#28344
There are two major considerations when conducting usability testing. The first is to ensure that the best possible method for testing is used. Generally, the best method is to conduct a test where representative participants interact with representative scenarios. The tester collects data on the participant's success, speed of performance, and satisfaction. The findings, including both quantitative data and qualitative observations information, are provided to designers in a test report. Using 'inspection evaluations,' in place of well-controlled usability tests, must be done with caution. Inspection methods, such as heuristic evaluations or expert reviews, tend to generate large numbers of potential usability 'problems' that never turn out to be actual usability problems.
Usability.gov (2006). Design>Web Design>Usability>Testing
#28025
Usability Testing of Travel Websites 
A usability study was conducted to identify usability problems as well as recommendations for improvement for three travel sales websites. The study performed testing on twenty participants, between the ages of 19 and 65, recruited from the university campus consisting of students, faculty, and staff. The three websites tested were Expedia.com, Orbitz.com, and Travelocity.com. Each participant was given general instructions and a pre-survey to determine their demographics and level of Internet experience. The usability study tested participants on the task of finding the same itinerary on each travel website. The participant during testing was under observation of the experimenter that maintained an observation log. A post-survey along with a debriefing session was conducted to gather additional feedback. The average testing time for participants was 30 minutes. The results of this study are presented as well as a future research discussion consisting of the development of usability guidelines for designers of travel websites.
Carstens, Deborah S. and Pauline Patterson. Journal of Usability Studies (2006). Articles>Web Design>Usability>E Commerce
#27106
Usability Testing with Children
Usability testing with children can prevent some unique challenges - find out what exactly these are and what you need to do.
Fidgeon, Tim. Webcredible (2006). Design>Web Design>Usability>Children
#18573
Usability Testing: Use It or Lose It
We've heard that a million monkeys at a million keyboards could produce the complete works of Shakespeare – but could they get to the commerce section of your site? OK, maybe primates aren't your target market, but before you launch your site you had better make sure that your users can use it. Usability doesn't mean that your best friend thinks it's 'cool,' your designer calls it 'cutting-edge,' or your VC sees it as 'viable.' What it means is that you get a group of users to hammer on it, and you watch them hammer. That way, you find out what paths they follow, which graphics they click, where they get lost, and, most importantly, when they lose interest. Usability testing is crucial to your site's success and profitability.
Skipton, Celia. Human Factors International (2000). Articles>Usability>Web Design
#25099
Usability: A Key Issue for Kids' Sites
The children starting primary school this year can be truly described as the first of the web generation, for all were born after 1992 when the World Wide Web as we know it today came into existence. The ability of web sites to stimulate and satisfy the needs of these kids, along with those of all other web users, will largely depend on web site usability.
Hudson, Roger. Usability.com.au (2000). Articles>Web Design>Usability>Search
#18842
Usability: A Web Trend for the Future?
The Cool Factor still rules in the world of Web design. A holdover from the early days of the browser wars, designers are used to producing non-standard HTML code so that a site is viewable in all browsers. Now, there is a growing feeling that usable sites are boring sites. This paper presents results of a pilot study seeking to determine what business owners want in their web sites. The results clearly show the need for education—and the need for more research.
Weise Moeller, Elizabeth A. STC Proceedings (2002). Design>Web Design>Usability
#14792
Usability: Making the Web Work
Olive provides an overview of usability as it applies to Web design and discusses how to implement good design techniques on Web sites.
Olive, Eric G. Intercom (2002). Design>Usability>Web Design
#13790
Until 2002, Usable Web linked to sites about information architecture, human factors, user interface issues, and usable design specific to the World Wide Web. Now it's no longer maintained, but it's still a well-organized collection of (older) online resources.
Instone, Keith. Usable Web. Resources>Directories>Usability>Web Design
#10610
A collection of more than a thousand links to usability articles; more complete than any other.
#10674
Usable?...Or Not?...Factors Affecting the Usability of Web Sites
This article contemplates factors affecting the usabilty of web sites. It addresses issues from both the disciplines of psychology and computing and attempts to consider the relevance of these issues with regards to a study carried out at the Centre for Information Environments Research at BrunelUniversity. The study was developed in order to investigate issues affecting the usability of web sites. A test site was created and investigations revealed some interesting findings.
Rajani, Rakhi and Duska Rosenberg. Computer-Mediated Communication (1999). Articles>Usability>Web Design
#14441
Use Screen Designs, Not Paper Designs
Design your page layouts for viewing on a computer screen, not for printout on paper. The screen has special characteristics, weaknesses and abilities, and you should take them into account.
Bricklin, Dan. Good Documents (1998). Design>Web Design>Usability
#25772
usefo.com: Usable Information Design
Usefo probes the rapidly expanding world of usability design, current web design issues, and interesting aspects of information technology.
#10015
Jakob Nielsen's useit.com website publishes material about the emerging field of 'information design': articles, essays and links to resources for usable online interfaces.
#19312
Is your organisation in need of a user champion? It might not be the perfect solution, but as a first step it can have far-reaching consequences. If your organisation already has significant resources assisting with interface development, but tends to make key decisions on the basis of hunches or personal opinions, a single individual with a remit to judge the interface from the users point of view may be beneficial. Of course, any appointment must be more than a gesture. A user champion must be confident of management support and fully involved in the development and design process, at every stage.
