UX & Usability – Tools & Resources
The other day I had a co-worker ping me and ask me for a link to the Usability bible of guidelines. Hmmm, well there really isn’t one, because there are many resources for following standards depending on what you are creating or what platform you are developing on. This co-worker was looking for backup, how are clients supposed to believe what we are saying is true when they feel so strongly about an opposing idea? In light of the conversation, I thought I would put together a list of resource that I use and trust.
- Usability.gov has a great set of tools, guidelines, plans, and information about defining usability, implementing it, templates, and guidelines
- Human Factors International is my favorite site for how to grow a successful UX practice, the latest tips and tools, and current research.
- UX Magazine provides a mixture of research topics as well as helpful insights on how to be a better UX Designer.
- UX Design from A-Z manual
- 70 UX Research Papers on various topics from both independent and collaborative research.
- The Journal of Usability Studies is always posting new content.
- The UXPA, is very helpful for those of us that are UX professionals, but there are also good definitions to help the rest of the world understand what the heck we are talking about!
- Nielsen is probably one of the most well-known names in the usability and UX space, articles from the Nielson Normal group get regularly posted on their site UseIt.
- The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) may not sound very um….innovative, computer machinery?! However they do have an awesome digital library of full text articles.
- Section 508 requires all federal information to be accessible to those with disabilities, and WhoIsHostingThis?.com has put together this simple guide about the requirements.
- The Appnovations ebook “10 Principles to Ensure a Great User Experience on Your Website” presents concepts for users that are looking for more information on providing a positive user experience.
- Another great resource is following the writings of UX, Usability, and Interaction Design professors. They often publish their work online.
The resource list is definitely a mix of what is it, how do I do it, and how do I prove it. I hope this is helpful on your Usability and UX journey. If there are any specific questions or topics that you’re looking for, send me a note! I would also love to hear about your favorite resources you use when fighting the usability/UX battle!
