Design Not Found
by Volker Weber
The Best and Worst of Contingency Design (design for when things go wrong)
Online frustration lurks at every click. "This isn't what I searched for." "Did my order go through?" "How do I get out of here?" "Where is the page I clicked on?" Too often surfers wind up feeling lost, confused, or helpless.
Contingency design, a field pioneered by 37signals, is the solution. Design Not Found displays real-world examples of good and bad contingency design. It's the perfect way to learn more about how various sites communicate with visitors when things go wrong.
Anyone involved in building web sites, including designers, programmers, copywriters, information architects, and other decision makers, will find valuable lessons for helping visitors survive worst-case scenarios.