The Homepage

The homepage is different from all other Web site pages. A well-constructed homepage will project a good first impression to all who visit the site.

It is important to ensure that the homepage has all of the features expected of a homepage and looks like a homepage to users. A homepage should clearly communicate the site's purpose, and show all major options available on the Web site. Generally, the majority of the homepage should be visible 'above the fold,' and should contain a limited amount of prose text. Designers should provide easy access to the homepage from every page in the site.


Enable Access to the Homepage:

• Enable users to access the homepage from any other page on the Web site.
• Many users return to the homepage to begin a new task or to start a task over again. Create an easy and obvious way for users to quickly return to the homepage of the Web site from any point in the site.
• Many sites place the organization's logo on the top of every page and link it to the homepage. While many users expect that a logo will be clickable, many other users will not realize that it is a link to the homepage. Therefore, include a link labeled ‘Home’ near the top of the page to help those users.

Show All Major Options on the Homepage:

• Present all major options on the homepage.
• Users should not be required to click down to the second or third level to discover the full breadth of options on a Web site. Be selective about what is placed on the homepage, and make sure the options and links presented there are the most important ones on the site.

Create a Positive First Impression of Your Site:

• Treat your homepage as the key to conveying the quality of your site.
• In terms of conveying quality, the homepage is probably the most important page on a Web site. One study found that when asked to find high quality Web sites, about half of the time participants looked only at the homepage. You will not get a second chance to make a good first impression on a user.

Communicate the Web Site’s Value and Purpose:

• Clearly and prominently communicate the purpose and value of the Web site on the homepage.
• Most people browsing or searching the Web will spend very little time on each site. Emphasize what the site offers that is of value to users, and how the site differs from key competitors. Many users waste time because they misunderstand the purpose of a Web site. In one study, most users expected that a site would show the results of research projects, not merely descriptions of project methodology.
• In some cases the purpose of a Web site is easily inferred. In other cases, it may need to be explicitly stated through the use of brief text or a tagline. Do not expect users to read a lot of text or to click into the Site to determine a Site’s purpose. Indicating what the Site offers that is of value to users, and how the Site differs from key competitors is important because most people will spend little time on each Site.

Limit Prose Text on the Homepage:

• Limit the amount of prose text on the homepage.
• The first action of most users is to scan the homepage for link titles and major headings. Requiring users to read large amounts of prose text can slow them considerably, or they may avoid reading it altogether.

Ensure the Homepage Looks like a Homepage:

• Ensure that the homepage has the necessary characteristics to be easily perceived as a homepage.
• It is important that pages 'lower' in a site are not confused with the homepage. Users have come to expect that certain actions are possible from the homepage. These actions include, among others, finding important links, accessing a site map or index, and conducting a search.

Limit Homepage Length:

• Limit the homepage to one screenful of information, if at all possible.
• Any element on the homepage that must immediately attract the attention of users should be placed 'above the fold.' Information that cannot be seen in the first screenful may be missed altogether-this can negatively impact the effectiveness of the Web site. If users conclude that what they see on the visible portion of the page is not of interest, they may not bother scrolling to see the rest of the page.
• Some users take a long time to scroll down 'below the fold,' indicating a reluctance to move from the first screenful to subsequent information. Older users and novices are more likely to miss information that is placed below the fold.

Announce Changes to a Web Site:

• Announce major changes to a Web site on the homepage-do not surprise users.
• Introducing users to a redesigned Web site can require some preparation of expectations. Users may not know what to do when they are suddenly confronted with a new look or navigation structure. Therefore, you should communicate any planned changes to users ahead of time. Following completion of changes, tell users exactly what has changed and when the changes were made. Assure users that all previously available information will continue to be on the site.
• It may also be helpful to users if you inform them of site changes at other relevant places on the Web site. For example, if shipping policies have changed, a notification of such on the order page should be provided.

