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usability
2004 July 16 • process, usabilityConduct usability tests regularly and constantly
article: Usability testing is most effective when it's a low-stress routine activity, rather than a special event that requires a lot of attention. Successful organizations conduct usability tests on a regular, fixed schedule, integrate results quickly into the product, and spend less money.
2004 July 11 • accessibility, tools, usabilitySafe Web Colours for colour-deficient vision
tool: British Telecom has a site that shows color comparison (side-by-side) palattes for color-deficient vision. The palatte is available in RGB and Hex values and shows examples of “normal” (or not deficient) colors and how the color would look to someone with Protanopia (can’t see reds), Deutanopia (can’t see greens), and Tritanoptia (can’t see blues).
2004 July 10 • resources, usabilitymeasuringusability.com
website: Measuring Usability is a site dedicated to discussing some common and not so common approaches to using quantitative methods, including Six Sigma, to move beyond instinctive decision making in implementing usability solutions.
2004 July 10 • business, usabilityBeyond the Buy Button in E-Commerce
article: "The best way for ecommerce sites to increase subsequent orders is to treat customers well after they place their initial order." [credit: InfoDesign]
2004 July 5 • design, process, usabilityPlanning a usable website: A three-step guide
article: Work out what your site visitors will want to do on your website, what you want them to do, and then do some testing - it couldn't be easier.
2004 July 5 • intranets, usabilityTime for a Redesign
article: Dr. Jakob Nielsen, the "King of Usability," believes companies can save $5 million a year and achieve 1,000 percent ROI simply by making their intranets more effective. Nielsen discusses how a solid Web strategy is essential for business, and reflects on a few of his online pet peeves. [credit: InfoDesign]
2004 June 17 • usabilityTime for a Redesign: Dr. Jakob Nielsen
interview: Dr. Jakob Nielsen, the 'King of Usability', believes companies can save $5 million a year and achieve 1,000 percent ROI simply by making their intranets more effective. Nielsen discusses how a solid Web strategy is essential for business, and reflects on a few of his online pet peeves." [credit: InfoDesign]
2004 June 17 • usabilityWeb site usability quiz
Quiz: Test your knowledge of basic Web usability principles. [credit: InfoDesign]
2004 June 6 • process, usabilityHow many users to test?
article: In contrast to Nielsen's five and Spool's finding that you can test up to 90 users in a segment before finding all the usability problems, Human Factors International offers a statistical analysis that shows both are wrong. [credit: every breath death defying]
2004 May 16 • usabilityFive ways to identify intranet usability issues
article: "Many intranets are under-used. Intranet managers lament the low use and discuss how to get staff to 'use the intranet more', resulting in marketing and promotions activities to increase use." [credit: InfoDesign]
2004 May 14 • process, usabilityMeasuring User Experience
article; We've all seen the stats. Almost half of a site's visitors go elsewhere due to poor navigability, slow download times, or confusing content. If users have problems on your site, they jump to competitors en masse. Fortunately, there are several useful ways to evaluate user experience.
2004 May 14 • accessibility, usability, web standardsUsing Section 508 to Improve Internet Access to Information for Everybody
PDF: A simple 9 slide presentation on the 508 guidelines and their value to site visitors. Presented at the Society of Technical Communication's 51st Annual Conference. [credit: InfoDesign: Understanding by Design]
2004 May 14 • business, usabilityWeb-User Satisfaction on the Upswing
survey: "Site visitors are more likely to finish Web tasks successfully, but site searches are still troublesome, according to a recent survey." [credit: InfoDesign: Understanding by Design]
2004 May 3 • usabilityLearning Usability
article: What they didn't teach me in Design & Usability School. [credit: Column Two]
2004 April 24 • design, usabilityUsability Guidelines
guidelines: Includes most factors to consider during a usability evaluation of a web site. [credit: InfoDesign]
2004 April 23 • process, usabilityHow To Quantify The User Experience
article: Here's an inciteful article from the folks at SitePoint. The author shares his method of quantifying user experience in a visual format that may help your clients understand how their site stands up against the competition. [credit: design PRINCIPLES]
2004 April 3 • usabilityUsing the 5Es to Understand Users
article: How do you move from wanting to improve the usability of your web site, product or software to taking action? Let's start with this: If the answer is usability, what is the question?
2004 February 29 • resources, usability10 web usability tips
resource: Human Factors International has published a set of 10 web usability tips, as follows:
- Motivate
- User task flow
- Architecture -- it's 80% of usability
- Affordance means obvious
- Replicate
- Usability test along the way
- Know the technology limitations
- Know user tolerances
- Multimedia -- be discriminating
- Use a stats package
[credit: usabilitygarage.com] 2004 February 29 • code, process, usability
Client Side Optimization
article: Cost-Effective Website Acceleration Part 1 - offering several useful options on optimizing your site for better performance. [credit: design PRINCIPLES]
2004 February 21 • design, usabilityWeb usability: a new International Standard
article: ISO is developing a new standard for web usability. The new standard will be of interest to anyone who designs, evaluates or commissions web sites and it is likely to have a significant impact in improving the overall usability of the web.