Before closing the Internet browser in disgust, Jane decides to try the third site. She enters the homepage and quickly finds the academic programs link. She then proceeds to the art department homepage. After examining an updated list of course information and faculty biographies, she decides this college might serve her needs. So she again decides to request more information. She fills out a short form in under five minutes and holds her breath as she clicks the submit button. Soon a confirmation page is displayed reporting that a college catalogue and application material will be sent to her shortly. Within another few minutes, she receives an email message thanking her for her interest in the college.

By January 2000, there were ten million sites on the World Wide Web. Experts predict that by the end of this year the number will rise to twenty-five million (Nielsen, Designing 10). Professional and amateur web sites are contributing to these numbers, providing computer users with more and more options. But as the number of choices increases, the users' patience decreases. With so many available choices, what happens when users have to wait on a page that lacks content, takes too long to download, and has an unclear structure? Users want instant gratification--they want to find the information they seek--and when they do not find it they will go elsewhere. Unlike other products, "Users experience the usability of a site before they have committed to using it." (Nielsen, Designing 10).

How can designers make web sites that are usable? How do they organize and display hundreds of pages of information in a logical and intuitive way? How can a web site reach all users--those who have used the Internet for only one week as well as those who have used it for the past five years? The answer lies in the content.

A successful web site must be more than aesthetically pleasing. A successful web site is dependent upon its information--the way it is organized, structured, and presented--and not just dependent on its overall visual design.

The most effective web sites rely on theories of information design. According to the Information Design Association web site, informationdesign "is an interdisciplinary approach which combines skills in graphic design, writing and editing, illustration, and human factors. Information designers seek to combine skills in these fields to make complex information easier to understand." Information must lead to understanding--otherwise it has no value (Wurman, Information Anxiety 38).