Attend to Homepage Panel Width:

• Ensure that homepage panels are of a width that will cause them to be recognized as panels.
• The width of panels seems to be critical for helping users understand the overall layout of a Web site. In one study, users rarely selected the information in the left panel because they did not understand that it was intended to be a left panel. In a subsequent study, the panel was made narrower, which was more consistent with other left panels experienced by users. The newly designed left panel was used more.

Source:[usability.gov]

Accessibility

Web sites should be designed to ensure thateveryone, including users who have difficulty seeing, hearing, and making precise movements, can use them. Generally, this means ensuring that Web sites facilitate the use of common assistive technologies. All United States Federal Government Web sites must comply with the Section 508 Federal Accessibility Standards.

The sample of users who organized these guidelines assigned these two guidelines to other chapters.

Some of the major accessibility issues to be dealt with include:

• Provide text equivalents for non-text elements;
• Ensure that scripts allow accessibility;
• Provide frame titles;
• Enable users to skip repetitive navigation links;
• Ensure that plug-ins and applets meet the requirements for accessibility; and
• Synchronize all multimedia elements.

Where it is not possible to ensure that all pages of a site are accessible, designers should provide equivalent information to ensure that all users have equal access to all information.

For more information on Section 508 and accessibility, see www.section508.gov


Comply with Section 508 :

If a Web site is being designed for the United States government, ensure that it meets the requirements of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. Ideally, all Web sites should strive to be accessible and compliant with Section 508.

Section 508 requires Federal agencies to ensure that their procurement of information technology takes into account the needs of all users—including people with disabilities. About eight percent of the user population has a disability that may make the traditional use of a Web site very difficult or impossible. About four percent have vision-related disabilities, two percent have movement-related issues, one percent have hearing-related disabilities, and less than one percent have learning-related disabilities.

Compliance with Section 508 enables Federal employees with disabilities to have access to and use of information and data that is comparable to that provided to others. This also enhances the ability of members of the public with disabilities to access information or services from a Federal agency.

For additional information on Section 508 and accessibility:

• http://www.section508.gov
• http://www.w3.org/WAI/

Design Forms for Users Using Assistive Technologies:

• Ensure that users using assistive technology can complete and submit online forms.
• Much of the information collected through the Internet is collected using online forms. All users should be able to access forms and interact with field elements such as radio buttons and text boxes.

Do Not Use Color Alone to Convey Information:

• Ensure that all information conveyed with color is also available without color.
• Never use color as the only indicator for critical activities. About eight percent of males and about one-half of one percent of females have difficulty discriminating colors. Most users with color deficiencies have difficulty seeing colors in the green portion of the spectrum.

To accommodate color-deficient users, designers should:

1. Select color combinations that can be discriminated by users with color deficiencies;
2. Use tools to see what Web pages will look like when seen by color deficient users;
3. Ensure that the lightness contrast between foreground and background colors is high;
4. Increase the lightness contrast between colors on either end of the spectrum (e.g., blues and reds); and
5. Avoid combining light colors from either end of the spectrum with dark colors from the middle of the spectrum.

Enable Users to Skip Repetitive Navigation Links:

• To aid those using assistive technologies, provide a means for users to skip repetitive navigation links.
• Developers frequently place a series of routine navigational links at a standard location—usually across the top, bottom, or side of a page. For people using assistive devices, it can be a tedious and time-consuming task to wait for all of the repeated links to be read. Users should be able to avoid these links when they desire to do so.

Provide Text Equivalents for Non-Text Elements:

• Provide a text equivalent for every non-text element that conveys information.
• Text equivalents should be used for all non-text elements, including images, graphical representations of text (including symbols), image map regions, animations (e.g., animated GIFs), applets and programmatic objects, ASCII art, frames, scripts, images used as list bullets, spacers, graphical buttons, sounds, stand-alone audio files, audio tracks of video, and video.

Test Plug-Ins and Applets for Accessibility:

• To ensure accessibility, test any applets, plug-ins or other applications required to interpret page content to ensure that they can be used by assistive technologies.
• Applets, plug-ins and other software can create problems for people using assistive technologies, and should be thoroughly tested for accessibility.

