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Usability.gov - Your guide for developing usable & useful Web sites

Usability Basics


What is usability?

  • What is usability?
  • What does usability measure?
  • How is usability defined?


Why is usability important?

  • Why should I be interested?
  • Is there data to support usability?

What is user-centered design?

  • What is user-centered design?
  • Why is user-centered design important?
  • How do I create a user-centric Web site?
  • What steps are involved in the process?

How does user-centered design differ from usability testing?

  • What is user-centered design?
  • Where does usability testing fit?

When should I include usability in my project?

  • When should I start thinking about usability?
  • What are the benefits of including usability early?
  • How do I include usability?

How can I get people in my organization to conduct usability?

  • What data can I use to convince my team?
  • What activities can I suggest?

Can usability be measured?

  • Can usability be measured?
  • What can I measure?
  • What data should I collect?
  • How should I use the data?
  • Examples of other government agencies' success

How can I show that usability engineering saves money?

  • What are the benefits of a usable system?
  • Is there data to support these claims?
  • How can I show that usability testing saves money?
  • What is the return on investment (ROI)?

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