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Books and Tears of Joy

Author:: Paul Boag
Published:: 24 August 2006
Categories:: Reviews
Reading time:: 2 minutes

First, let me apologise for the lack of posts recently. However, I do have a couple of good books for you to check out and a post on the IE blog that almost brought tears to my eyes.

Warning! The post you are viewing is out of date and almost certainly no longer accurate. For more topical posts, check out the “related reading” at the bottom of this page or drop me an email with any questions.

As the podcast has grown in popularity, I have found it increasingly hard to strike the balance between my work for Headscape and my passion for boagworld. On one hand, I get to write for various magazines (like .net or Practical Web Design), speak at conferences and contribute to other sites, which is all very exciting. On the other, I could easily become divorced from the day-to-day process of building websites, which would be a real shame. I get concerned about how the more "vocal" and "active" members of the web design community, end talking about design and development more than they actually doing it. That is why for the last few weeks I have been a bit more quiet on boagworld and have been focusing more heavily on client work.

Of course, you don’t care about my personal woes so I will move on to a couple of things that have caught my eye recently.

Books of note

Firstly, I have seen a couple of books you might want to look at. I cannot say I have read either of them personally yet (I am still ploughing my way through "Prioritizing Web Usability" by Jakob Nielsen) but they have both received excellent reviews and I respect the opinions of their respective authors:

Beginning JavaScript with DOM Scripting and Ajax

I really want this one as my DOM Scripting knowledge still has significant room for improvement. Also Chris is an excellent writer and talks a lot of sense.

Web Accessibility: Web Standards and Regulatory Compliance

Sounds dull doesn’t it? However, from what I can gather it is actually a lively read. A number of excellent designers and developers have contributed to this one so it is well worth your attention. If you want to finally nail this accessibility issue once and for all then this is a good place to start.

Tears of joy

On a completely different note, I wanted to draw your attention to a recent post on the IE 7 Blog. This post lists all of the bugs and problems from IE6 that have now been fixed in IE 7. Credit, where credit is due, IE 7 is an excellent browser and I can’t wait until it is officially rolled out.

About me

I’m a UX consultant and conversion optimization specialist with 32 years in digital. I help teams create user experiences that work; winning support, improving results, and making change stick.

Contact me

Email: paul@boagworld.com
UK Based – Clients in North America, Europe, Asia, Australia.

how I help

UX Strategy – Spot what’s blocking a great experience and get a clear plan to fix it.
Improving Conversion – Simple, evidence-based changes that make every click count.
Coaching & Leadership – A sounding board to help you lead with clarity and confidence.
Training & Workshops – Hands-on sessions, playbooks, and self-learning so your team keeps improving.

Dylan Valade

Puma

Actionable Insights

Paul has the ability to see what is hiding in plain sight. He validated ideas under consideration and provided new, actionable recommendations. The most valuable insight was illustrating how our issues were symptoms of an inefficient UX project team structure.

Sarah Zama

Oxford University

Genuinely brilliant

Paul is genuinely brilliant to work with. He’s funny, thoughtful, and really good at meeting you where you are. He matches my energy, communicates clearly, and always seems to know how to say the right thing. Working with him feels easy, constructive, and properly enjoyable.

CREATIVE BLOQ

Magazine Interview

Demonstrates his prowess

As we talk, a pronounced pattern in Boag’s patter becomes apparent: he enthuses about a topic, demonstrates his prowess and then knocks himself down with a swipe of self-deprecation.

Gerry McGovern

Author of Transform

Smart & Generous

Paul is one of the smartest, most passionate, most generous people I know in the web / online industry. He is truly committed to helping organizations become simpler and more customer-centric.

RICHARD HURST

QUEEN MARY’S UNIVERSITY LONDON

An inspiration

Paul is an inspiration, I only wish I’d worked with him earlier in my career. His ability to understand and break down problems and offer advice, drawing on his many years of experience is unrivalled. He genuinely wants to get the best out of you and your organisation and you can’t ask for more than that.

NONDAS PASCHOS

MÉDECINS SANS FRONTIÈRES

Invaluable

Medecins San Frontieres, being a decentralised international association, faces challenges in meeting the needs of a diverse global audience. Paul and the team at Headscape have been invaluable in helping us see the potential of digital for doing this. They have helped us recognize the changes needed to engage with our connected audiences, bringing clarity and innovation to our digital strategy.

JENNIFER RUSSELL

THE SAMARITANS

Supportive and Challenging

It’s been a pleasure working with Paul. He manages to be both supportive and challenging at the same time and has a very accessible approach. It’s been a really inspiring process and I would love the opportunity to work with him again.

JOANNA SOUZA

UNICEF

Entertainingly Informative

We can count on Paul to be entertainingly informative. When we bring him to speak at our workshops, people walk out of the session energized and with a better understanding of how a multichannel journey should be assessed and optimized. Thanks Paul!

RIVKIE LIEBERMAN

MOTIF STUDIO

Best investment

You’re the best investment I’ve made thus far in my business, and that includes a previous coach, paid mentors and many courses! Your expertise is absolutely invaluable. Thank you!

Brooke Mills

Beginning Boutique

Moves the Needle

It’s not a question of whether I’d work with Paul again, but what we’re doing next. He takes the time to deeply understand your business and goals, then moves the needle across the growth levers that matter most.