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Frequently Asked Questions about User Validation:
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Are there any special tools for evaluating web design ?(a1)
Can you recommend sites that are compiling user feedback data about Web Usability issurs from various studies ? (a2)
Where can I find information concerning the evaluation of HTML editors from a users point of view ? (a3)
Are there any special tools for evaluating web design ?
In general, the user-based evaluation of websites is not much different from the evaluation of interactive multi-media software products, once issues to do with line speed and platform differences have been taken into consideration.
There are many web counters, web tracking and web analysis tools available, ranging from public domain to commercial availability at expensive prices. They claim to measure the behaviour of website visitors and to calculate visitors' profiles. However, it is impossible to derive the intentions of real users from these logging data.
A measure of web site quality as perceived by web site visitors is the WAMMI questionnaire.
An innovative analytic method for the evaluation of web sites has been developed by ACit. WebAnalyse (formerly called WebSet) has been continuously improved and adapted to new Web technology. The WebAnalyse Tool Kit is not available on the market. For an analytic analysis of your web site contact ACit.
The GVU's WWW User Surveys (Pitkow & Kenoe) provide some user feedback data, however most of the information is dealing with demographic and behavioral issues rather than interface or information-gathering preferences of real users. Lots of information bits are available containing statements such as "...users perform better and have higher subjective satisfaction when they can view and control the search". However, so far there is no single document or site that tries to collect and compile these findings.
Where can I find information concerning the evaluation of HTML editors from a users point of view ?
Usability in the non-specialist, 'general public' meaning is a feature of most reviews (see computer magazines) but only in a very superficial sense. The biggest problem with HTML editors is not the usability of the interface. HTML is, after all, fairly simple to master and most editors follow a word processor layout. It's the quality of the output which is causing most people such trouble: the most widely available HTML editors end up creating HTML code which their competitors cannot use, and which in some cases is not even properly formed HTML! There is some hope that the forthcoming XML 'meta-standard' will put paid to a lot of this nonsense.