Newsletters

*Issue Date*	*Topics Covered*
April 2008	Creating Usable Online Forms

*Issue Date*	*Topics Covered*
May 2007	Should All Links be Underlined? - Web page links are the primary means by which users navigate Web sites.
March 2007	Creating Usable Domain Names - Characteristics and strategies to help you create memorable and useful domain names.
January 2007	User Testing Aids Selection of Web Applications - In selecting a Web application, HHS knew ease of use would be important.

*Issue Date*	*Topics Covered*
December 2006	Web Site Credibility - How do you optimize the credibility of your Web sites?
November 2006	Breadcrumb Navigation - Do breadcrumbs improve user understanding and performance?
September 2006	Determining the Correct Number of Usability Test Participants - This article discusses a formula to estimate the number of participants needed.
August 2006	Reading Onscreen: The Effects of Line Length on Performance - How long should line lengths be to read on computer screens?
May 2006	Usability Labs: Portable Versus Fixed - The benefits of using a portable versus fixed lab.
April 2006	Navigation: Left is Best - Navigational structures that elicit the fastest performance.
March 2006	Getting the Complete Picture with Usability Testing - To succeed with usability testing, measure effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction.
February 2006	Consider as Many Design Alternatives as Possible: The Value of Parallel Design - Parallel design helps you to develop and evaluate different ideas before settling on a single approach.
January 2006	Usability Statements of Work - Four sample statements of work that you can use.

*Issue Date*	*Topics Covered*
December 2005	Recruiting User Testing Participants - There are four main steps to recruit participants for usability studies.
November 2005	Age-Related Research-Based Usability Guidelines - The effects of aging on a person's ability to interact with Web-based systems.
October 2005	Judging the Severity of Usability Issues on Web Sites: This Doesn't Work - Even highly experienced usability professionals disagree when ranking usability issues.
September 2005	Segmenting Your Audiences - You can use personas to define your audiences and their goals.
August 2005	Four Basic Activities to Reach Optimal Usability - What is the best research-based approach for designing usable and useful computer-based systems?
July 2005	The Value of Iterative Design - The more "test, make changes, retest" cycles, the better your system's usability will be.
June 2005	Paper Prototypes Work as Well as Software Prototypes - Is a high-fidelity prototype necessary to have a meaningful usability test?
March 2005	Users Are Not Good Designers - For a more accurate set of user requirements, have your users involved in the design and development of a new system.