Tip of the Quarter

Use Research-backed Guidelines to Settle Design Debates

If you've ever been involved in one of those seemingly endless and hopelessly subjective debates about design decisions, this tip should be especially helpful to you. In early 2001, the National Cancer Institute published an initial set of over 50 Web design guidelines, each of which are at least partially supported by research findings. Their Website presents the list of guidelines using a 5-star scale, ranging from "one or more expert opinions supporting the guideline" (1 star) to "two or more hypothesis-tested experiments supporting the guideline" (5 stars). If you are either in need a primer on fundamental design principles, or simply seek real data to substantiate your design suggestions, consult the NCI site.

By the way, the NCI expects to publish several more research-backed guidelines by the end of 2002. So you may want to check their site again in a few months to find even more "evidence" to support your case.

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Mark D. Hall
San Diego, CA, USA
August 8, 2002

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