Denice (Warren) Ross and Joy Bonaguro, presentation at the URISA Public Participation GIS Conference in July 2003

Usability testing is the only way to ensure that a web site designed for the public is truly usable. Devoting resources to such testing pays off by making a web site more efficient, effective, and credible, and leaves a trail of satisfied users who come back to the site and recommend it to their colleagues. This document summarizes research behind why usability testing is important, especially in web-based GIS, and concludes with a basic protocol for applying usability testing to community data and mapping systems.

Visit this archived website for the PPT presentation, and tools and templates…