Usability Checklist:
 

1. People browsing the web have eight seconds worth of patience while waiting for your pages to load.
• This is especially true for home pages.
• This is especially true for children.
• It's like the restaurant business mantra: Don't keep them waiting, or they'll leave and never return.

 
2. Show personality.
• When the first screen from your web site appears on someone's monitor, it should portray your school in a distinctive light.
• Design with the user in mind.
• Usability should not constrain good design.
• Good design should create a very usable site.
• Functionality and design should blend together to create a positive user experience.

 
3. Make your site easy to learn.
• A good site should be like good software—you shouldn't need a manual to learn how to use it.
• Create a logical taxonomy and integrate good navigational tools.
• Design your site so that people constantly "guess right."

 
4. Don't let them lose the scent.
• Remember, men never ask for directions.
• If someone gets lost in the middle of your web labyrinth, they'll most likely leave.
• Help them stay on the trail.

 
5. Your content should have content.
• What good is it to have a web site if the content is useless?
• Javascripts and animated GIFs are no substitute for useful, meaningful content.
• Write something worth reading.

 
6. Write well.
• Choose a standard dictionary and use it.
• Determine a house style and stick to it.
• Consistency is key throughout.
• Find someone with editing skills and have him or her read all copy before posting.
• Writers should not be the final reviewers of their own words.
• And, don't forget to run spell check one last time before publishing.

 
7. Enable visitor feedback.
• Give folks a way to offer praise, make suggestions, and ask for clarification.
• Make it easy for them to contact you.
• It's true what they say: There are fewer collisions on one-way streets, but it's harder to turn around if you're going the wrong way.

 
8. Don't forget to test.
• Show the site to outsiders and document their experiences.
• Watch them navigate.
• Note their body language as pages appear on the monitor.
• Most importantly, let them control the mouse.