The Role of Online Surveys in the Usability Assessment Process

I have attended several conferences at which I witnessed a growing debate over the role of survey work in the field of usability. Some practitioners are of the opinion that 'usability is usability' and 'surveys are surveys', and only rarely do the two meet in a harmonious exchange. The more I have considered this viewpoint, the more convinced I am that it is probably valid, unless the usability specialist takes the lead in assimilating survey output into the process of evaluating the overall effectiveness of Web sites and online applications.

MacElroy, William. Usability Interface (2003). Design>Usability>Methods>Surveys

The Sanctity of Elements, or Why You Shouldn't Be Double-Clicking in a TEXTAREA

All-too-frequently an external client or an internal manager or co-worker demands interface changes. They usurp the design process -- taking the decision-making away from the experts -- and deign the interface by dictum rather than traditional development processes, to the detriment of the product.

Hourihan, Meg. O'Reilly and Associates (2002). Design>Web Design>User Interface>Usability

The Scoop on Search Engines  

Leonard-Wilkinson describes how Web site designers can take advantage of the features of search engines to advertise their sites.

Leonard-Wilkinson, Theresa A. Intercom (2001). Design>Web Design>Usability>Search

The Scott Adams Meltdown: Anatomy of a Disaster

A chain of five errors led to Scott Adams losing his work. Not one of those errors was his. They had been made months and even years before Scott Adams ever started work on his blog. His was an accident waiting to happen, an accident that has almost certainly befallen a large number of other individuals who have had the misfortune to use the same software.

Tognazzini, Bruce. Nielsen Norman Group (2006). Design>Web Design>Usability>Forms

Screen Resolution and Page Layout

Optimize Web pages for 1024x768, but use a liquid layout that stretches well for any resolution, from 800x600 to 1280x1024.

Nielsen, Jakob. Alertbox (2006). Design>Web Design>Usability

Screen Size and Web Browsing

The purpose of this experiment is to determine the effect of screen size on the speed of navigating common web pages. We performed the experiment on 12 students and concluded that the larger the screen size, the faster a typical web page is browsed.

DiPierro, Chris, George N. SHORE (1997). Design>Web Design>Usability>Web Browsers

Scrolling and Scrollbars

Despite posing well-known risks, websites continue to feature poorly designed scrollbars. Among the ongoing problems that result are frustrated users, accessibility challenges, and missed content.

Nielsen, Jakob. Alertbox (2005). Articles>Web Design>Human Computer Interaction>Usability

Search  

Many Web sites allow users to search for information contained in the site. Users access the search capability by entering one or more keywords into an entry field--usually termed a 'search box.' When there are words in the Web site that match the words entered by users, users are shown where in the Web site those words can be found. Each page of a Web site should allow users to conduct a search. Usually it is adequate to allow simple searches without providing for the use of more advanced features. Users should be able to assume that both upper- and lowercase letters will be considered as equivalent when searching. The site's search capability should be designed to respond to terms typically entered by users. Users should be notified when multiple search capabilities exist.

Usability.gov (2006). Design>Web Design>Usability>Search

Search and You May Find

This article addresses common aspects of search, including scoped, Boolean and advanced searches.

Nielsen, Jakob. Alertbox (1997). Design>Web Design>Usability>Search

Search Engine Optimisation Without Usability - An Exercise in Futility

A high search engine ranking is pointless if site users can't find what they want when they get to your website.

Claiborne, Scottie. Webcredible (2003). Design>Web Design>Usability

Search Engine Optimization: Designing a Search-Friendly Site  

In this article, the third in a series, Leonard-Wilkinson offers tips on how to make Web sites friendly to search engines.

Leonard-Wilkinson, Theresa A. Intercom (2002). Design>Web Design>Usability>Search

Search Engine Optimization: Keywords That Work  

Leonard-Wilkinson demonstrates search engine optimization, a process for making Web sites attractive to search engines.

Leonard-Wilkinson, Theresa A. Intercom (2002). Design>Web Design>Usability>Search

Search Engine Optimization: Making the Most of META Tags  

Leonard-Wilkinson offers advice on how to write effective TTLE- and META-tag descriptions.

Leonard-Wilkinson, Theresa A. Intercom (2002). Design>Web Design>Usability>Search

The Search For Seducible Moments

If you offer something that is unique to your organization, (and chances are that you do - that's why you're in business) then how do you make the users aware of these benefits? Jared Spool discusses how to identify these 'seducible moments'.

