Designing Highly Useable Software

Below are some excellent websites:

• HCI Index (http://degraaff.org/hci/) This site is essentially a portal to many websites dealing with usability. (HCI stands for Human-Computer Interaction, although this site is not a part of the HCI special interest group of the ACM.) If you’re going to bookmark only one website, make it this one.

• useit.com (http://www.useit.com/) The official site of Jakob Nielsen, one of the great gurus in the usability world, this site is simple, almost entirely text, and absolutely filled with useful information. In addition, the site includes Dr. Nielsen’s famous “Alertbox” column.

• Don Norman’s jnd website (http://www.jnd.org/) Don Norman, another great guru in the usability world (and business partner with Jakob Nielsen and Tog), wrote one of the great classic books in usability called The Design of Everyday Things, as well as several other books. His official website includes his own reviews of other books, recommended readings, and a huge list of his own essays that you can read online.

• AskTog (http://www.asktog.com/tog.html) The official site of Bruce Tognazzini, aka “Tog,” includes tons of his columns. He’s also a business partner of Jakob Nielsen and Don Norman, and he enjoys a good bit of fame within the usability circles. Oh yes, you can write to him through his site and ask him a question (although he recently quit answering questions, he says he may start back up any time).

• The Nielsen Norman Group (http://www.nngroup.com/) I suppose if I’m going to mention Jakob Nielsen, Don Norman, and Tog individually, it would be wrong to leave out their consulting firm, the Nielsen Norman Group.

• Usability.gov (http://usability.gov/) Yes, even the U.S. government has a usability group. (Interestingly, it’s under the National Cancer Institute, but it’s about usability.) This site is packed with information, and I won’t even begin to try to describe it all. Just go check it out.

• Usability.gov U-Group Listserv (http://usability.gov/pubs/u_group_listserv.html) This is the discussion group that accompanies the usability.gov site

• Microsoft Usability (http://www.microsoft.com/usability/) Microsoft includes its own usability group, which has its own website.

• Usability First (http://www.usabilityfirst.com) This is the usability website for a private company called diamondbullet.com, which is a consulting firm for usability. The website includes many good links and a list of good books in the usability field.

• European Union Usability Net (http://www.usabilitynet.org) The site for Usability Net, which is funded by the European Union, includes many links to other sites.