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

Highlight key terms. Much page scanning consists of looking for key words and phrases.

Use bulleted lists. Think of it this way: Almost anything that can be a bulleted list probably should be.

When I enter a new site, after a quick look around the Home page I should be able to say with confidence: Here’s where to start if I want to search. Here’s where to start if I want to browse. Here’s where to start if I want to sample their best stuff.

In general, I think it’s safe to say that users don’t mind a lot of clicks as long as each click is painless and they have continued confidence that they’re on the right track—following what’s often called the “scent of information.

If you’re doing Agile development, you’ll be doing testing more frequently, but the principles are still the same. For instance, you might be testing with two users every two weeks. Creating a fixed schedule and sticking to it is what’s important.

Typical participant incentives for a one-hour test session range from $50 to $100 for “average” Web users to several hundred dollars for busy, highly paid professionals,

Site hierarchy.

Search.

Teases.