Addresses the issue of reading text on the web. The article states people actually scan the web page, picking out words and sentences, hence recommends that scanable text should be used when creating web pages.

From Adobe, an overview of color theory: the nature of color and the factors that determine how we perceive it. This is a bit techie for many of us, but informative if you really want to "get under the hood" to understand color perception.

Two informative articles by Jacob Nielson about people's expectations about the speed of page downloads.

This site provides useful information concerning wording, color, layout, and accessibility. Within each page, you can access many sub-topics of interest.

Understanding Disability Issues When Designing Web Sites

This IBM site topically addresses the need to design web sites that are accessible to people with disabilities. Lists and describes the four main categories of disabilities.

An easy starting point for learning how to design a site so that its contents are accessible by persons with disabilities.

A Web-based tool that analyzes Web pages for their accessibility to people with disabilities.

Tips to Making Accessible Web Sites

Quick tips for making web content accessible to visitors with disabilities, condensed from the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 by the W3C's Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI).

IBM Accessibility Center

Provides a checklist for accessible web applications. The viewer can select from fifteen different topic areas to receive detailed information and "how to" steps for creating accessible web sites.

What is Usability?

Learn what "usability" is and why it's so important in web design.

This article provides a nice straightforward four-step process to user test a web site.

A short article that describes the merit of usability testing and prescribes a brief test process.

According to research, usability testing can be effective with as few as 5 users. This article describes why.

The Browser-Safe Palette contains the 216 colors that are consistently displayed by Macs and PCs.

Most students have high-speed Internet access from the campus network and speed isn't a big concern. But do you expect off-campus visitors to your site who will be using modems? Here's how to design sites for the most efficient download times.

A set of fundamental principles for designing the best web sites.

This is the web version of the book Web Style Guide: Basic Design Principles for Creating Web Sites by Patrick Lynch & Sarah Horton. ...an excellent resource for anyone who designs webs, whether novice or expert!

A compendium of information about web design training, books, videos & tips from Lynda Weinman, a well-respected web designer and trainer.

Displays the web access symbol in various gif sizes. The images can be copied for free without permission and used for web sites or other purposes.

A big list with a wealth of usability design and development resources.

An excellent reading list complied by Gary Perlman ... lists a wealth of resources about human computer interaction (HCI), user interface (UI) development, and human factors (HF).