Web / Design / Usabilty

Webreference Articles

Accessibility and the Web

Accessiblity to the Web is generally taken for granted, except when a site is slow or unavailable. Here, you'll learn about techniques to make your Web site more accessible. Some are relatively simple, while others require a little work. By Lee Underwood.

Designing From Both Sides of the Screen

Help get your usability and software engineers on the same page with this New Rider's publication. Our excerpt from Chapter 1 discusses the need to build collaborative relationships between applications and the people who use them.

Book Review: Homepage Usability: 50 Websites Deconstructed

We review Jakob Nielsen and Marie Tahir's new book, Homepage Usability. The authors reveal 113 homepage usability design guidelines and 40 design metrics, and apply them mercilessly to 50 popular websites. You only get one chance to make a first impression, this book will ensure it's a good one. By Andy King. See also New Riders' interview with the authors, and our own interview with more usability details.

Site Review: Whitehouse.gov Usability: The Web Wing

President Bush has launched a revamped Whitehouse.gov. While much improved, the new site still has some usability problems. As a public service, three usability experts analyze the new site. By Andy King.

Book Review: Designing Easy-to-use Websites

IBM usability guru Venessa Donnelly gives a more structured approach to usability using methods borrowed from the software development world. Also includes an interview. By Andy King.

Book Review/Interview: Designing Web Usability

We summarize Jakob Nielsen's newest book on improving Web usability. Also includes an interview with the usability guru. By Andy King.

Book Review: Don't Make Me Think!

A practical Web design usability guide, "Don't Make Me Think!" is based on empirical observation, not exhaustive statistics. Steve Krug's five years of usability consulting are boiled down to this thin yet gem-filled how-to. By Andy King.

Collecting Feedback About Your Website's Search Interface

Usability gurus Jakob Nielsen and Kara Pernice Coyne show how to test your site's search interface for usability.

Usability Design Tip: Do It Over

Designing a highly usable Web site is an iterative process. Knowing when to start over is important. By Bob Stein.

Why You Need to Test Your Web Site with Real Users

An article that explains how to assess a site's usability and why it's necessary to have 'real' users test your site. By Lois Wakeman.

Usability Articles

All Things Web

The Usable Web: A collection of web sites about usability and design - and remembering the user. From Terry Sullivan.

Bobby

A free Web-based service that will help you make Web pages accessible to people with disabilities.

GUSE

Guide to Usability for Software Engineers - and that includes Webmasters. From the University of Maryland, generated by their MSE program.

Links on the WWW

A chapter excerpt from the book, "Web Site Usability" by the User Interface Engineering group.

Sun's Study on UI

Slightly old (the inline graphics are gone..), but with interesting analysis and user commentary from their study. Also discusses the 1998 redesign of their own site.

Usability Methods Toolbox

Information about methods and techniques used in usability evaluation. Comprehensive, with an academic slant. By James Hom.

Useit.com(*)

A Web site devoted to teaching people how to make usable, approachable web sites. By Jakob Neilson, a distinguished Sun Engineer who works on future directions for Web usability. Don't miss AlertBox, a semi-monthly newsletter on usability.

WebWord.com

Devoted to helping you improve the usability of your Web site. Recommended books, Web sites, monthy usability column, interviews, and more are available.

Manufacturers' Usability Design Specs and UI Labs

Apple

OS Human Interface Guidelines.

IBM (*)

Ease of Use: Articles, News, Training and Tools.

Microsoft

Usability information from MSDN.

Sun

Sun's Java Look and Feel Design Guidelines.

Usability Collections

HCI Index

Organized collection of pages points you to many different resources on Human-Computer-Interaction on the Internet. By Hans de Graaff.

HCI Resources on the Web

A collection of HCI resources, maintained by Michael Ericsson.

Usability collection

A collection of articles that have appeared in WebReview on on topics related to usability.

Usability and Accessibility

Links from the web design guide at the Mining Co.

Usable Web (*)

Usable Web is a guide to resources about Web usability, about making the Web easier to use. Lots of links to different articles on designing web interfaces.

Web Accessibility Resource Center

NetMechanic's collection includes links to articles on section 508 compliance and policy, tools, event listings, and an Accessibility Dictionary.