Resources on Website Usability

Good website usability is something most organizations strive for when designing their site.  However, too often, what passes for a good interface is based on what a few people personally like.  For instance, if there are 2-3 people responsible for the site design or redesign, they will use their own preferences and assumptions for what "everyone" will like.  Very little research or quantifiable study goes into the decisions, and the resulting site can be very difficult for the intended audience to use. 

Below are some articles and resources for researching good site design. 

Articles

Top 10 Information Architecture Mistakes - List of the top biggest mistakes made when organizing information on a website.

 First 2 Words: A Signal for the Scanning Eye - A study by Jakob Nielsen, illustrating the importance of using clear, concise descriptions for the links on your site. 

About Us Information on Websites - another Nielsen article, discussing how to write an effective "about us" page for your website.

Books

Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability, 2nd Edition - this is a classic book on usability, not very long, but packed with great examples, pictures, and illustrations of both good and bad design.

Prioritizing Web Usability - co-authored by Jakob Nielsen, a giant in the field.  Anything from him is an excellent resource.