Diary study research tips

A great introduction to diary studies; what they are, why you might want to use the approach and how to get the most out of them.

Listening skills for usability test moderators

David Travis provides 15 useful hints for anyone conducting a usability test.

Prioritising usability problems

A really useful resource for anyone conducting usability tests and getting overwhelmed by the list of findings. How do you decide what to fix and what to live with?

Tips for persona success

Jared Spool again shares insights from his research with design teams to highlight factors which support successful persona projects.

Data-driven decision making

A great article on website analytics - how to use them to best effect. For yourself and for your organisation.

Local government usability testing

I came across a blog the other day by the Camden Borough Council web team. Great to read about a group so committed to putting the user at the centre of a website overhaul. I suppose one positive from the ongoing rounds of cuts in the public sector - and we have to grasp these positives when they arise! - is an increased user focus in the field of web communication and service delivery.

Writing accessible link text

A quick reminder of why considered link text is important for accessibility, including some examples and a few tips to help you do a better job.

Link purpose: accessibility for web writers - article by 4syllables.com

More accessibility tips for web writers

Persuasive design - enhanced usability?

Persuasive design has been around for a long time, but usually associated with 'bad' things like fast food, gambling and so on. An interesting article targeted at usability professionals which argues that "...persuasive design should be your next skill set".

The cost of customer service

I've been supporting a review of email enquiry management, which made me think back to an article by Gerry McGovern about the relative cost of customer service. Digging deeper reveals some very interesting UK local government figures on the cost of managing transactions via a website, versus on the phone, versus in person.

Search analytics book - free chapter

Lou Rosenfold's new book, "Search Analytics for Your Site - Conversations with Your Customers" is due out in the next week or so. In the meantime there's a free chapter. I find the topic fascinating and Lou really knows his stuff.

Nielsen usability report free to University of Edinburgh staff

The Nielsen Norman group report "College Students on the Web" is available to University of Edinburgh staff on a site license.

Content strategy - the "how to" book

I've been reading (well, skimming to be fair) a new book - The Elements of Content Strategy by Erin Kissane. It's pitched as the "how" of content strategy to go with the "why" book by Kristina Halvorson that I've blogged about previously. If you struggle with too much website content and not enough focus, this short book is well worth a read.

International usability - Nielsen

Jakob Nielsen summarises his findings from usability testing across 3 continents.

Building websites for ROI - podcasts by Paul Boag

Paul Boag has published a series of podcasts in which he explores ways that your website can begin to pay for itself. It's a great series full of advice and real world examples (both off and online) which can help you focus your thinking on how and why you manage your website like you do.

Remote user testing sample script

I've written before about the usertesting.com service, which I've used and I like. Here's a scenario and example task script written to recruit participants to try out a shopping cart.

User experience stories

UX Storytellers is a collaborative project between a group of usability professionals. 30 or so have contributed experiences in UX (user experience) to a blog which has become a free e-book.

Intro to prototyping presentation - SUPA

I presented an introduction to prototyping at a meeting of the Scottish Usability Professionals Association in Edinburgh last night. Went pretty well I thought, with some good discussion and experience sharing afterwards as hoped. Here are the slides, with lots of links to resources I've blogged about in the past.

Eye tracking without eyes - worthless?

An interesting article looking at 'participant-free eye tracking' services. Conclusion here is that they seem to be pretty worthless.

Click analysis - Research group homepages

I recently ran a click analysis study across 10 research institute homepages in our Medical School. The study only collected data on visitors from outside the University network to exclude as many staff and current student clicks as possible. Unsurprisingly, user behaviour and priorities were the same regardless of the design employed.

Content strategist talks Higher Ed

Kristina Halvorson, author of Content Strategy for the Web, answers questions from higher education website managers.