UI Design Newsletter
A great source for tips on user-centered web design is the UI Design Newsletter. Produced as an electronic mailing list by Human Factors International, it’s a monthly column about research into human factors issues associated with the web. Usually, a recent research study is detailed and the results are summarized. At the end of the issue, the “Pragmatic Ergonomist” gives a quick take on what it all means and what to do about it on your own site.
In the latest issue, Dr. Kath Straub ponders the question of which of the two pillars of navigation, structure or labels, is most important in helping web users find what they’re looking for.
These two parameters — structure and labels — are asserted to be as independent and complimentary. Neither is individually sufficient to trigger that 80% usability threshold. You have to get both right.
But when the study is complete, which turns out to be more important? You might be surprised.
If you’re at all interested in making your web site more usable by mere humans (and you should be!), you or your web designer will want to subscribe to the e-mail list or visit the web site to browse past issues. Sadly, there doesn’t seem to be an RSS feed yet. Maybe that’s one usability trick they still haven’t researched. 