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WDVL: Usability Testing in Practice
Reveals one company's usability testing practices and procesures.
http://wdvl.internet.com/Authoring/Design/...
Something 4 Nothing Web Pages
Tips for building pages which are visually pleasing, and yet still download quickly and make information easy to access. From Webdeveloper.com.
http://www.webdeveloper.com/html/html_some...
Tognazzini, Bruce: First Principles
Bruce Tognazzini discusses basic prinicples of usability for both traditional applications and web services.
http://www.asktog.com/basics/firstPrincipl...
The Scent of Information
The reason why so many people lose their way on the Web, according to usability expert Jared Spool, is because they lose the scent of the information they are looking for. Jared shares his thoughts and perspectives on the Web, usability, and the user's quest for information.
http://www.ddj.com/documents/s=3110/nam101...
Web Usability
International Journal of Human-Computer Studies. Special issue of WWW Usability arising from a symposium entitled "The Missing Link: Hypermedia Usability Research and The Web".
http://ijhcs.open.ac.uk/
Starling Access Services
Interesting definition of Accessible Web Design. For use by "anyone, any web browsing technology and any site".
http://www.starlingweb.com/webac.htm
Usable Web
Collection of links and accompanying information about human factors, user interface issues, and usable design specific to the World Wide Web.
http://usableweb.com/
Usability Engineering
"Designing for Ease Use", Article written by Corporate Solutions Consulting (UK)on usability engineering.
http://www.consult-me.co.uk/csc-usability-...
100 Things to Do to Make a Better Site
List of several (actually, eight) ways to make a more user-friendly site. Also has other reader comments on the same topic.
http://philip.greenspun.com/wtr/100-things
Schaffer, Eric: How to Develop a Corporate Intranet Standard -- PDF File
From the consultants of Human Factors International (www.humanfactors.com). Requires Acrobat Reader.
http://www.humanfactors.com/downloads/webs...
Human Factors International - Web Usability Tips
These tips are provided to help you improve the interaction between humans and computers in your web design.
http://www.humanfactors.com/downloads/10ti...
CNN.com - Analysis: Web sites are locking out the disabled
Office buildings have wheelchair ramps and TV has closed captioning, but many Web sites are inaccessible to people with disabilities. Things don't have to be that way.
http://archives.cnn.com/2000/TECH/computin...
Readability Of Websites With Various Foreground/Background Color Combinations, Font Types And Word Styles
1997 psychology research project by Alyson L. Hill at Stephen F. Austin State University. Participants scanned simulated websites for a target word; readability was inferred from reaction time.
http://hubel.sfasu.edu/research/AHNCUR.htm...
Guide to Usability for Software Engineers (GUSE)
Pages collected by the University of Maryland, Masters of Software Engineering. These guidelines will assist software engineers to create effective user interfaces.
http://otal.umd.edu/guse/
Publish.com - Flash and Usability
Guidelines for usable Flash, By Ilise Benun.
http://www.publish.com/article2/0,,1757914...
Croc O' Lyle
Weblog by a practicing User Experience Architect. Usually about usability, design information architecture and e-business.
http://crocolyle.blogspot.com
Norman, Don: Human Centred Design
Don Norman discusses the approach to usability when building his own website. This includes links to related content by Jakob Nielsen
http://www.jnd.org/dn.mss/hcd_website_desi...
Cyber Behaviour Research Center
Articles, white papers and resources on HCI from CIO magazine. Includes research on other web related topics.
http://www.cio.com/research/behavior/
BBC News
Web design 'causes confusion' - Web designers are not on the same wavelength as surfers when it comes to creating sites, says a US study.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/204104...
Bohmann Usability
News weblog covering web usability in Europe.
http://www.bohmann.dk/observations/
WebWord Usability Consulting
Usability and human factors for the Internet. Including book list, expert articles articles and interviews, recommended Web sites.
http://www.webword.com
A List Apart - The Perfect 404
Ian Lloyd gives strategies for building custom 404 error pages that enhance usability.
http://www.alistapart.com/articles/perfect...