Ensure that Scripts Allow Accessibility:

• When designing for accessibility, ensure that the information provided on pages that utilize scripting languages to display content or to create interface elements can be read by assistive technology.
• Whenever a script changes the content of a page, the change must be indicated in a way that can be detected and read by a screen reader. Also, if ’mouseovers’ are used, ensure that they can be activated using a keyboard.

Provide Equivalent Pages:

• Provide text-only pages with equivalent information and functionality if compliance with accessibility provisions cannot be accomplished in any other way.
• When no other solution is available, one option is to design, develop, and maintain a parallel Web site that does not contain any graphics. The pages, in such a Web site should be readily accessible, and facilitate the use of screen readers and other assistive devices.
• As a rule, ensure that text-only pages are updated as frequently and contain all of the same information as their non-text counterparts. Also inform users that text-only pages are exactly equivalent and as current as non-text counterparts.

Provide Client-Side Image Maps:

• To improve accessibility, provide client-side image maps instead of server-side image maps.
• Client-side image maps can be made fully accessible, whereas server-side image maps cannot be made accessible without employing a text alternative for each section of the map. To make client-side image maps accessible, each region within the map should be assigned alt text that can be read by a screen reader or other assistive device. Designers must ensure that redundant text links are provided for each active region of a server-side image map.

Synchronize Multimedia Elements:

• To ensure accessibility, provide equivalent alternatives for multimedia elements that are synchronized.
• For multimedia presentations (e.g., a movie or animation), synchronize captions or auditory descriptions of the visual track with the presentation.

Do Not Require Style Sheets:

• Organize documents so they are readable without requiring an associated style sheet.
• Style sheets are commonly used to control Web page layout and appearance. Style sheets should not hamper the ability of assistive devices to read and logically portray information.

Provide Frame Titles:

• To ensure accessibility, provide frame titles that facilitate frame identification and navigation.
• Frames are used to divide the browser screen into separate areas, with each area presenting different, but usually related, information. For example, a designer may use a frame to place navigational links in the left page, and put the main information in a larger frame on the right side. This allows users to scroll through the information section without disturbing the navigation section. Clear and concise frame titles enable people with disabilities to properly orient themselves when frames are used.

Avoid Screen Flicker:

• Design Web pages that do not cause the screen to flicker with a frequency greater than 2 Hz and lower than 55 Hz.
• Five percent of people with epilepsy are photosensitive, and may have seizures triggered by certain screen flicker frequencies. Most current monitors are unlikely to provoke seizures.

Source:[usability.gov]

Hardware and Software

Designers are rarely free to do whatever comes to mind. Just as designers consider their users' needs for specific information, they must also consider any constraints imposed on them by their users' hardware, software, and speed of connection to the Internet. Today, a single operating system (Microsoft's XP) dominates personal computer market. Similarly, only two Web site browsers are favored by the vast majority of users. More than ninety percent of users have their monitors set to 1024x768, 800x600 or 1280x1024 pixel resolution. And while most users at work have high-speed Internet access, many home users still connect using dial-up.

Within the constraints of available time, money, and resources, it is usually impossible to design for all users. Therefore, identify the hardware and software used by your primary and secondary audiences and design to maximize the effectiveness of your Web site.


Design for Common Browsers:

• Design, develop and test for the most common browsers.
• Designers should attempt to accommodate ninety-five percent of all users. Ensure that all testing of a Web site is done using the most popular browsers.

Sources of information about the most commonly used browsers:

• http://www.google.com/press/zeitgeist.html
• http://www.thecounter.com/stats/

Account for Browser Differences:

• Do not assume that all users will have the same browser features, and will have set the same defaults.
• Users with visual impairments tend to select larger fonts, and some users may turn off backgrounds, use fewer colors, or overrides font. The designer should find out what settings most users are using, and specify on the Web site exactly what assumptions were made about the browser settings.

