Website Usability - How to Start Customer Research

Over the years, whenever I've addressed the subject of website usability, I've always suggested talking to your customers first as well as watching them use your website. Sometimes, they will do exactly what you think they'll do. But mostly, you'll be suprprised at the ways that people use your site.

This article describes some of the process of testing your site. Even if you can't attend LabFest, you can do some of this testing on your own. And the good news is that if you'll take the time to do a study like this you'll learn exactly what your customer is looking for, which will translate directly to sales for you.

Hurricane Katrina - American Red Cross Donation

Our hearts and prayers go out to the millions of people in the Gulf desperately affected by hurricane Katrina. We know that like us, our customers and visitors want to help in any way they can.

Many people's first response is to go to the Red Cross site to donate. Unfortunately, the Red Cross servers are having difficulty keeping up with the huge amounts of donors. The good news is that Yahoo! has stepped up and partnered with the Red Cross. They have put up a Yahoo store donation site for the Red Cross where it is quick and easy to donate.

You can also see just how generous the American people are by checking the totals donated (over 10 million when I checked on Thurs morning). Please help. Our American Gulf coast brothers and sisters are counting on us.