Usability Resources
Last updated on 27th July 2004.
Websites - Usability Guidelines
Research-based Web Design & Usability Guidelines
This site summarises over 50 of the top web design and usability guidelines based on emerging research and supporting information in the field.
Human Factors International Newsletters
A series of newsletters on usability research from Human Factors International.
Answers to common usability issues provided by the Software Usability Research Laboratory of the Wichita State University. Check out their A-Z Research Index.
Jakob Nielsen's regular usability column.
A good discussion forum. Check out their 2003 Usability Threads.
Books
Observing the User Experience: A Practitioner's Guide to User Research
by Mike Kuniavsky
Read Dey's Alexander review or the Boxes and Arrows review.
The Elements of User Experience
by Jesse James Garrett
Read a review.
Paper Prototyping: The Fast and Easy Way to Design and Refine User Interfaces
by Carolyn Snyder
Read a review. See also the companion website to the book.
Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability
by Steve Krug
Read a review.
Usability in NZ
The AUT Usability lab offers an independent environment for usability testing of both internal AUT and external computer system developments. The Lab works together with developers to formulate a usability strategy that meets the objectives and constraints of development. A range of tools, methods and techniques are drawn upon to provide accurate, detailed and precise observations, while achieving a fast turnaround in analysis. The team is highly motivated to continually refine and develop existing methods so that they work effectively in actual development environments and for emerging systems.
Waikato University Usability Lab
The Usability Laboratory is a professional full-service usability / user experience company providing complete and customised recommendations for companies since early 2001. Utilising a wide range of experiences and observations, user testing methodologies, and fantastic testing facilities to facilitate projects, we provide pragmatic results that make strong business sense to support your development initiatives, giving you the edge to excel in this changing world.
Human Interface Technology Laboratory New Zealand (HIT Lab NZ)
The Human Interface Technology Laboratory New Zealand (HIT Lab NZ) is a human-computer interface research centre hosted at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand. The lab is a partner of the world-leading HIT Lab US based at the University of Washington in Seattle.
Professional Organisations
The UPA supports those who promote and advance the development of usable products, reaching out to people who act as advocates for usability and the user experience.
ACM SIGCHI, the ACM's Special Interest Group on Computer-Human Interaction, brings together people working on the design, evaluation, implementation, and study of interactive computing systems for human use. ACM SIGCHI provides an international, interdisciplinary forum for the exchange of ideas about the field of human-computer interaction (HCI).
Asilomar Institute for Information Architecture
The Asilomar Institute for Information Architecture (AIfIA) serves to advance the design of shared information environments. We support a global community infrastructure that connects people, ideas, content, and tools. Through research, education, advocacy and community service, we promote excellence within our field and build bridges to related disciplines and organizations.