IBM Ease of Use Site
Provides downloads, articles, resources, tips on usability and user centered design.
http://www.ibm.com/easy
CNET.com - Study: Design lacking in e-tail sites
The design of some of the leading online stores is mediocre at best, but, according to a new study, it is improving.
http://news.com.com/2100-1017-931274.html
AnyBrowser.com
Web page viewer presents a site as it might be seen by visitors with different browsers.
http://www.anybrowser.com/
Usability Professionals' Association
The UPA's purpose is to promote usability concepts and techniques worldwide.
http://www.upassoc.org/
Web Usability Findings
Compilation of surveys of web usability engineering and test results.
http://www-personal.umich.edu/~bing/oversi...
STC SIG - Usability
Forum to share information, resources and experiences on issues related to the usability and user-centered design. It is the home of the Usability Special Interest Group of the Society for Technical Communication.
http://www.stcsig.org/usability/
WebMetric Tools
Good usability is vital to the success of any web site. This site has downloadable sets of web evaluation tools to assist in analysis of a web page based on numerous usability guidelines. Registration is required (free).
http://zing.ncsl.nist.gov/WebTools/
Publish.com - Usability Matters
Article by Marcia Ludkin. "Again and again... usability experts discover that real people may not understand what may be obvious to a site’s designers."
http://www.publish.com/article2/0,,1762078...
The WDVL: Designing Attractive Web Pages
Before you can design avant-garde Web pages, you have to know what the rules are before you try to break, bend or amend them.
http://wdvl.com/Authoring/Design/Pages/
alt tags - Muddling Through
Web site designers should think hard about how to keep users from muddling around on their sites. "Users muddle when it isn’t clear what they are supposed to do in any given situation."
http://www.alttags.org/archives/2004/06/29...
Usable Webs
Information on basic web usability principles, including hints on helping search engines find your site. Web usability assessments and content development are available.
http://www.usablewebs.com/
IBM - Ease of Use
Resourcs for discovering user-centered design, guidelines, and technologies to help improve the total user experience for web-based products and services.
http://www-3.ibm.com/ibm/easy/eou_ext.nsf/...
Seattletimes.com: A primer for a good Web page
Users want indicators of how good (e.e., current, accurate, credible) the page's information is.
http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/...
Missinfom
Resources and links on web design and usability.
http://www.missinform.net
Business Benefits of Accessible Web Design
Describes the many business and technical benefits that are realised by applying the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) to Web applications.
http://www.w3.org/WAI/bcase/benefits.html
Towards a Model of Trust for E-Commerce System Design
A paper, by Florian N. Egger, presents a model of trust that informs the human-computer interaction (HCI) design of electronic commerce systems.
http://www.zurich.ibm.com/~mrs/chi2000/con...
Usability First
Diamond Bullet Design offers their experience and knowledge on website and software usability.
http://www.usabilityfirst.com/
Spool, Jared: Hard Evidence from Research
Spool uncovers the lessons his research has taught him about how best to design a site so that users don't end up thwarted
http://www.ddj.com/documents/s=2894/nam101...
Rosenfeld, Lou: Yahoo! is Dead. Long Live Yahoo!
Discussion on the inevitable collapse of Yahoo directory due to its size and complexity. He Predicts mini-yahoo sites within corporate intranets.
http://www.ddj.com/documents/s=3011/nam101...
Internet Brothers: Helpware for the Cybercommunity
Expanding web community by offering free tips and tutorials about HTML and DHTML, graphics editing, site promotion, digital photography, and desktop publishing. Presented often with a touch of humor, and always with examples.
http://internetbrothers.com/
7 Debilitating Diseases of Business Websites
Illnesses make websites inefficient. The cures, by Dr. Ralph F. Wilson:Web Marketing Today, Issue 41, February 1, 1998.
http://www.wilsonweb.com/articles/7disease...
Usability Must Die
Examines what's wrong with the usability movement, with some humour, and experiences from the coal face of software design.
http://www.usabilitymustdie.com
Webmaster's Corner
A commentary on web usability, design, and direction aimed at the beginning web developer.
http://www.newramp.com/webmasters/archive....