Design for Popular Operating Systems:

• Design the Web site so it will work well with the most popular operating systems.
• Designers should attempt to accommodate ninety-five percent of all users. Ensure that all testing of a Web site is done using the most common operating systems.
• Currently, the most popular operating system is Microsoft’s Windows XP which has over 80 of the market share. The second is Windows 2000 (eight percent), then Windows 98 (five percent), and the Macintosh (three percent). Designers should consult one of the several sources that maintain current figures to help ensure that they are designing to accommodate as many users as possible.

Design for User's Typical Connection Speed:

• Design for the connection speed of most users.
• At work in the United States, at least eighty-nine percent of users have high speed access, while less than eleven percent are using fifty-six K (or slower) modems. At home, more than two-thirds of users have high speed access. These figures are continually changing.
• Designers should consult one of the several sources that maintain current figures.

Design for Commonly Used Screen Resolutions:

• Design for monitors with the screen resolution set at 1024x768 pixels.
• Designers should attempt to accommodate ninety-five percent of all users.
• As of June 2006, 56% of users have their screen resolution set at 1024x768. By designing for 1024x768, designers will accommodate this most common resolution, as well as those at any higher resolution. Ensure that all testing of Web sites is done using the most common screen resolutions.

Source:[usability.gov]

Optimizing the User Experience

Web sites should be designed to facilitate and encourage efficient and effective human-computer interactions. Designers should make every attempt to reduce the user's workload by taking advantage of the computer's capabilities. Users will make the best use of Web sites when information is displayed in a directly usable format and content organization is highly intuitive. Users also benefit from task sequences that are consistent with how they typically do their work, that do not require them to remember information for more than a few seconds, that have terminology that is readily understandable, and that do not overload them with information.

Users should not be required to wait for more than a few seconds for a page to load, and while waiting, users should be supplied with appropriate feedback. Users should be easily able to print information. Designers should never 'push' unsolicited windows or graphics to users.

• Do Not Display Unsolicited Windows or Graphics
• Increase Web Site Credibility
• Standardize Task Sequences
• Reduce the User's Workload
• Design for Working Memory Limitations
• Minimize Page Download Time
• Warn of 'Time Outs'
• Display Information in a Directly Usable Format
• Information for Reading and Printing
• Provide Feedback when Users Must Wait
• Inform Users of Long Download Times
• Develop Pages that Will Print Properly
• Do Not Require Users to Multitask While Reading
• Use Users' Terminology in Help Documentation
• Provide Printing Options
• Provide Assistance to Users

Do Not Display Unsolicited Windows or Graphics:

• Do not have unsolicited windows or graphics 'pop-up' to users.
• Users have commented that unsolicited windows or graphics that 'pop up' are annoying and distracting when they are focusing on completing their original activity.

Increase Web Site Credibility:

• Optimize the credibility of information-oriented Web sites.
• Based on the results of two large surveys, the most important Web site-related actions that organizations can do to help ensure high Web site credibility are to:

1. Provide a useful set of frequently asked questions (FAQ) and answers;
2. Ensure the Web site is arranged in a logical way;
3. Provide articles containing citations and references;
4. Show author’s credentials;
5. Ensure the site looks professionally designed;
6. Provide an archive of past content (where appropriate);
7. Ensure the site is as up-to-date as possible;
8. Provide links to outside sources and materials; and
9. Ensure the site is frequently linked to by other credible sites.

Standardize Task Sequences:

• Allow users to perform tasks in the same sequence and manner across similar conditions.
• Users learn certain sequences of behaviors and perform best when they can be reliably repeated. For example, users become accustomed to looking in either the left or right panels for additional information. Also, users become familiar with the steps in a search or checkout process.

Reduce the Users Workload:

• Allocate functions to take advantage of the inherent respective strengths of computers and users.
• Let the computer perform as many tasks as possible, so that users can concentrate on performing tasks that actually require human processing and input. Ensure that the activities performed by the human and the computer take full advantage of the strengths of each. For example, calculating body mass indexes, remembering user IDs, and mortgage payments are best performed by computers.

