#19368
The virtues of simplicity are well-known among experienced systems designers. And many of the things that are 'right' with simpler software systems are also applicable to Web pages and site designs.
Sullivan, Terry. All Things Web (1996). Articles>Usability>Web Design
#14381
Assessing Web site usability can be complex, because the medium can be both a document and a 'software product.' Documentation usability testing asks how headings, page elements, and index entries help users find the content they need, and whether that content is useful. Software usability testing asks how well the user inteface supports users’ job-task activity, indicates functionality, provides navigation signposts and program status, and prevents errors. A Web site must meet a combination of these goals—links should lead to the content that users seek, through pathways that users can easily follow without reaching a dead-end or getting lost.
Hinderer, Deborah and Laurie Kantner. STC Proceedings (1998). Presentations>Usability>Web Design
#14994
Assessing Web Site Usability from Server Log Files 
White paper on how to glean usability data from web server log files and how to use that data.
Tec-Ed, Inc. (1999). Articles>Web Design>Usability
#21105
Getting stuck on a web page can be painful. The back button doesn't always work. While there are many ways to escape from web pages, many users don't know the tricks. A company can stop hurting users by doing more testing, using proper development methods, and being aware of the issue.
Rhodes, John S. WebWord (2001). Design>Web Design>Usability
#28397
Attention mapping is a tool to help you start to plan a visual layout around realistic communication between user and site. It can also be a helpful analysis tool, helping you work out what's wrong about a layout.
Hunt, Ben. Web Design From Scratch (2006). Design>Web Design>Document Design>Usability
#30873
Few usability professionals are as well-rounded as Avi Parush. Avi has worked in industry and academia, testing and design, the Old World and the New, with web applications and airplane cockpits, in operating rooms and on the bridges of ships.
Anderson, Clifford. Usability Professionals Association (2008). Articles>Interviews>Web Design>Usability
#21012
Avoiding Bias from the Survivor Effect
Only a few of the survey sites we analyzed in 2000 are still around. We can safely assume that the surviving sites are not a random sample of the original group, but rather that significant differences exist between the sites that made it and those that died. Survival might be due partly to luck, but it is mainly a result of good management and an understanding of Internet fundamentals. Thus, the surviving sites are likely to be disproportionately clued-in about what it takes to run an online business.
Nielsen, Jakob. Alertbox (2002). Articles>Usability>Methods>Web Design
#27694
User testing shows that business-to-business websites have substantially lower usability than mainstream consumer sites. If they want to convert more prospects into leads, B2B sites should follow more guidelines and make it easier for prospects to research their offerings.
Nielsen, Jakob. Alertbox (2006). Design>Web Design>Usability>E Commerce
#22586
B2B: Help Your Fans Convince Their Bosses
B2B websites must support a more complex buying process than B2C sites. Three key goals are to make a buyer's shortlist, offer a downloadable advocacy kit, and build a reputation for great service.
Nielsen, Jakob. Alertbox (2004). Design>Web Design>Usability>Community
#27031
Design and optimize products around basic features. The result--you will sell more products and improve the chances of people using secondary features (such as value added services).
Szuc, Daniel and Gerry Gaffney. Apogee (2004). Design>Web Design>Usability
#18395
Banner Blindness, Human Cognition and Web Design 
Benway and Lane have studied 'Banner Blindness' – the fact that people tend to ignore those big, flashy, colorful banners at the top of web pages. This is pretty interesting stuff, for the entire reason they are so big and obnoxious is to attract attention, yet they fail. Evidently nobody ever studied real users before -- they simply assumed that big, colorful items were visible. This paper, shows once again the importance of observations over logic when it comes to predicting human behavior. People behave the way they behave, not the way our logical analyses and wishes would have them behave. People follow their interests, their needs, their customs. They are driven by curiosity, boredom, emotion. And the 'they' refers to 'we': us.
Norman, Donald A. JND.org (1999). Design>Web Design>Usability>User Experience
#13070
Banner Blindness: Web Searchers Often Miss 'Obvious' Links
Suppose you are designing a web page where one particular link among many is likely to be the most used by visitors. For example, perhaps you have a web page for sending text messages to pagers. 'Send a message' is likely to be a very popular link, and it is important that all users notice it. On a travel reservations page, the designer wants to be sure that users notice the link for 'make a reservation.' Web guidelines usually recommend that to make an important item stand out, it should be near the top, and be large and/or brightly colored.
