usability

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2004 February 2 • usability, writing

Keep Online Surveys Short

article: "To ensure high response rates and avoid misleading survey results, keep your surveys short and ensure that your questions are well written and easy to answer." (Jakob Nielsen - Alertbox)...

2004 January 16 • code, design, usability

The Perfect 404

article: No matter how carefully you design and structure your site, visitors will sometimes request missing, moved, or non-existent pages. A well tempered 404 error page will plunge these visitors back into the flow of your site. Ian Lloyd shares strategies for crafting the perfect 404.

2003 December 27 • design, usability

Top Ten Web Design Mistakes of 2003

list: Unclear Statement of Purpose. New URLs for Archived Content. Undated Content. Small Thumbnail Images of Big, Detailed Photos. Overly detailed ALT Text. No "What-If" Support. Long Lists that Can't Be Winnowed by Attributes. Products Sorted Only by Brand. Overly Restrictive Form Entry. Pages That Link to Themselves.

2003 December 14 • business, resources, usability

eCommerce Usability Guide

resource: Free ecommerce usability guide below provides guidelines and advice for implementing easy to use ecommerce websites. It focuses on online catalog/selling functionality for wholesalers, distributors and retailers.

2003 December 14 • code, design, usability

Usable forms for e-commerce

article: Visitors don't enjoy filling out HTML forms. That makes good usability doubly important. Here's a detailed look at forms for e-commerce — individual form elements such as dropdown boxes and radio buttons, plus validation and error messages. [credit: GUUUI]

2003 December 6 • code, design, usability

Why tables for layout is stupid

presentation: Tables existed in HTML for one reason: To display tabular data. But then border="0" made it possible for designers to have a grid upon which to lay out images and text. Still the most dominant means of designing visually rich Web sites, the use of tables is now actually interfering with building a better, more accessible, flexible, and functional Web. Find out where the problems stem from, and learn solutions to create transitional or completely table-less layout.

2003 December 5 • process, resources, usability

Usability Methods Toolbox

resource: Includes explanations for inquiry, inspection, testing methods and related techniques such as prototyping and affinity diagrams. Includes an extensive bibliography.

2003 December 5 • design, resources, usability

Web design and usability guidelines

PDF book: The book Research-Based Web Design & Usability Guidelines is now available as a free download. The book provides guidelines for improving web design, navigation, and functionality. Each guideline is rated by "Strength of Evidence", based on findings from web design and usability studies.

2003 November 16 • design, usability

Ten Most Violated Homepage Design Guidelines

article: There are ten usability mistakes that about two-thirds of corporate websites make. The prevalence of these errors alone warrants attention, especially since they appear on sites with significant investment in usable design.

2003 November 2 • ia, usability

About Us

article: Jakob Nielsen on the usability of About Us, a common primary navigation element.

2003 October 24 • design, usability

Breadcrumb Navigation:
Further Investigation of Usage

report: SURL recently completed a second study of breadcrumb usage. Some major findings:


  • 40% of the participants used the breadcrumb trail
  • Only 6% of the page clicks where accounted for by the breadcrumb – the main navigation bar, back button, and embedded links were used the majority of the time
  • The Back button was used significantly less often by users who used the breadcrumb trails
  • The were no difference found in efficiency between breadcrumb users and users who didn't use the breadcrumb
  • Breadcrumb trails positioned under the page title were used more than breadcrumb trails positioned at the top of the page
[credit: GUUUI]

2003 October 24 • business, design, usability

20 Tips to Minimize Shopping Cart Abandonment

article: Bryan Eisenberg from clickz.com lists 20 different ways to reduce shopping cart abandonment. Also see part 2. [credit: GUUUI]

2003 October 24 • design, ia, usability

Sitemaps and Site Indexes: What They Are and Why You Should Have Them

article: Sitemaps and site indexes are forms of supplemental navigation. They give users a way to navigate a site without having to use the global navigation. By providing a way to visualize and understand the layout and structure of the site, a sitemap can help a lost or confused user find her way.

2003 October 24 • design, usability

How visual simplicity can harm usability

article: Usability is based on principles such as 'Less is more' and 'Keep It Simple, Stupid,' but there is more to simplicity than meets the eye. By reducing visual complexity, at the cost of structural simplicity, you will give your users a hard time understanding and navigating the content of a web site. [credit: xBlog]

2003 October 24 • process, usability

Usability 101

article: What is usability? How, when, and where can you improve it? Why should you care? Jakob Nielsen's overview answers the basic questions.