Design for Working Memory Limitations:

• Do not require users to remember information from place to place on a Web site.
• Users can remember relatively few items of information for a relatively short period of time. This 'working memory' capacity tends to lessen even more as people become older. One study compared the working memory performance of age groups 23-44 years and 61-68 years. The younger group performed reliably better than the older group.
• When users must remember information on one Web page for use on another page or another location on the same page, they can only remember about three or four items for a few seconds. If users must make comparisons, it is best to have the items being compared side-by-side so that users do not have to remember information-even for a short period of time.

Minimize Page Download Time:

• Minimize the time required to download a Web site’s pages.
• The best way to facilitate fast page loading is to minimize the number of bytes per page.

Warn of 'Time Outs':

• Let users know if a page is programmed to 'time out,' and warn users before time expires so they can request additional time.
• Some pages are designed to 'time out' automatically (usually because of security reasons). Pages that require users to use them within a fixed amount of time can present particular challenges to users who read or make entries slowly.

Display Information in a Directly Usable Format:

• Display data and information in a format that does not require conversion by
• the user.
• Present information to users in the most useful and usable format possible. Do not require users to convert or summarize information in order for it to be immediately useful. It is best to display data in a manner that is consistent with the standards and conventions most familiar to users.
• To accommodate a multinational Web audience, information should be provided in multiple formats (e.g., centigrade and Fahrenheit for temperatures) or the user should be allowed to select their preferred formats (e.g., the 12-hour clock for American audiences and the 24-hour clock for European audiences).
• Do not require users to convert, transpose, compute, interpolate, or translate displayed data into other units, or refer to documentation to determine the meaning of displayed data.

Information for Reading and Printing:

• Prepare information with the expectation that it will either be read online or printed.
• Documents should be prepared that are consistent with whether users can be expected to read the document online or printed. One study found that the major reason participants gave for deciding to read a document from print or to read it online was the size of the document. Long documents (over five pages) were printed, and short documents were read online. In addition, users preferred to print information that was related to research, presentations, or supporting a point. They favored reading it online if for entertainment.
• Users generally favored reading documents online because they could do it from anywhere at anytime with 24/7 access. Users were inclined to print (a) if the online document required too much scrolling, (b) if they needed to refer to the document at a later time, or (c) the complexity of the document required them to highlight and write comments.

Provide Feedback when Users Must Wait:

• Provide users with appropriate feedback while they are waiting.
• processing will take less than 10 seconds, use an hourglass to indicate status. If processing will take up to sixty seconds or longer, use a process indicator that shows progress toward completion. If computer processing will take over one minute, indicate this to the user and provide an auditory signal when the processing is complete.
• Users frequently become involved in other activities when they know they must wait for long periods of time for the computer to process information. Under these circumstances, completion of processing should be indicated by a non-disruptive sound (beep).

Inform Users of Long Download Times:

• Indicate to users the time required to download an image or document at a given connection speed.
• Providing the size and download time of large images or documents gives users sufficient information to choose whether or not they are willing to wait for the file to download. One study concluded that supplying users with download times relative to various connection speeds improves their Web site navigation performance.

Develop Pages that Will Print Properly:

• If users are likely to print one or more pages, develop pages with widths that print properly.
• It is possible to display pages that are too wide to print completely on standard 8.5 x 11 inch paper in portrait orientation. Ensure that margin to margin printing is possible.

Do Not Require Users to Multitask While Reading:

• If reading speed is important, do not require users to perform other tasks while reading from the monitor.
• Generally, users can read from a monitor as fast as they can from paper, unless they are required to perform other tasks that require human ’working memory’ resources while reading. For example, do not require users to look at the information on one page and remember it while reading the information on a second page. This can reliably slow their reading performance.

