Located: research topics

About: This section contains a list of research topics under six categories - web navigation, site planning, human interaction, screen design, communication and history. The views of the original authors have been sumamarised and compiled as a series of points. Click on each author to obtain a reference. Each topic contains a summary (abstract), key points (marked in bold), and comments (marked in grey). Links to other pages / sites are marked red.

New research (updated September 11, 2000)
Louis Rosenfeld and Peter Morville's book Information Architecture for the World Wide Web has been added to a new section called site planning. Particularly interesting is the research on the role of information architecture in site planning, and the suggested planning framework within a multi-discipline environment. (read more...)

Web navigation Web navigation

Yale Style Manual: The importance of heirarchy and structure in site design. (Lynch, P. & Horton, S. 1997)

Designing the user experience: User-centred focus when designing a site. (Fleming, 1998a)

Five Tips: A summary of key issues when designing web navigation. (Fleming 1998b)

Site maps: As a tool to aid usability and navigation. (Miller 1999).

Navigation in hyperspace: A study on the effectiveness of hypertext, contents lists and spacial maps in hypertext navigation.(McDonald, S. & Stevenson, R. J. 1998)

Contextual navigation: A contexual navigational model based on user profiling. (Geldof, S. 1998)

Key to notes

Normal text - summary of author's comments

Bold text - key points made by author

Grey text - my comments

Information architecture The role of information architecture in site planning. (Morville, P. & Rosenfeld, S. 1998)

Bad Design Elements: An article on the importance of using defacto conventions in web design. (Nielsen 1999a)

Designing Web Usability: Key issues and concepts on creating usability within a site. (Nielsen 1999b)

Key to notes

Normal text - summary of author's comments

Bold text - key points made by author

Grey text - my comments

Thinking beyond: An interview with Dr. Donald Norman on usability and user experience on the web.(Rhodes, J., 1999)

Defending human attributes: Concepts from Dr. Donald Norman's CD on the design of every day things and human behaviour. (Norman, 1998)

Fitts Law: The application of mouse movement to navigation. (Tognazzini, 1998)

First principles: Bruce Tognazzini on the importance of basic GUI design principles. (Tognazzini, 1998)

The inner Bezos: An interview with Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos on web customer philosophy. (Bayers, C., 1999)

Long retrieval times: research on effects on user perception of long retrieval times on the web. (Ramsay, J., Barbesi, A. & Preece, J. 1998)

Flame wars: An interesting look at cyberculture and its possible effects on user behaviour. (Dery, 1994)

iVALS online: deconstructing web users and user profiles. (SRI Consulting, 1997)

Key to notes

Normal text - summary of author's comments

Bold text - key points made by author

Grey text - my comments

Eyetrack study: a survey looking at the online news reading habits of web users. (Poynter Institute, 2000)

Key to notes

Normal text - summary of author's comments

Bold text - key points made by author

Grey text - my comments

USA Today logs: usage paterns reveal photographs and graphics get the lion's share of traffic. (Stone, M., 2000)

The consumer audience: the issues of perception and dissonance in consumer experience.(Wells, Burnett, Morriarty, 2000)

Toby Braun: Information designer with concepts on linearity as a tool in site design. (Braun, 1995)

Key to notes

Normal text - summary of author's comments

Bold text - key points made by author

Grey text - my comments

Graphic presentation: Michael Twyman introduces verbal graphic language and design precedent. (Twyman, 1982)

Envisioning information: The concept of flatland, and tools to effectively display information. (Tufte, 1990)

Key to notes

Normal text - summary of author's comments

Bold text - key points made by author

Grey text - my comments