WEBehavior
A behavioral research, usability testing, and customer experience evaluation firm.
http://www.webehavior.com/
Szuc, Daniel: Usability in Hong Kong
Interview detailing the approach to web usability in Hong Kong.
http://webword.com/interviews/szuc.html
Java Software Human Interface
Essential information about human interface design and usability for applications and applets written in the Java programming language.
http://java.sun.com/developer/techDocs/hi/
Adobe - Flash : Usability
Usability tips, examples, test case, quotes, related articles and a Flash forum for site developers.
http://www.adobe.com/devnet/flash/testing_...
Alertbox
Jakob Nielsen's bi-weekly column on current issues in Web usability, focusing on simple and minimalist design based on real user needs.
http://www.useit.com/alertbox/
eShopability
Provides design and usability information and advice on how to convert browsers into buyers and keep them, analysis and trends. Free fortnightly newsletter.
http://www.eshopability.com
Klariti Guide to Usability and Information Architecture
Directory contains over 500 links, mainly to scholarly articles.
http://www.klariti.com/information-archite...
Schroeder, Will: Testing Web Sites with Eye-Tracking
Describes an experiment carried out to monitor the eye movements of visitors to a prototype web site.
http://www.uie.com/articles/eye_tracking/
Improving Web Site Usability and Appeal
Guidelines compiled by MSN Usability Research to provide designers and producers with ideas to increase the usability and appeal of Web sites.
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default....
Morville, Peter: Building a Synonymous Search Index
Help users find the documents they're looking for by incorporating a 'thesaurus-like' hierarchy for your site.
http://www.ddj.com/documents/s=2879/nam101...
Useit.com
Jakob Nielsen's column on Web usability, usability engineering, and his minimalist approach to Web quality, recommended links/books. Also his biography and upcoming talks.
http://www.useit.com
JavaScript and Web Site Usability
An Interview with JavaScript Guru, Mr. Danny Goodman on how JavaScript can make a web site easier to use.
http://webword.com/interviews/goodman.html
Nielsen Norman Group
Reports and columns on usability and human interface design by Jakob Nielsen, Don Norman, and Bruce 'Tog' Tognazzini.
http://www.nngroup.com/reports/
Web Pages That Suck
Learn good web page design by looking at bad web pages.
http://www.webpagesthatsuck.com/
Art and the Zen of Web Sites
Suggestions and guidelines for putting together a usable and attractive web site.
http://www.tlc-systems.com/webtips.shtml
HTML Authoring Tools
Provides free services to assist web authors who wish to make their information available to the largest audience.
http://www.delorie.com/web/
Designing a More Usable World
Trace Research and Development Center at the University of Wisconsin. Excellent guidelines for universal web design.
http://trace.wisc.edu/world/
Web Usability Articles
Several years of usability-related articles from Digital Web Magazine.
http://www.digital-web.com/topics/usabilit...
Vaspers the Grate
Insights into web writing, user-focused web design, and web credibility enhancement.
http://vaspersthegrate.blogspot.com/
Usability Watch India
Blog on usability of software and websites through the eyes of Suman kumar.
http://sumankumar.com/usability/
Publish.com - Five Usability Principles For Web Design
Ilise Benun elaborates on the principles of consistency, interaction, instruction, choices and control.
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_...
Daily Blooper
Showcases examples of poor web interface design from real web sites. The aim is to teach good (user-centered) design by showing what not to do.
http://deyalexander.com/blooper/
ShoreWalker
Covers every area of good site design as well as what not to do. Steers you away from hype and towards more practical, user-friendly Web design. Based in Australia.
http://www.shorewalker.com/
Scottberkun.com
Expert columns on web usability, interaction and web design.
http://www.scottberkun.com/essays/
Top Ten Web Design Mistakes of 2003 (Jakob Nielsen's Alertbox)
Sites are getting better at using minimalist design, maintaining archives, and offering comprehensive services. However, these advances entail their own usability problems, as several prominent mistakes from 2003 show.
http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20031222.htm...