Use Users' Terminology in Help Documentation:

• When giving guidance about using a Web site, use the users' terminology to describe elements and features.
• There is varied understanding among users as to what many Web site features are called, and in some cases, how they are used. These features include 'breadcrumbs,' changing link colors after they've been clicked, the left and right panels on the homepage, the tabs at the top of many homepages, and the search capability. For example, if the term 'breadcrumb' is used in the help section, give enough context so that a user unfamiliar with that term can understand your guidance. If you refer to the 'navigation bar,' explain to what you are referring. Even if users know how to use an element, the terms they use to describe it may not be the same terms that a designer would use.

Provide Printing Options:

• Provide a link to a complete printable or downloadable document if there are Web pages, documents, resources, or files that users will want to print or save in one operation.
• Many users prefer to read text from a paper copy of a document. They find this to be more convenient, and it allows them to make notes on the paper. Users sometimes print pages because they do not trust the Web site to have pages for them at a later date, or they think they will not be able to find them again.

Provide Assistance to Users:

• Provide assistance for users who need additional help with the Web site.
• Users sometimes require special assistance. This is particularly important if the site was designed for inexperienced users or has many first time users. For example, in one Web site that was designed for repeat users, more than one-third of users (thirty-six percent) were first time visitors. A special link was prepared that allowed new users to access more information about the content of the site and described the best way to navigate the site.

Source:[usability.gov]

Design Process and Evaluation

There are several usability-related issues, Methods, and procedures that require careful consideration when designing and developing Web sites. The most important aspect should include 'up-front' issues such as setting clear and concise goals for a Web site, determining a correct and exhaustive set of user requirements, ensuring that the Web site meets user's expectations, setting usability goals, and providing useful content.

Some usability-related issues are:

• Provide Useful Content
• Establish User Requirements
• Understand and Meet User’s Expectations
• Involve Users in Establishing User Requirements
• Set and State Goals
• Focus on Performance Before Preference
• Consider Many User Interface Issues
• Be Easily Found in the Top 30
• Set Usability Goals
• Use Parallel Design
• Use Personas

To ensure the best possible outcome, designers should consider a full range of user-interface issues, and work to create a Web site that enables the best possible human performance. The current research suggests that the best way to begin the construction of a Web site is to have many different people propose design solutions, and then to follow up using an iterative design approach. This requires conducting the appropriate usability tests and using the findings to make changes to the Web site.


Provide Useful Content:

• Provide content that is engaging, relevant, and appropriate to the audience.
• Content is the information provided on a Web site. Do not waste resources providing easy access and good usability to the wrong content. One study found that content is the most critical element of a Web site. Other studies have reported that content is more important than navigation, visual design, functionality, and interactivity.

Establish User Requirements:

• Use all available resources to better understand users' requirements.
• The greater the number of exchanges of information with potential users, the better the developers' understanding of the users' requirements. The more information that can be exchanged between developers and users, the higher the probability of having a successful Web site. These could include customer support lines, customer surveys and interviews, bulletin boards, sales people, user groups, trade show experiences, focus groups, etc. Successful projects require at least four (and average five) different sources of information. Do not rely too heavily on user intermediaries.
• The information gathered from exchanges with users can be used to build 'use cases.' Use cases describe the things that users want and need the Web site to be able to do. In one study, when compared with traditional function-oriented analyses, use cases provided a specification that produced better user performance and higher user preferences.

Understand and Meet User's Expectations:

• Ensure that the Web site format meets user expectations, especially related to navigation, content, and organization.
• One study found that users define 'usability' as their perception of how consistent, efficient, productive, organized, easy to use, intuitive, and straightforward it is to accomplish tasks within a system. It is important for designers to develop an understanding of their users’ expectations through task analyses and other research. Users can have expectations based on their prior knowledge and past experience. One study found that users acted on their own expectations even when there were indications on the screen to counter those expectations.
• The use of familiar formatting and navigation schemes makes it easier for users to learn and remember the layout of a site. It’s best to assume that a certain percentage of users will not use a Web site frequently enough to learn to use it efficiently. Therefore, using familiar conventions works best.

