Remote testing webinar

Jeff Sauro presents his approach to remote user testing, combining tracking and recording tools to great effect. The webinar includes a case study which is a great way to illustrate his approach.

The high cost of website user task failure

A nice piece in which Jeff Sauro recounts a study he conducted with users of 59 websites, and quantifies the high cost to the business when users fail in their tasks on a website.

Content strategy quick intro

A short and well referenced piece that outlines what content strategy is, including a very helpful diagram illustrating the relationships between the various disciplines of website development.

Content strategist talks responsive design in higher ed

Sara Wachter-Boettcher in conversation on the College Web Editor website, talking about topics her forthcoming book Content Everywhere, and the challenges facing the HE community.

Customer experience competitive advantage

A great (short) paper which is free to download from UK usability company Foolproof which is making the business case for customer experience management.

Higher Ed infographic examples

A good infographic is immediate and accessible and has a message. Sometimes a relatively complex one. This article presents a range of examples from US colleges - some better than others but all worthy of a look to inspire you one way or another.

Customer engagement myths

While I don't think many in HE really 'get' social media yet - it's still just another way to push stuff out rather than engage - this short article has a few challenges that made me think about why we should be engaging via these newer channels.

Using personas for better websites

An interesting article on personas which takes them in a direction which was new to me. The piece also reflects on a designer's experience of trying the technique out.

Getting started - Undercover UX design

I'm reading a very enjoyable book right now - Undercover User Experience Design by Ceynnydd Bowles and James Box. A great quote from it - something I do, but I always enjoy coming across someone expressing something so much better that I can...

Retune don't redesign your site

Lou Rosenfeld outlines how you can improve your website and keep improving it. It doesn't involve new technology or a new design. It involves your users and your business requirements. And it's wonderfully simple.

Choosing the right web metrics

Gerry McGovern writes about measuring online performance. He says - "Just because something is easy to measure doesn't mean we should measure it."

Customer experience infographic

An interesting diagram full of stats, propositions and comparisons which should supply plenty of food for thought.

Nielsen mobile recommendations provoke design community rage

Usability expert Jakob Nielsen recently wrote an article summarising his recommendations for mobile website, which prompted quite a degree of anger in the design community. So much so that he responded to some of the feedback via an interview in .net magazine.

Justifying usability research

A great article which provides stock answers you can use when challenged about how or why you're conducting testing.

Title tag guidelines

Web page titles are so easily overlooked at times, when they are fundamental to both usability and search engine performance.

Colour blind views of websites

A great website dedicated to highlighting the experiences of colour blind people. There are good and bad examples, as well as a simulator.

Good and bad examples at We Are Color Blind

Usability, UX & UI guidelines

A couple of articles that pull together a range of guidelines - from big companies and from governments.

Axure mistakes to avoid

Axure's a great tool for prototyping, communicating and testing potential user experiences. Here, Webcredible's Alexander Baxevanis highlights 5 beginners' mistakes. 5 mistakes people make using Axure

Why customer experience matters

A couple of articles that go through why your customer experience should be at the top of your agenda. 'Customer experience' is an increasingly popular term these days, but you could just as easily say 'target audience experience' or 'student experience'.

Accessibility guidelines - SUPA Edinburgh session

The next session run by the Scottish Usability Professionals Association will be on developing web accessibility guidelines and a web accessibility culture.