Farrell, Tom. Frontend Infocentre (2001). Careers>Web Design>Usability
#19475
User Experience Design for Working Web Sites and Applications
As Technical Communicators, we’re often added as members of software and web site development teams merely as an afterthought. Executives, managers, programmers, and other team members frequently view the results of our work—manuals, online help systems, tutorials, and other documents—as 'nice-to-have' additions to products. This pervasive attitude is certainly not healthy for the profession of technical communication... but it’s not good for the applications our organizations and clients produce either. When Technical Communicators working in an e-business unit as user advocates are given more responsibility and more authority over the 'user experience' of a web-based application, for instance, they affect the bottom-line. They increase hits, product buzz, and completed transactions. By moving beyond manuals, beyond help, and into the new role of User Experience Designer, we increase the value we add to services and products and increase our professional status within organizations.
Sisler, Paul and Catherine M. Titta. STC Proceedings (2001). Articles>Web Design>User Centered Design>Usability
#24519
User Observation Tests: Forms and Procedures
Detailed explanation of how to conduct a web usability user observation test. Simple, step-by-step instructions for professional administration of testing program. How to select and supervise test subjects. How to design test task assignments. Suggested forms to use: test subject selection computer skills level telesurvey, link strategy survey, system usability scale questionnaire, site satisfaction survey.
Streight, Steven. Usability Interface (2004). Articles>Usability>Testing>Web Design
#30827
User Skills Improving, But Only Slightly
Users now do basic operations with confidence and perform with skill on sites they use often. But when users try new sites, well-known usability problems still cause failures.
Nielsen, Jakob. Alertbox (2008). Articles>Web Design>Usability>User Centered Design
#19363
User Testing Techniques - A Reader-Friendliness Checklist
Periodic user testing is an important element in developing and maintaining a reader-friendly Website. But formal usability tests are expensive and time-consuming -- often prohibitively so. Happily, inspection-based user testing methods, ranging from a free-form site review to more structured approaches, provide a cost-effective means of assessing (and thus improving) the usability of almost any Website. One of the most effective forms of inspection-based user testing involves the use of a 'usability checklist.' Checklist-based user testing is extremely inexpensive to implement, and requires a surprisingly small number of testers to be effective. It's also easy to schedule; it can be used at virtually any time throughout the development cycle, from the earliest prototype screens to a full-blown Website.
Sullivan, Terry. All Things Web (1996). Design>Usability>Testing>Web Design
#23510
User Testing: Does Your Site Need It?
So you’ve spent a lot of time with your content - editing it for brevity - bulletizing key points. Your graphics are sharp and have small file sizes. Your server is fast. You've submitted your site to key search engines. But how are your site's structure, navigation and overall usability? Do you really know?
Osswald, Mike. Hanson (2001). Design>Web Design>Usability>Testing
#13175
User-Centered Design of Lotus Notes Databases
Lotus Notes databases can be used in a wide variety of applications. The Information Design group in DuPont has developed Notes databases for groups of a dozen to many thousand users. We find that a multidisciplinary approach to database design works well - combining the talents of information analysts, application developers, interface and graphic designers, usability specialists, and project leaders. Working with subject-matter experts and end-users, we develop databases that deliver business value, in terms of more accessible knowledge and streamlined work processes. I will present a behind-the-scenes look at how we work as a team to deliver useful, usable knowledge bases in a user-centered design process that involves the users in novel ways.
Knodel, Elinor L. STC Proceedings (2000). Presentations>Web Design>Usability
#18940
Consider the humble URL. In a few short years it's become so ubiquitous as to be rendered invisible. It's hard to imagine a world without it, and it's hard to remember that there was once a time when not having a uniform means of locating resources was considered a fundamental stumbling block to the deployment of any large-scale hypertext system — never mind a world-wide one. But despite the universality of URLs, we often forget that they're not just a handy way to address network resources. They're also valuable communication tools. They help orient users in your architecture, and can suggest whether other options are available.
Garrett, Jesse James. Adaptive Path (2002). Design>Web Design>Usability
#27728
User-Friendly 404 Error Messages
An error message should be designed to the website. A good error message could be conceived as so positive that the error is already forgotten or forgiven. The article is a guide to good error messages using the dreaded "404 – file not found" as example.
Tverskov, Jesper. Smack the Mouse (2003). Design>Web Design>Usability
#14887
User-Friendly Web Sites Keep Agencies in Touch With Citizens
It used to be that people surfed the Web not knowing or even caring where they ended up. Now, more people are going to the Web to find critical information that they previously obtained — and can still get — from traditional sources. For all the convenience of the Web, going there for information can still be an adventure.
Bailey, Robert. Federal Times (2002). Articles>Usability>Web Design>Adobe InDesign
#28321
When good AJAX web apps go bad, these guidelines and techniques can help you and your users stay informed and productive.
Quinsey, Peter. List Apart, A (2006). Design>Web Design>Usability>Ajax
#19364
User-Testing Techniques - Site Reviews
Accurately measuring reader-friendliness is a complex task for any Website. Usability testing techniques have been applied with some success to Web pages. But formal usability tests are difficult to set up, and very expensive to conduct (often prohibitively so). And the diversity of the audience of Internet sites probably limits the utility of formal usability testing of many Web pages. Happily, inspection-based usability evaluation is generally as effective as formal, experimental testing, and it is much easier (and less costly) to conduct. This series focuses on inspection-based usability assessment. A site review is basically an unstructured inspection by a third party, typically focusing on the site's usability and aesthetics. It's a difficult but worthwhile effort for serious-minded authors to seek out reviewers who are willing to invest the time to undertake a serious review of your site, offering constructive suggestions for improvement.
Sullivan, Terry. All Things Web (1996). Articles>Usability>Methods>Web Design
