“The more we rely on our electronic devices, the more we are trusting them to be there when we need them and to safeguard our information and our privacy.” (Whitney Quesenbery – UXmatters)

“In the Web, users have a clear mental model for a hypertext link: it should bring up a new page. Within-page links violate this model and thus cause confusion.” (Jakob Nielsen – Alertbox)

“When working on business problems, users flitter among sites, alternating visits to different service genres. No single website defines the user experience on its own.” (Jakob Nielsen – Alertbox)

“The proliferation of usability labs is a sign of success for the field of user-centered design. Whether it’s a low-rent lab comprised of a couple adjacent conference rooms, a video camera, and a television, or a fully decked-out space with remote-control cameras, two-way mirrors, an observation room, and bowls of M&Ms — more and more companies are investing in such set-ups. Conducting user tests in labs is probably the most common means of getting user input on projects.” (Peter Merholz – Adaptive Path)

“Designing a product for the future is not a simple question of making two-way technology go faster, last longer, weigh less, or do more. It’s about understanding how devices tap into people’s lives, about how, when, and why we use technology in the ways we do. Design is a tool that helps to envisage our desires as consumers, our expectations as users, and our impulses as human beings. These deep emotional enablers are the ones that tell us how to bring together chips, screens, and microprocessors.” (B.J. Fogg et al. – O’Reilly Emerging Telephony Conference)

“People can get a strong impression of your website within one twentieth of a second, according to a new study. But it may not be a lasting impression.” (Gerry McGovern)

“Product search is the cornerstone of many Web applications. A user’s ability to select what he or she is looking for among millions of search results can make or break the user experience. A cluttered search-results page that is missing the essential filtering and sorting controls squanders customer loyalty and bankrupts sales revenue.” (Greg Nudelman – JavaWorld) – courtesy of webword

“This year, we saw increased use of multimedia, e-learning, internal blogs, and mobile access. Winning companies also encouraged consistent design by emphasizing training for content contributors.” (Jakob Nielsen – Alertbox)

“Engines extract too much of the Web’s value, leaving too little for the websites that actually create the content. Liberation from search dependency is a strategic imperative for both websites and software vendors.” (Jakob Nielsen – Alertbox)

“Remember, the more control users have over their experience, the happier they will be using your website.” (Brian Crescimanno – A List Apart)

“The Internet is growing at an annualized rate of 18% and now has one billion users. A second billion users will follow in the next ten years, bringing a dramatic change in worldwide usability needs.” (Jakob Nielsen – Alertbox)

“Judging from the email I receive, the most controversial statement I have made in my Alertbox columns so far was to make ‘the use of Ajax’ one of the mistakes in my list of top ten mistakes in Web design. For new or inexperienced Web designers, I stand by my original recommendation. Ajax: Just Say No. With respect to the use of ajax by highly skilled Web designers, I have changed my opinion somewhat: people who really know what they are doing can sometimes use Ajax to good effect, though even experienced designers are advised to use ajax as sparingly as possible. (…) This is a spoof article. Please compare it with the original and you will see how little it has been changed.” (Constructed by Chris McEvoy with apologies to Jakob Nielsen)

“Eyetracking data show that users are easily distracted when watching video on websites, especially when the video shows a talking head and is optimized for broadcast rather than online viewing.” (Jakob Nielsen – Alertbox)

“(…) a peer-reviewed, international, online publication dedicated to promote and enhance the practice, research, and education of usability engineering. Its aim is to provide usability practitioners and researchers with a forum to share: empirical findings, usability case studies (research case studies, not business case studies), opinions and experiences (regarding the practice and education of usability engineering), and reports of good practices in usability engineering.” (The Usability Professionals’ Association) – courtesy of markverderbeeken

“Usability goes beyond the level of individual users interacting with screens. It’s also a question of how easy or cumbersome it is for the entire organization to use a system.” – (Jakob Nielsen – Alertbox)

“There is a balance that needs to be struck between a website that is truly functional and one that is elegant and stylish.” – (Gerry McGovern)

“Consumers forever grumble about products and services making their life difficult, but there are some shining examples leading the way. As World Usability Day approaches, what are the best doing right?” (Max Gadney – BBC)

“Lack of personalization made an email newsletter completely useless to the recipient, damaging long-term customer relationship efforts.” (Jakob Nielsen – Alertbox)

“An analysis of intranet portals found slimmer information architectures and a renewed emphasis on fresh content and useful applications. Past findings, including those on role-based personalization, were confirmed” (Jakob Nielsen – Alertbox)

“Macintosh-style interaction design has reached its limits. A new paradigm, called results-oriented UI, might well be the way to empower users in the future.” (Jakob Nielsen – Alertbox)