Friday Favorite: HFI's UI Design Newsletter

Over the years, I've watched my bookmarks to UXCentric resources on the Web grow from a trickle to a roaring flood. Only a few reach back into the last century—Jakob Nielsen's Alertbox, for one. Another is today's Friday Favorite, the UI Design Update newsletter from Human Factors International.

Month in and month out since 1998, UI Design Update has offered research-based reports on practical issues that affect UXCentricity. Recent topics include:

• Searching vs. browsing.


• Observer effects in usability testing.


• Breadcrumb navigation.


• Appropriate use of focus groups and usability testing.

What I appreciate most about UI Design Update is that each article includes a list of references on the topic. Indeed, their annual Research Reviews does nothing but summarize and list key research in a number of UXCentric topics.

I'm always guarded when I read company-sponsored resources lest I be sucked into a white paper marketing vortex. HFI's UI Design Newsletter avoids the trap of self-promotion while providing to-the-point insights into recent research. That's why it's this week's Friday Favorite.