Panero, Jan Benway and David M. Lane. Internetworking (1998). Design>Web Design>Usability
#28387
Using web sites should be easy and pleasant, just like a great experience in a shop, hotel, or library. I believe that the all Web sites can be made lovable - easy, rewarding and pleasurable to use.
Hunt, Ben. Web Design From Scratch (2006). Design>Web Design>Usability
#22368
Bazzmann|Mag si occupa di design molecolare, accessibilità, usabilità, web e UI design, standard W3C, semantic web e architettura dell'informazione.
Trevisan, Marco. Bazzmann. (Italian) Resources>Web Design>Usability>Blogs
#23997
Depending on which research report you read, roughly 25% to 75% of online shoppers abandon their shopping carts before consummating the deal. Despite the disparity in numbers, all the research firms agree on one thing: that's way too many.
Greenwood, Wayne. Cooper Interaction Design (2001). Design>Web Design>Usability>E Commerce
#27606
Find out how to become a trusted expert on your website and watch your online credibility soar!
Usborne, Nick. Webcredible (2006). Design>Web Design>Usability
#25499
Better Invoices for Better Business
Invoices that obfuscate information, incorrectly state terms or arrive incomplete can be a massive headache for all parties. These mistakes will only delay the payment process, so it is critical you produce invoices that clearly deliver information your client will need.
Potts, Kevin. List Apart, A (2004). Design>Web Design>Forms>Usability
#24859
Beware of Opening Links in a New Window
Find out why opening a link in a new window is not generally a good idea.
Turner, Neil. Webcredible (2004). Design>Web Design>Usability
#21014
Beyond Accessibility: Treating Users with Disabilities as People
With current Web design practices, users without disabilities experience three times higher usability than users who are blind or have low vision. Usability guidelines can substantially improve the matter by making websites and intranets support task performance for users with disabilities.
Nielsen, Jakob. Alertbox (2001). Design>Accessibility>Web Design>Universal Usability
#26031
Some organisations still take a function-centric approach to their online transactions with customers. Functionality is king, and interactions with the customer are seen as secondary.
Usability by Design (2005). Design>Web Design>Usability>E Commerce
#11906
At the risk of repeating an old saw, when you only have a hammer, everything looks like a nail. Our hammer has been the Web browser. It has been crippling the software industry for the past eight years and it will kill productivity at any company that introduces major enterprise applications on its intranet. Should we get rid of the browser? No, no more than we should get rid of the hammer. The browser is a useful tool. It needs to cease being the only tool, and it could use some improvement.
Tognazzini, Bruce and Jakob Nielsen. eWeek (2001). Design>Web Design>Usability
#23906
Beyond the Buy Button in E-Commerce
The best way for e-commerce sites to increase subsequent orders is to treat customers well after they place their initial order.
Nielsen, Jakob. Alertbox (2004). Design>Web Design>Usability>E Commerce
#26944
Beyond the Universal User: How to Design for the Universe of Users 
There are problems with non-user-centered/system-centered design. We must know, understand, and work with actual users so that the people who use the product can do so quickly and easily to accomplish their own tasks.
Bowie, Jennifer L. Texas Tech University (2003). Presentations>Web Design>Usability>Personas
#22717
Beyond Web Usability: Web Credibility
If you've been developing websites on Mars for the past few years then you'll be forgiven for not knowing about web usability. You'll still be creating splash intro pages, having pages with massive download times and using more images than you can shake a stick at. Well, back in Earth these days have long gone and today web usability rules the web development world.
Moss, Trenton. Webcredible (2004). Design>Web Design>Usability
#29941
Blah-Blah Text: Keep, Cut, or Kill?
Introductory text on Web pages is usually too long, so users skip it. But short intros can increase usability by explaining the remaining content's purpose.
Nielsen, Jakob. Alertbox (2007). Articles>Web Design>Writing>Usability
