Garrett, Jesse James. The Elements of User Experience: User Centered Design for the Web and Beyond, 2nd Edition. Berkeley, CA: New Riders, 2011. Print.

Garrett does main strength is in describing the design process. He lays out five "planes," or levels of activity making up the web design process. He created this diagram, that is widely referenced in other literature about user centered design:

Image from: http://www.jjg.net/elements/

I found this to be most useful for visualizing the process of website creation as a totality, but unable to answer many questions about implementation priorities. First,  while the requisite "user-centered" phrase is often mentioned in his book, and is conceptually foundational to his schema, he doesn't elaborate on how one gathers information about the user, or integrates that knowledge into the design. The other issue, a key one for those interested in developing content, is his emphasis on the technical demands of the interface over the rhetorical demands of content creation and maintenance. Kristina Halvorson points this out in Content Strategy for the Web when she writes, "...content is not a feature. It's a complex, ever-evolving, intricate body of information that requires ongoing care and feeding. It's not something you can check off on a list and be done with." Garrett concept of content, appearing as a design consideration only in the planning phase, reveals a limited view of the user. The designers in this system only need to think of the user as he or she relates to the interface and information architecture, not a person pursuing other goals, that just happen to be happening over a digital interface.

Our tradition, while considerate of the technological platform and its role in shaping and delivering messages, emphasizes the communicative act over the technology. Garrett's book is written too much from the perspective of the developer and the technological demands, and not enough from the perspective of the user, or those tasked with understanding and serving that users desires. Though his design process has merits, it needs modification to be truly "user-centered."