We recently decided to develop some personas to represent the core readership of sitepoint.com, and this is what we came up with. How well do you think we've captured the SitePoint readership?

When Matt created the SitePoint Personas, he combined two different methodologies, and it worked surprisingly well. Here, he describes the process he followed, and explains how you might do the same when designing your own web sites.

Matt Mickiewicz interviews Jakob Nielsen, author of the brand new book "Prioritizing Web Usability," about AJAX, usability's close link to keyword advertising, and some of the advertising formats we're seeing around the Web today.

A growing portion of the population is over 60 -- and online! Tim reveals his first-hand research into the ways people aged 60+ use the Internet, and what it means for designers and developers.

If you've been happily using automated accessibility checking tools to ensure the accessiblity of your site, listen up! As Trenton explains, these tools should never be used as a sole solution to accessibility. They're often innaccurate, unspecific, outdated -- and in some cases, they're simply incorrect!

Who says making a site usable to screen reader users is a pain? Trenton provides 7 quick, easy fixes that boost your site's usability for all visitors, including those who use screen reader technology.

Consistency is the cornerstone of a positive user experience. But consistency means more than simply putting your nav at the top left, your search on the right. Gerry explores consistency, explaining what it is, why it's important, and the areas where consistency counts.

Isn't usability testing a simple matter of getting pals or colleagues to look over a site in exchange for free pizza? No, it's not! Liz explains how easy it is to gather suitable, site-relevant test participants using a number of possible sampling techniques.

Opening links in a new window is bad news, usability-wise. In this practical how-to, Neil reveals why, and explains best practice procedures for linking to new windows when there's no alternative.

To build a site or application that people will use, you need to understand those people. How? Walk a mile in their shoes, or, as it's known in usability circles, perform a contextual enquiry. Gerry explains why, when and how to carry out a contextual enquiry - and what you'll get out of it - in this complete primer.