Web Usability

Web Usability

• Accessibility@
• The Experts

Web Usability Related Topics

• Top: Computers: Human-Computer Interaction
• Top: Computers: Internet: Web Design and Development: Authoring
• Top: Reference: Knowledge Management: Information Architecture

Web Usability Links

• More Than Screen Deep Computer Science and Telecommunications Board (CSTB) of the National Research Council convened a steering committee to evaluate and suggest fruitful directions for progress in user interfaces to computing and communications systems. A very informative site.
  
• Usable Web Collection of links and accompanying information about human factors, user interface issues, and usable design specific to the World Wide Web.
  
  
• Web Pages That Suck Learn good web page design by looking at bad web pages.
  
• User Interface Engineering -- Web Site Usability Book Spool, Jared. Excerpted from book, "Web Site Usability: A Designer's Guide". Useful links, articles and resources.
  
• Fruhlinger Consulting Experts discuss current web usability issues. Provides usability, user experience strategy, and user research services. Also provides free research reports regarding user research, human factors, user experience, and usability.
  
• HTML Style Issues Alan Flavell discusses HTML usability and provides links to many style and usability sites.
  
• 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.
  
• GVU: The Graphics, Visualization and Usability Center Development of new technologies in graphics, usability and visualization.
  
• TweakHTML This site categorizes and lists websites which have characteristics which reduce accessibility or otherwise inconvenience visitors to said sites.
  
• Design Considerations Designing web sites for readers with visual impairments. General design principles and resources for additional information.
  
• Usability News -Summer 2001 Service division of the Human-Computer Lab of Wichita State University -Providing information on usability testing, UI design, and HCI research for organizations.
  
• WebCriteria Provides services that objectively evaluate and compare web sites. The behavior-based SiteProfile provides automated services that measures and compares website usability.
  
• Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 W3 Consortium publication
  
• Web Accessibility Initiative An initiative by the World Wide Web Consortium to advise web content authors, user agent authors and authoring tools authors how to create accessible content and applications.
  
• 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.
  
• A Style Guide for Those With No Style Crafting A Nifty Personal Web Site: Basic tips on building web pages. Especially useful is the section on "How Not To Be Annoying", (aka Make It Usable!).
  
• 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.
  
• Art and the Zen of Web Sites Suggestions and guidelines for putting together a usable and attractive web site.
  
• Java Software Human Interface Essential information about human interface design and usability for applications and applets written in the Java programming language.
  
• 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.
  
• Web Design for Learning Presents a model of web design for learning including basic principles and supporting research. This site was developed and is maintained by Richard Hall.
  
• 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.
  
• Magnetic-Media - Web In Motion A commentary on web usability, design, and direction aimed at the beginning web developer.
  
• WebReview.com - Web Strategists Features articles by leading practitioners in user-centered design for the Web.
  
• Usability Services Serco Usability Services is a UK consultancy firm in the design and evaluation of interactive products. They provide usability and user-centered design services to improve the quality of products and web sites to match them to user needs.
  
• 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.
  
• A leading independent Internet agencies :Web Solutions Based in Hong Kong, Web Solutions designs and produces excellent web sites at very affordable prices
  
• Human Behavior and the Web Research Center Research center with useful information on the interface between human behavior and new technology, especially the web.
  
• 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.
  
• WEBehavior A behavioral research, usability testing, and customer experience evaluation firm.
  
• 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.
  
• Building a Better Corporate Intranet An extensive paper describing a recent redesign of MITRE Corporation, a Center for Air Force C2 Systems, corporate intranet to improve the system's usability.
  
• Interface Hall of Shame What not to do! An irreverent look at common interface design failures which serves as a primer as to how software should not be designed.
  
• Accessible Web A guide to creating accessible web pages and downloadable documents. From the University of Newcastle, Australia.
  
• 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.
  
• Navigation 101 A simple, understandable navigation scheme is a critical aspect of site design and has a direct effect on the bottom line.
  
• 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.
  
• Usability Professionals' Association The UPA's purpose is to promote usability concepts and techniques worldwide.
  
• 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.
  
• Usability First Diamond Bullet Design offers their experience and knowledge on website and software usability.
  
• 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.
  
• 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.
  
• Educorner Online introductory course on Information Architecture, (making a website easy to use).
  
