success) (Leadership Development Series)

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Empowerment: How to Build an Empowered Workplace (A Practice Guide for Success) (Leadership Development Series)
Ph.D. Cynthia D. Scott , and Ph.D. Dennis T. Jaffee
Manufacturer: Crisp Publications, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Workplace | Organizational Behavior | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000Q5X43E

Product Description

This book is about the process of creating an empowered organization - increasing competitiveness and profitability by enhancing the value of the contribution of the people in your organization, work group, or team. As every organization goes about meeting challenges and making continual work improvements, they seek the support, involvement, and commitment of their employees - what we call the "wanna factor". Yet many employees appear to resist and withdraw from these well-intentioned and necessary efforts. This book is for managers to understand and lead people to build an empowered workplace. It demands creating a new type of working environment.

Health Care Work Redesign (Series on Nursing Administration)

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Health Care Work Redesign (Series on Nursing Administration)

Manufacturer: Sage Publications, Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Administration & Policy | Medicine | Subjects | Books

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Emergency Medical Services | Allied Health Professions | Medicine | Subjects | Books

General | Medicine | Subjects | Books

Management, Leadership & Administration | Nursing | Medicine | Subjects | Books

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Book Description

Exploring efforts to reform the current system of health care delivery-in response to the demands and criticisms of regulatory agencies, insurers, and consumers-Health Care Work Redesign provides innovative, proactive strategies for nursing administrators and others facing this pivotal issue. Following an introduction of theoretical and methodological concerns, contributors present the nurse manager as a change agent in describing their individual and organizational efforts in work redesign, role reconceptualization, job enrichment and empowerment, competency-based performance, and transitional management approaches. Finally, evaluation is considered in terms of action learning / action research, allowing for flexibility and adaptation in a constantly changing environment. With its emphasis on practical applications, this thorough exploration of current shifts in philosophy and practice will be indispensable to nurse administrators, faculty, and advanced undergraduate and graduate students.

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