“Computing the net present value (NPV) lets you estimate the most profitable level of usability investment. For big projects, expensive usability can pay off.” (Jakob Nielsen – Alertbox)

“Applications can give users access to a richer feature set by using the same few commands to achieve many related functions.” (Jakob Nielsen – Alertbox)

The (unofficial) blog that Jakob Nielsen might have written if he actually had a blog (which he hasn’t) – “Some have criticised Jakob Nielsen for having an ugly site and people have wondered if useit.com would benefit from a design makeover. Well I have got tired of waiting for Jakob to start a blog version of useit.com so I decided to build it myself.” (Chris McEvoy)

“Server log files are inappropriate for gathering usability data. They are meant to provide server administrators with data about the behavior of the server, not the behavior of the user.” (Karl Groves – Boxes and Arrows)

“Testing 5-10 users at once lets you conduct large-scale usability testing and still meet your deadlines.” (Jakob Nielsen – Alertbox)

“Measured usability improved by 44% compared to our last large-scale intranet study. The new research identified 5 times the previous number of intranet design guidelines.” (Jakob Nielsen – Alertbox)

“Introductory text on Web pages is usually too long, so users skip it. But short intros can increase usability by explaining the remaining content’s purpose.” (Jakob Nielsen – Alertbox)

“YouTube has been the Internet success story of 2006. However, when subjected to conventional usability evaluation it appears to fail miserably. With this and other social Web services, the purpose of the user is fun, uncertainty, engagement and self-expression. Web2.0 has turned the passive ‘user’ into an active producer of content and shaper of the ultimate user experience. This more playful, more participative, often joyful use of technology appears to conflict with conventional usability, but we argue that a deeper ‘usability’ emerges that respects the user’s purposes whether acting as homo ludens.” (Paula Alexandra Silva & Alan Dix – People and Computers XXI)

“13 design guidelines for tab controls are all followed by Yahoo Finance, but usability suffers somewhat due to AJAX overkill and difficult customization.” (Jakob Nielsen – Alertbox)

“Users rarely look at display advertisements on websites. Of the four design elements that do attract a few ad fixations, one is unethical and reduces the value of advertising networks.” (Jakob Nielsen – Alertbox)

“Interaction techniques that deviate from common GUI standards can create usability catastrophes that make applications impossible to use.” (Jakob Nielsen – Alertbox)

“To demonstrate world-class expertise, avoid quickly written, shallow postings. Instead, invest your time in thorough, value-added content that attracts paying customers.” (Jakob Nielsen – Alertbox)

“Having a specialized usability person is best, but smaller design teams can still benefit when designers do their own user testing and other usability work.” (Jakob Nielsen – Alertbox)

“A remarkable 80% of findings from the Web usability studies in the 1990s continue to hold today.” (Jakob Nielsen – Alertbox)

“My concern is that by embracing new ideas, we will limit our view of our early days as being restricted in scope and naïve in conception. Before that happens, or perhaps, to prevent it, I would like to describe my personal version of our beginnings as a profession and argue that we should be celebrating them, not disparaging them even as we see their limits.” (Joe Dumas – UPA Journal of Usability Studies)

“Having a good designer doesn’t eliminate the need for a systematic usability process. Risk reduction and quality improvement both require user testing and other usability methods.” (Jakob Nielsen – Alertbox)

“(…) research showing that users make quick judgments on very little information and how this affects the design of the online experience.” (HFI UI Design Newsletter)

“Application commands can be presented as buttons or as links, which offer more room for explanation. For primary commands, however, buttons are still best.” (Jakob Nielsen – Alertbox)

“You get the same insights regardless of where you conduct user testing, so there’s no reason to test in multiple cities. When a city is dominated by your own industry, however, you should definitely test elsewhere.” (Jakob Nielsen – Alertbox)

“It’s better to use ’23’ than ‘twenty-three’ to catch users’ eyes when they scan Web pages for facts, according to eyetracking data.” (Jakob Nielsen – Alertbox)