Usability for websites

Recommended places to start:




testing, iterative design
Visit: Digital Web Magazine - Practical Usability Testing
Description: This Digital Web Magazine article covers usability testing. It provides a simple set of directions for setting up usability testing, and sound advice for people who want to perform iterative testing on their product.
advanced tips, expert questions
Read: Fast, Cheap, and Good Usability Methods
Description: This site is a venue for interested readers to see famous usability innovator Jakob Nielson’s most recent thoughts on the subject of usability. This article focuses on thoughts and questions that might occur to a usability expert.
general usability, expert advice, get usability help
Visit: Jakob Nielson's Usability Site
Description: Usability expert Jakob Nielson has hundreds of helpful articles on his website. Also an example of a highly usability web site--Nielson's site was built on the same usability principles the site champions.
usability testing examples, NASA, basic usability
Visit: NASA - Usability for NASA Web Sites
Description: The NASA usability website provides an introduction to usability. The site also has a series of templates to aid in the development of usability tests.
usability guidelines, design guidelines, U.S. government
Visit: Research-Based Web Design & Usability Guidelines
Description: Research-Based Web Design & Usability Guidelines from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
usability guidelines, U.S. government, online book
Buy: Research-Based Web Design & Usability Guidelines
Description: The Web Design and Usability Guidelines site is the online version of the book put forth by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Although available in print, the entirety of the book is accessible from this site in PDF format.
resources, introduction
Visit: Usability First
Description: Usability First provides information about the benefits of website usability. It has a compendium of resources about usability, including courses which describe different aspects of usability in detail. This site also elaborates on the various advantages that a “usable” website can enjoy.
usability guidelines, MIT
Visit: Usability Guidelines from MIT's IS&T
Description: Usability Guidelines from MIT's Information Services and Technology (IS&T) IT Department.
Usability news, tips and resources
Read: WebWord - Industrial Strength Usability
Description: John S. Rhodes’ blog has the latest in usability news. It has links to usability services, and an email newsletter for those users who don’t wish to continue checking back with the blog’s front page.