A journey into Web usability: what an information architect learned on his summer vacation

Abstract

At Argus Associates (http:Pargus-inc.com) we use various tools and techniques to learn about the goals and scope of a Web site and the information needs of the various audiences. Although our designs have been well-received by our clients, I've always felt a little uncomfortable knowing that we didn't formally incorporate real-world users into our design process, nor did we test our designs formally with users. We practiced art but didn't apply any empirical evidence to back it up.