• E-Commerce Usability Research Florian N. Egger, PhD Researcher at the IPO - Center for User-System Interaction, Eindhoven (NL). Research and Consulting in electronic commerce commerce usability and trust-shaping factors.
  
• Comparison of Usability Evaluation Methods A listing of the most popular methods for determining usability, including the advantages and disadvantages of each.
  
• Beta Research, Inc. Consulting and research in human factors, ergonomics, usability, and safety in product and system design. Located in Los Gatos, CA.
  
• 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.
  
• Cardinal Consulting - Usability analysis and testing. Cardinal Consulting Services include: Usability Testing and User Interface Design, Web and Software Development, and On-Site Training.
  
• Human Factors International - Web Usability Tips These tips are provided to help you improve the interaction between humans and computers in your web design.
  
• Web Usability Specialists Consultants with a selection of design tips and weekly articles on related issues.
  
• Starling Access Services Interesting definition of Accessible Web Design. For use by "anyone, any web browsing technology and any site".
  
• Usability Sciences Corporation Provider of Usability testing and research for websites, consumer electronics, software and hardware products.
  
• Stickygoo An educational and commentary site for anyone interested in the improvement of customer experience and usability on the Web.
  
• 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. Dated August 7, 2000.
  
• AgeLight Institute Guidelines written for webmasters, communicators and marketers to assist with website design for maximum usability for seniors and older internet users.
  
• WeMedia A multimedia company that has designed a website accessible to the estimated 54 million Americans with disabilities. The site is designed for maximum web usability for people with disabilities. Former CBS news anchorman Walter Cronkite, an advisor to the site, called the new tools "the ultimate prosthetic."
  
• 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.
  
• 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.
  
• Yale C/AIM Web Style Guide 2nd edition. A style manual for the design of Web pages and Web sites. Covers graphic and information design, page layout, Web graphics, site organization, navigation, and Web multimedia content. The style guide is freely available for downloading and mirroring. Authors: Patrick J. Lynch, Yale University, and Sarah Horton, Dartmouth College.
  
• USINACTS Web Space: The World of Usability The how-to of usability evaluation and user-centered design. Usability issue information available in Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) format.
  
• InfoWorld Article Article written by Lynda Radosevich "Fixing Web-site usability".
  
• 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.
  
• Usability Testing of Advanced Web Concepts Case study of usability. A sidebar to Jakob Nielsen's article on Sun's new Web design.
  
• User Interface Engineering A company which analyzes user needs in order to give development teams the information they need to make design decisions.
  
• 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.
  
• Say What You Mean on the Web! Content strategies for your e-business website; 50 ways to make your site easy to understand and use; free newsletter; regular reports on information design and usability for e-commerce; Los Angeles-based consultant with online services available.
  
• Bandwidth Conservation Society A resource for web developers with an interest in optimizing performance, but still maintaining an appropriate graphic standard. (requires frames)
  
• Usability Lab at HHI Usability support during all phases of the product life cycle. User requirements analyses, design studies, expert evaluations, Usability tests, consultancy. Located in Berlin, Germany.
  
• User Experience Invention It is the art, architecture, and engineering of user-centered design and usability applied to craft the interface between customer and product. Information from Christopher Koch, User Interface Architect, Eastman Kodak Company.
  
• Seven Deadly Web Site Sins And Why You Must Avoid Them at All Costs by Jesse Berst, Editorial Director, ZDNet AnchorDesk.
  
• Theory A weekly column by Adam Baker that discusses web usability, interface, and interaction design. Includes previous columns for review.
  
• Usefo.com Web design resources, Usableword newsletter, and web usability guidelines to make web sites faster, more educational, and usable.
  
• Frontend Usability InfoCentre Intended to introduce the principles of usability engineering and provide resources and information for those involved in software and web design.
  
• Ecommerce Usability and Interface design One of the top consultancies in the world that specializes in applying Usability Engineering, Testing, and Interface Design to help maximize the business results (conversion rates, sales, pricing, branding, etc.) of Ecommerce web sites.
  
• Bohmann Usability European-based user experience consulting. Including articles and news about Web usability.
  
• Mapping Web Sites Paul Kahn explains why planning diagrams are an essential tool in the analysis and design of a web site. Diagrams help developers and users understand the content and relationships that the web site represents, thereby improving usability.
  
• Web Usability International Journal of Human-Computer Studies. Special issue of WWW Usability arising from a symposium entitled "The Missing Link: Hypermedia Usability Research & The Web,".
  