Rosenfeld, Lou: Is Less Really More?
When it comes to the usability factor of tables of contents, is less really more?
http://www.ddj.com/documents/s=2890/nam101...
IBM DeveloperWorks: Web Architecture
Offering tools needed to understand usability and accessibility issues. Includes materials that can help you create user-centered applications and gain insight into accessibility challenges.
http://www-136.ibm.com/developerworks/web/
Millennial Living
Articles on web usability, e-government, government performance, and technology tips for small businesses, nonprofits, and government.
http://millennialliving.com/weblog/
Adaptive Path - 90% of All Usability Testing is Useless
Lane Becker writes, "Rather than a validation done once before completing a product... internal, qualitative usability testing [should be] done earlier, more frequently, and as part of the design process - not separate from it."
http://www.adaptivepath.com/publications/e...
Comparison of Usability Evaluation Methods
A listing of the most popular methods for determining usability, including the advantages and disadvantages of each.
http://www.userdesign.com/usability_uem.ht...
Don't Link to Us
Highlights stupid linking policies by linking to web sites that attempt to impose substantial restrictions on other sites that link to them.
http://www.dontlink.com
Theory
A weekly column by Adam Baker that discusses web usability, interface, and interaction design. Includes previous columns for review.
http://www.merges.net/theory/
Usability.gov
Provided by the National Cancer Institute. Includes information and resources on making web sites and other user interfaces more useful, usable, and accessible. News and current publications and additional links are provided.
http://www.usability.gov/
Hot Text: Web Writing That Works
Articles from trainer-writer team Jonathan and Lisa Price. Ideas and services for web writers, editors, and content managers.
http://www.webwritingthatworks.com/
Schaffer, Eric: How to Develop an Effective GUI Standard -- PDF file
From the consultants of Human Factors International (www.humanfactors.com). Requires Acrobat Reader.
http://www.humanfactors.com/downloads/guis...
Lynx Friendly
The key to being Lynx Friendly is to be consciously aware of the HTML which goes into creating a web page and to ensure that those using a non-graphical browser are not ignored.
http://www.cs.umanitoba.ca/~djc/personal/l...
User-Friendly Web Sites for All Ages, Microsoft PressPass
Guidelines for businesses, developers and web designers on how to make their web sites more user-friendly and accessable for the adult community. A white paper issued by Microsoft, "Effective Web Design Considerations for Older Adults." is available for download.
http://www.microsoft.com/PressPass/press/1...
Section 508 Accessibility - Extreme Cross-Browser Compatible Menu and Navbar System
Section 508 Accessible Menu and navbar system for those wanting compatibility with the widest group of browsers. Uses Dreamweaver MX and above.
http://www.decloak.com/Products/Dreamweave...
All Things Web: The Usable Web
Tips and techniques for building reader-friendly Web pages.
http://www.pantos.org/atw/usable.html
Vaspers the Grate: Web Credibility Destroyers
List of design issues that pollute an overall impression of trustworthiness and dependability.
http://vaspersthegrate.blogspot.com/2004/0...
Usefo.com
Web design resources, Usableword newsletter, and web usability guidelines to make web sites faster, more educational, and usable.
http://patsula.com/usefo/
AgeLight Institute
Guidelines written for webmasters, communicators and marketers to assist with website design for maximum usability for seniors and older internet users.
http://www.agelight.com/Resources/webdesig...
Various: WebWord Interviews with the Experts
Site includes usability articles written by John S. Rhodes. This page is a good starting point.
http://webword.com/interviews/index.html
Some Simple Techniques In Making Your Website Accessible
Tutorial by Andrew Pae, Technical Coordinator at the ADAPTS Office at Georgia Tech. General design principles plus resources for additional information.
http://www.adapts.gatech.edu/general_resou...
Roger C. Parker - Eleven Common Web Page Design Frustrations and How To Cure Them
How to keep web page design from interfering with communication to visitors.
http://www.newentrepreneur.com/Resources/A...
