Forrester (free reg. required): Web Sites Continue To Fail The Usability Test

Forrester Research reviewed some 300 sites according to a methodology they have for evaluating web site design. Looking at 25 criteria with a possible high score of 2 and a low of -2 (thereby, the highest possible score is 50 and the lowest is -50), on average the sites score -1.5. Retail sites scored highest with a mere 3.1 average. It's quite a detailed analysis (including several charts) that is free with registration. Generally, the analysis faults designers for not anticipating what tasks users have when they come to the site. Search functions in particular are the biggest problem, the research concluded. Here are the top three points of advice Forrester offers:

1. Prioritize users over designers. [Amen!]

2. Make it easy to start scenarios on the home page.
3. Fix search. [Amen again; I often point Google at a particular site because their own search is so hopeless.]