Beyer, H. & Holtzblatt, K. (1997). Contextual Design: A Customer Centered Approach to Systems Designs. Morgan Kaufman Publishers.

Contextual design is a state-of-the-art approach to designing products directly from an understanding of how the customer works and what the customer needs. Based on a method developed and taught by the authors, this is a practical, hands-on guide that articulates the underlying principles of contextual design and shows how to use them to address different problems, constraints, and organizational situations.

Cooper, A. (1999). The Inmates Are Running the Asylum: Why High Tech Products Drive Us Crazy and How to Restore the Sanity. Macmillan Computer Publishing.

The Inmates are Running the Asylum argues that, despite appearances, business executives are simply not the ones in control of the high-tech industry. They have inadvertently put programmers and engineers in charge, leading to products and processes that waste huge amounts of money, squander customer loyalty, and erode competitive advantage. Cooper offers a provocative, insightful and entertaining explanation of how talented people continuously design bad software-based products.

Cooper, A. (1995). About Face: The Essentials of User Interface Design. IDG Books Worldwide.

The "father" of Visual Basic, Alan Cooper, presents a methodology of user interface design that he has distilled from many years of creating award-winning personal computer software. This book does not focus on code; instead it discusses highly technical topics in clear English. Readers may not agree with everything Cooper has to say about software design, but they will find his ideas pertinent, thought-provoking, and perceptive.

Dumas, J. S. & Redish, J. C. (1994). A Practical Guide to Usability Testing. Aperature.

The authors begin by defining usability, explaining the methods of usability engineering, and reviewing many techniques for assessing and assuring usability throughout the development process. They then take readers through all the steps in planning and conducting a usability test, analyzing data, and using the results to improve both products and processes.

Hackos, J. T. & Redish, J. (1998). User Interface Task Analysis. John Wiley and Sons.

Task analysis is an important aspect of user interface design, insuring that the end product is usable and practical. Written by task analysis experts, this book is the first book that provides full-length coverage of task analysis. It covers in detail every step of the task analysis process, and discusses the methodologies behind it.

Kristof, R. & Satran A. (1995). Interactivity by Design: Creating and Communicating With New Media. Hayden Books.

This unique book shows designers, computer users, and producers and consumers of multimedia how to build Interactivity into project/titles, and how to design Interactivity into multimedia, World Wide Web pages, Internet, and Acrobat documents.

Nielsen, J. (2000). Designing Web Usability: The Practice of Simplicity. New Riders Publishing.

Look at the Web as you've never seen it before, through the eyes of the average user. Users experience the usability of a site before they have committed to using it and before they have spent any money on potential purchases. The Web is the ultimate environment for empowerment. He or she who clicks the mouse decides everything. From content and page design to designing for ease of navigation and users with disabilities, Jakob Nielsen delivers complete direction on how to connect with any Web user, in any situation.

Nielsen, J. (1994). Usability Engineering. Ap Professional.

"Usability Engineering" explains the principles of software usability, and clearly outlines techniques for assessing the usability of your product. His techniques give a lot of bang for the buck. He makes convincing arguments for the value of incorporating usability into the entire software design and development process. This book is an excellent companion to Cooper's User Interface bible,"About Face".

Rosenfeld, L. & Morville, P. (1998). Information Architecture for the World Wide Web. O'Reilly & Associates.

"Information Architecture for the World Wide Web" is about applying the principles of architecture and library science to Web site design. With this book, readers learn how to design Web sites and Intranets that support growth, management, and ease of use. This book is for Webmasters, designers, and anyone else involved in building a Web site.

Waters, C. (1997). Universal Web Design. New Riders Publishing.

Internet Books Editor's Recommended Book, 07/01/97:
Every Web designer should read this eye-opener because it deals with accessibility considerations that other books don't. Crystal Waters applies Universal Design principles--designing to be useful to the greatest possible number of users--to the Web. Her examination encourages consideration of whether sites are usable, for example, by people with disabilities (one in five Americans have one) or environmental restrictions. She provides examples and alternatives showing how to widen the reach of a site without losing excitement.

www.useit.com

Jakob Nielson’s website on usability includes: bi-weekly Alertbox column on Web usability, advice on usability engineering and Jakob's minimalist approach to Web quality, recommended links and books. Excellent resource.

www.stc.org/pics/usability/

This website is a forum in which STC members can share information and experiences on issues related to the usability and usability assessment of technical communication. Includes excellent treatments on Topics in Usability, Usability Resources, and News & Events in usability

www.upassoc.org/

The Usability Professionals' Association website, including references, resources, newsletters and networking opportunities.

www.usableweb.com/

Usable Web is a collection of 795 links and accompanying information about human factors, user interface issues, and usable design specific to the World Wide Web.