Web Development
A summary of the complete life cycle of web development: planning, analysis, design, implementation, and promotion. Key practices and online resources are given for each process. By John December, author of numerous material for web development methodology.
http://www.december.com/web/develop.html
Designing Information-Abundant Web Sites
This article is extracted and adapted from Designing the User Interface: Strategies for Effective Human-Computer Interaction 3rd edn., Reading, MA: Addison Wesley (forthcoming). Longman Publishers, Copyright 1998.
http://ijhcs.open.ac.uk/shneiderman/
Fifth Conference on the Human Factors and the Web
A forum for sharing information among a community of human factors engineers, designers, and developers who are interested in producing web sites that are more useful and usable. Site contains proceedings of the most recent (3/Jun/1999) conference and archives of all previous conferences.
http://zing.ncsl.nist.gov/hfweb/index.html
A Heuristic Evaluation of a World Wide Web Prototype
Experiment by the Bureau of Labor Statistics(BLS)finding a large number of usability problems that were identified and suggestions for correction.
http://stats.bls.gov/ore/htm_papers/st9601...
Pointafter.com - 20 Do's and Don'ts of Web Usability
Tips from George Prociuk.
http://www.pointafter.com/Archives/nl0204....
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0
W3 Consortium publication.
http://www.w3.org/TR/WAI-WEBCONTENT/wai-pa...
Usability Matters
From the Usability Matters Group at the Linköping University in Sweden. Their goal is to make computer systems more usable. The 1995 essay "Perspectives on Usability" by Jonas Löwgren is available for download in PDF format.
http://www.ida.liu.se/labs/aslab/groups/um...
Royal National Institute for the Blind: Web Access Centre
Web accessibility resources.
http://www.rnib.org/xpedio/groups/public/d...
GVU: The Graphics, Visualization, and Usability Center
Research on the interaction between people and computing machines. Information on staff, research efforts, events, industrial affiliates, internship program, and facilities.
http://www.cc.gatech.edu/gvu/gvutop.html
Eyetools Research
Greg Edwards on design and content optimization through eyetrack testing: measuring what people read, look at, skip, and ignore on webpages.
http://blog.eyetools.net/
Navigation 101
A simple, understandable navigation scheme is a critical aspect of site design and has a direct effect on the bottom line.
http://wdvl.com/Location/Navigation/101/
HTML Style Issues
Alan Flavell discusses HTML usability and provides links to many style and usability sites.
http://ppewww.ph.gla.ac.uk/~flavell/www/
Spool, Jared: Web Graphic Design Is Not What You Think, A Usability Perspective
"The number one activity on the Web is information retrieval." In part of his tutorial, Spool explained his findings on graphic design and users' success.
http://www.ddj.com/documents/s=2894/nam101...
User Interface Design - Software Design Smorgasbord
A comprehensive resource page on UI Design, maintained by Craig Marion, the webmaster of Chester County Internet Services.
http://www.chesco.com/~cmarion/Design/UIDe...
Morville, Peter: Virtual Documents: The Challenges of Chunking
Advice for determining a level of granularity in breaking up documents for online viewing.
http://www.ddj.com/documents/s=2604/nam101...
Jeffrey Veen: The Usability of Subscribing to Feeds
RSS feeds are surprisingly difficult for the average user to use.
http://www.veen.com/jeff/archives/000733.h...
Jef Raskin
A site by and about Jef Raskin, interactive systems design expert.
http://jef.raskincenter.org/
Stevesdomain.net
Focuses on furthering the education of web related topics, including web design and navigation tips, advice and techniques.
http://www.stevesdomain.net/
Principia Hypertextica: Introduction
A mathematics educator's view of web design. Encourages speed, accessibility, validity, and navigability. Discusses difficulties of math typesetting on the web.
http://www.cst.cmich.edu/users/chaff1ra/m1...
SIGCHI World Wide Web Special Interest Area
WWWSIA is a subgroup of the ACM Special Interest Group on Computer-Human Interaction (SIGCHI). It focuses on the human factors of the World Wide Web.
http://www.acm.org/sigchi/webhci/
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2006