• All Things Web: The Usable Web Tips and techniques for building reader-friendly Web pages.
  
• Abacus Web Usability Consultants to help you improve the user friendliness of your web site.
  
• SiteAngel 2000 Evity's online service enables e-businesses to measure and quantify customer satisfaction by simulating a customer's true end-to-end experience at a web site.
  
• Alertbox Jakob Nielsen's bi-weekly column on current issues in Web usability, focusing on simple and minimalist design based on real user needs.
  
• GUI Bloopers Presentation and promo of Jeff Johnson's book "GUI Bloopers". Covers problems with text, graphics, interactive dialog and web design.
  
• 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).
  
• Conference on Usability Tools and Techniques A summary from the conference sponsored by AT&T Labs. The goal is to develop software tools and techniques for evaluating the usability of web sites.
  
• 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.
  
• Building a Better Interface To help bring you up to speed on the current state of the art in Web site usability, Dan Shafer interviewed three of the smartest people on the subject: Jakob Nielsen, David Kleinberg, and Jared Spool. For good measure, he throws in his own thoughts on the topic.
  
• eBSure Offering a suite of usability and service level products targeted to improve eCommerce and eBusiness application effectiveness, and the Web design effort.
  
• Internet Brothers: Layout and Design Fundamentals Avoid common web page mistakes. Learn about proper alignment, coloring and typography, plus how to put your best foot forward when you have two left feet.
  
• Designing Usable Web Sites for the Disabled Selection of links from AlaLA and Reference and Adult Services Round Table. Links to find information on tools, browser design, model accessible web sites and major ongoing programs addressing web site usability.
  
• AnyBrowser.com The place to find out how to make your web site viewable, usable and informative for the majority of your visitors. Their web page viewer allows you to see your page as it might be seen by visitors with different browsers.
  
• Digital Web Magazine Article by Rick Cecil: Composition and Usability.
  
• The UI Coach The column 'Fit and Finish' is an entertaining and informative online newsletter that suggests ways for web developers and others to improve the total user experience.
  
• Nuance Nine: Web Usability Services. Provider of web usability testing and services.
  
• WebWord.com John S. Rhodes explores Internet usability issues through regular articles, expert interviews, book recommendations, a newsletter, and pointers to the best web resources.
  
• JavaScript and Web Site Usability An Interview with JavaScript Guru, Mr. Danny Goodman on how JavaScript can make a web site easier to use.
  
• Usability by Design Ltd Offering leading edge usability and design consultancy to the e-commerce, e-business and client server markets in Europe.
  
• 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.
  
• 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.
  
• Usability Engineering "Designing for Ease Use", Article written by Corporate Solutions Consulting (UK)on usability engineering.
  
• Human Factors International Ensuring interface usability and systems consistency through software ergonomics, human factors science and design artistry. Site is mostly about software design, but also includes tips on web design and e-commerce usability.
  
• 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.
  
• Royal National Institute for the Blind: Hints for designing accessible websites A guide to some of the basic issues to consider in order to create web pages which are accessible to everyone.
  
• Uiweb.com Monthly expert columns on web usability, interaction and web design.
  
• Fluff and Contenders, Revisited A monthly web zine for professional web writers and editors who create content for the web. This archived article, April 1999, is a follow-up of the April 1998 "Cut the Fluff" in designing web sites and suggest not to "lose sight of usability and functionality".
  
• User Interface Design - Software Design Smorgasbord A comprehensive resource page on UI Design, maintained by Craig Marion, the webmaster of Chester County Internet Services.
  
• Web Usability Findings Compilation of surveys of web usability engineering and test results.
  
• Home of the GUIguy® GUI Design and Usability consulting for Windows applications and Web sites. Classes and seminars available emphasizing usability, GUI design, web site design.
  
• DeveloperWorks: Usability 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.
  
• HTML Authoring Tools Delorie Software provides a number of free services to the web community to assist web authors who wish to make their information available to the largest audience. These tools provide alternate ways of viewing your pages, so that you can ensure that your content is received properly by all viewers.
  
• Designing a More Usable World Trace Research and Development Center at the University of Wisconsin. Excellent guidelines for universal web design.
  
• Software Usability Research Laboratory The SURL provides usability testing of Websites and UI designs, as well as conducts HCI research for organizations.