6 design & usability guidelines

Some core principles summed up in 6 guidelines; Pamela Vaughan's article is well worth a review.

Comparing usability testing methods

Jeff Sauro provides a comparison of different ways to approach usability testing - in person, remote moderated and remote unmoderated.

Shared understanding through collaboration

Everyone on the same wavelength is probably one of the biggest factors in a successful project. Working together on activities is a great way to get common consensus and shared vision. In this article Jared Spool discusses a few ways in which you can do this.

BBC - 15 website principles

I wish I could express myself as well as the 15 points laid out here. They were developed in 2007 as part of the BBC 2.0 project and still stand good today.

Link writing tips - McGovern

A witty and engaging take on link writing advice from Gerry McGovern. Worth two minutes of your time to re-enforce a few points.

McGovern challenges audience navigation

An interesting piece from content management specialist Gerry McGovern who suggests that audience-driven navigation often isn't the best approach.

Remote user testing tips

An excellent introduction to using remote unmoderated user testing services like usertesting.com. If you've never tried and are considering giving it a whirl, read this first.

Planning user research

An excellent set of questions to run through with your colleagues or clients (or just in your own head) before beginning the process of planning user research.

Personas: beware creative writing

Jared Spool discusses the dangers involved in creating personas with little or no user engagement. There comes a point where the persona creation exercise is simply a process of creative writing and therefore virtually useless.

Eyetracking with a webcam

The author of an upcoming book on eyetracking blogs their experience of trying out an eyetracking service that uses nothing more than a webcam.