"Web Site Usability Resources"
By Tim Houghton
Introduction
------------
"To be usable, an interface must let the people who use the product,
working in their own physical, social, and cultural environments,
accomplish their goals and tasks effectively and efficiently" - Tom
Farrell.
Web site usability is the practice of creating web sites that are easy
to use. Often also termed user-centric design. It sounds obvious but
in fact it has taken 'usability' several years to climb steadily but
inexorably up the agendas of those who commission, design and maintain
web sites.
This article does not attempt to offer usability tips, or advise on
how to run usability tests; instead it provides links to information
for those interested in this topic whether they are researchers,
designers or web site owners. It is pitched at an elementary level and
so will probably be most useful to those who are new to the subject.
Where to Start?
---------------
OK, so where to start? Well ironically, switching off your screen and
curling up with a good book may be the best way forward. Whilst the
web is a wonderful resource for digging up information and linking
disparate sources, it is often not the best medium for the development
of a linear argument and the understanding of basic principles.
My suggestions for introductory texts are:
Jakob Nielsen - 'Designing Web Usability: The Practice of Simplicity'.
This book came out in 2000 and in total has now sold over 250,000
copies. Jakob is probably the best known usability guru and whilst
there may be parts of his advice with which you may strongly disagree
(are splash screens really always bad?) the book is an excellent
introduction that has stood the test of time. For a useful precis of
the book's main points see this Web Reference article which came out
in 2000
.
In a slightly lighter vain, 'Don't Make Me Think!' by Steve Krug is a
useful book that entertains whilst it informs. Again it sets out
principles for usability rather than going too deeply into the How
To's of HTML coding.
'The Art and Science of Web Design' by Jeffrey Veen adopts a more
creative/design driven approach to the issue of usability (he used to
run HotWired.com) providing a counterpoint to the more
engineering/science driven approach adopted by Jakob. The tension
between art and science, or form and function is one that runs through
much of the usability debate.
Usability News
--------------
Having understood the fundamentals of building user-centric web sites
you can then keep up with the latest issues via some or all of the
following:
Usability News Does what the URL says!
Well written articles plus events and jobs from a UK based team. There
is an e-mail newsletter also.
Useit.com Jakob Nielsen's personal site which
contains links to other articles he has written plus his bi-weekly
'Alertbox' column. You'll notice several other sites in this article
are in a very similar style to this one as this is effectively his
'template'.
FrontEnd Infocentre
A good selection
of articles maintained by the interface design specialists FrontEnd.
Tomalak's Realm Looks very like Useit.com.
It contains summaries and links to articles concerning strategic web
design issues, many of which address site usability.
Bohmann Usability Collection of articles
(mostly) about usability from Kristoffer Bohmann, a Danish consultant.
Some are rather short but he's not a fence sitter so they can be
stimulating.
UsableWeb A usability portal rather than a news
site. It hasn't been updated much in 2002 but there are still an awful
lot of good links on here. It covers 'information architecture' also,
a close relation (some would say a sub-set) of usability.
DIY Usability and HTML Standards
--------------------------------
Having cracked the jargon and got up to speed on what's happening in
the industry you may feel its time to start improving your own site.
The best way to do so is to use actual usability testing. In other
words observe users interacting with your site and then incorporate
their feedback into your design. However, this can be expensive and
difficult for the inexperienced. A cheaper way is to evaluate the site
yourself against a set of principles (culled from the sources above)
and to test the HTML code against recognised standards.
HTML standards are an important branch of usability as they try to
ensure consistency across the web. Just think of trying to drive a car
with the accelerator and the brake transposed. The most important
standards are probably those developed by the WorldWideWeb Consortium
(founded by Tim Berners-Lee in 1994).
You may also see references to Section 508 standards. This is a US law
that requires all United States Federal Agencies with websites to make
them accessible to individuals with disabilities. Many US corporations
have also applied them to at least part of their sites. There is also
a strong ethical argument for not closing off sites to those with
disabilities.
Tools to test HTML code are widely available on the web, they include:
W3Schools A free
HTML validator, it checks compliance with W3C standards.
Web Tools These tools
have been around for a while but there are a series of useful
downloadable applications.
Usablenet Submit a URL and test up to 5
pages of your site free. The software automates some of the more
technical aspects of usability, for example checking HTML code
complies with W3C standards.
Bobby Another page checking utility.
Net Raker Slightly different from the above
in that the site provides online tools to support human usability
testing, for example facilitating user feedback, (a sort of virtual
usability lab).
Yale Web Style Guide
A site from Yale University that offers detailed 'How To' guides to
implementing easy to use web sites.
Get External Help
-----------------
For those with larger sites and greater resources it may be worth
bringing in an external professional. Two big names in this niche are:
Nielsen Norman Group Its three principles
Bruce Tognazzini, Don Norman and Jakob Nielsen are all noted speakers
in the field.
Adaptive Path Jeffrey Veen's consulting
arm.
For those looking for less well known firms or individuals the
following professional bodies may also be useful.
Usability Professionals Association , the US/
global site for the association. It includes a consultant directory.
UPA UK , its
UK arm.
Events & Education
------------------
To deepen your understanding of the subject there are a growing number
of conferences and seminars and it is achieving greater prominence
within web design courses. Links to event listings include:
Tomalak's Realm US plus a few
international events here.
Usability News UK, US
and European events.
British Human Computer Interaction (HCI) Group
UK events are listed on the right of the
home page.
Usability Professionals' Association
Diary of events for the UK chapter of the UPA.
Anti-Usability
--------------
There is a section of the web design community that hates usability
professionals. They feel that they prescribe too many rules leading to
dull and uncreative sites (we're back to form versus function again).
Here are three links that put the other side of the case in polemical
fashion.
Finally, maybe the easiest way to learn how to create highly usable
web sites is to look at ones that aren't!
Web Pages That Suck Just
hope your own site never makes it into the hall of fame.
I hope the above links make for stimulating clicking and a lively
follow-up in the Free Pint Bar.
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Tim Houghton is a director of Parallel54; a research firm that
specialises in monitoring web site content and enhancing web site
usability. He has been an avid, though sometimes frustrated web user
since 1995. Tim is also currently developing educational material for
a taught module on web usability.