Spool, Jared M. User Interface Engineering (2002). Articles>Web Design>Usability

Search Interfaces

Typically, users know what they’re searching for even before they choose a search engine over the site’s navigation. In this investigation, I’d like to explore how we can provide a user interface to help them search more effectively before they get started. This investigation is about the ordering and structure of the search fields themselves, not the results, which have been the topic of much discussion already.

Danzico, Liz. Bobulate (2003). Design>Web Design>Search>Usability

Search: Visible and Simple

Search is the user's lifeline for mastering complex websites. The best designs offer a simple search box on the home page and play down advanced search and scoping.

Nielsen, Jakob. Alertbox (2001). Articles>Web Design>Usability

The Secret Benefit of Accessibility, Part 1: Increased Usability

Web accessibility has a huge number of benefits, one the main ones being increased usability. This article outlines some of the ways accessibility and usability overlap and how enhancing a website's accessibility can automatically improve its usability too.

Moss, Trenton. Webcredible (2004). Design>Web Design>Usability

The Secret benefit of search engine optimisation: Increased usability

Optimising a website for search engines can also improves its usability - find out why and how

Moss, Trenton. Webcredible (2004). Design>Web Design>Usability

Security and Human Factors

A big lie of computer security is that security improves as password complexity increases. In reality, users simply write down difficult passwords, leaving the system vulnerable. Security is better increased by designing for how people actually behave.

Nielsen, Jakob. Alertbox (2000). Articles>Web Design>Usability>Security

Security and Trust: Taking Care of the Human Factor

In the e-business chain, the last link that needs to be convinced of the security of an online transaction is the end-user. That is why this article puts forward a user-centred perspective of the problem of trust in online payments, derived from the discipline of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). We will first offer a general account of e-commerce system design, showing that there is more to trust than only security. The last part gives some recommendations on what can be done to increase consumers' trust.

Egger, Florian N. and D. Abrazhevich. ECommUse (2001). Design>Web Design>E Commerce>Usability

Seeing the World in Symbols: Icons and the Evolving Language of Digital Wayfinding

Of all the objects that occupy our digital spaces, there are none that capture the imagination so much as icons. As symbols, icons can communicate powerfully, be delightful, add to the aesthetic value of software, engage people's curiosity and playfulness, and encourage experimentation. These symbols are key components of a graphic user interface--mediators between our thoughts and actions, our intentions and accomplishments.

Follett, Jonathan. UXmatters (2006). Articles>Usability>User Interface>Graphic Design

Sensible Forms: A Form Usability Checklist

Sometimes it’s the little things that drive you nuts. As many of us have probably noticed during this season of holiday shopping, usability problems in online forms can be infuriating. Brian Crescimanno helps solve the problem with a checklist of form-usability recommendations.

Crescimanno, Brian. List Apart, A (2005). Design>Web Design>Usability>Forms

Server Log Analysis

Server log files are records of Web server activity (or server activity for any digital medium). They provide details about file requests to a server and the server response to those requests. Collecting and analyzing these files can provide: information about who is coming to your Web site; what information they're requesting; their navigation and behavior. What types of data you collect on your server depends on how it has been set up and defined by the technical staff.

Usability.gov (1998). Articles>Web Design>Usability>Log Analysis

Serving the Electronic Reader  

Everyone’s rushed in today’s electronic culture. Convenience is measured in kilobytes per second. A reader’s attention hangs on the click of a mouse. For many people, the Internet has become the preferred mode of communication. To tempt this audience, your Web site must provide a menu precisely attuned to your readers’ new tastes.

Moore, Linda E. Intercom (2003). Design>Web Design>Usability

Setting Usability Requirements For A Web Site Containing A Form  

We describe the challenges of understanding and setting usability requirements for a web site containing a form. We define 'usability requirements.' Ideally, usability requirements should be defined early in a project. In practice, we often find that the first opportunity we have is when we are asked to undertake an evaluation. Collecting the users' opinions of the requirements as part of the evaluation can often prompt the organization into investigating the users, leading to a better set of requirements and, eventually, a better web site.

Miller, Sarah and Caroline Jarrett. STC Proceedings (2001). Presentations>Accessibility>Web Design>Usability