Don't Make Me Think, Revisited: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability (Voices That Matter)

FACT OF LIFE #1: We don’t read pages. We scan them.

If you have more than a sketch to show them, though, start by making a list of the tasks people need to be able to do with whatever you’re testing. For instance, if you’re testing a prototype of a login process, the tasks might be Create an account Log in using an existing username and password Retrieve a forgotten password Retrieve a forgotten use

CLARITY TRUMPS CONSISTENCY If you can make something significantly clearer by making it slightly inconsistent, choose in favor of clarity.

Site hierarchy.

The name of the page will match the words I clicked to get there. In other words, if I click on a link or button that says “Hot mashed potatoes,” the site will take me to a page named “Hot mashed potatoes.” It may seem trivial, but it’s actually a crucial agreement.

Good taglines are clear and informative and explain exactly what your site or your organization does.

FOCUS RUTHLESSLY ON FIXING THE MOST SERIOUS PROBLEMS FIRST

“What are you thinking?” (For variety, you can also say things like “What are you looking at?” and “What are you doing now?”)

Repeat after me: Focus groups are not usability tests.