Involve Users in Establishing User Requirements:

• Involve users to improve the completeness and accuracy of user requirements.
• One of the basic principles of user-centered design is the early and continual focus on users. For this reason, user involvement has become a widely accepted principle in the development of usable systems. Involving users has the most value when trying to improve the completeness and accuracy of user requirements. It is also useful in helping to avoid unused or little-used system features. User involvement may improve the level of user acceptance, although the research is not yet clear that it does in all cases. There is little or no research suggesting that user involvement leads to more effective and efficient use of the system. Finally, the research suggests that users are not good at helping make design decisions. To summarize, users are most valuable in helping designers know what a system should do, but not in helping designers determine how best to have the system do it.

Set and State Goals:

• Identify and clearly articulate the primary goals of the Web site before beginning the design process.
• Before starting design work, identify the primary goals of the Web site (educate, inform, entertain, sell, etc.). Goals determine the audience, content, function, and the site’s unique look and feel. It is also a good idea to communicate the goals to, and develop consensus for the site goals from, management and those working on the Web site.

Focus on Performance Before Preference:

• If user performance is important, make decisions about content, format, interaction, and navigation before deciding on colors and decorative graphics.
• Focus on achieving a high rate of user performance before dealing with aesthetics. Graphics issues tend to have little impact, if any, on users' success rates or speed of performance.

Consider Many User Interface Issues:

• Consider as many user interface issues as possible during the design process.
• Consider numerous usability-related issues during the creation of a Web site. These can include: the context within which users will be visiting a Web site; the experience levels of the users; the types of tasks users will perform on the site; the types of computer and connection speeds used when visiting the site; evaluation of prototypes; and the results of usability tests.

Be Easily Found in the Top 30:

• In order to have a high probability of being accessed, ensure that a Web site is in the 'top 30' references presented from a major search engine.
• One study showed that users usually do not look at Web sites that are not in the 'top 30.' Some of the features required to be in the 'top 30' include appropriate meta-content and page titles, the number of links to the Web site, as well as updated registration with the major search engines.
  
  

Set Usability Goals:

• Set performance goals that include success rates and the time it takes users to find specific information, or preference goals that address satisfaction and acceptance by users.
• Setting user performance and/or preference goals helps developers build better Web sites. It can also help make usability testing more effective. For example, some intranet Web sites have set the goal that information will be found eighty percent of the time and in less than one minute.

Use Parallel Design:

• Have several developers independently propose designs and use the best elements from each design.
• Do not have individuals make design decisions by themselves or rely on the ideas of a single designer. Most designers tend to adopt a strategy that focuses on initial, satisfactory, but less than optimal, solutions. Group discussions of design issues (brainstorming) do not lead to the best solutions.
• The best approach is parallel design, where designers independently evaluate the design issues and propose solutions. Attempt to ‘saturate the design space’ before selecting the ideal solution. The more varied and independent the ideas that are considered, the better the final product will be.

Use Personas:

• Use personas to keep the design team focused on the same types of users.
• Personas are hypothetical ’stand-ins’ for actual users that drive the decision making for interfaces. They are not real people, but they represent real people. They are not ’made up,’ but are discovered as a by-product of an investigative process with rigor and precision. Interfaces should be constructed to satisfy the needs and goals of personas.
• Some usability specialists feel that designers will have far more success designing an interface that meets the goals of one specific person, instead of trying to design for the various needs of many. The design team should develop a believable persona so that everybody will accept the person. It is usually best to detail two or three technical skills to give an idea of computer competency, and to include one or two fictional details about the persona’s life. Even though a few observational studies have been reported, there are no research studies that clearly demonstrate improved Web site success when personas are used.
• Keep the number of personas for each Web site relatively small - use three to five. For each persona include at least a first name, age, photo, relevant personal information, and work and computer proficiency.

Source:[usability.gov]