Free Usability and Design Tests

The list below contains free methods or sources for you to use to help improve a website. Some are simply automated methods where you type in your URL, and some are basic methods that you can conduct yourself for free, or for little cost at all.

• Card Sorting – Basic usability documentation on how to conduct a card sorting analysis
• Color Blind Web Page Filter – Your site colors are a little different for some
• Pingdom Tools – Tests your sites load speed
• Section 508 – I used to charge for this, now it’s automated!
• Semantic Data Extractor – Good code produces a clear outline of your site
• TAW – Accessibility Tester
• Use Cases – Documentation on creating Use Cases
• W3C Markup Validation Service – Checks for HTML errors
• W3C CSS Validation Service – Checks style sheets for errors
• Flicker Rate Test for GIF Images -Blinking screens can be a little irritating