A common mistake for website developers/designers is assuming that their users think and act like they do, “so they end up designing for themselves, rather than others.”* That’s why feedback from your users is critical! 

We’ve been committed to soliciting feedback from our users since HIV.gov (formerly AIDS.gov) was launched in 2006, and when we first started blogging in 2008, we posted a message about usability with tip suggestions that are still true today. We continue to incorporate our users into our design and development processes – a principle called user-centered design. Frequent usability testing is a way to improve our design, functionality, and content. 

So we’re announcing an opportunity to provide your feedback on the recently launched HIV.gov website at this week’s United States Conference on AIDS (USCA).

If you’re attending USCA, we invite you to participate in a 30-minute usability testing session. You can do a session anytime between 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. on September 7–9. You can sign up for a session in advanceExit Disclaimer or just drop by the Social Media Lab in Marquis 14 on Meeting Level 2 to learn more.

To learn more about user-centered design and usability testing, visit Usability.gov. If you’re not able to attend one of the in-person usability testing sessions, we would appreciate your direct feedback. Visit our Facebook postExit Disclaimer or tweet us @HIVgov to tell us what you think about the new site.

* Mulder, S., & Yaar, Z. (2007). The User is Always Right: A Practical Guide to Creating and Using Personas for the Web. Berkeley, CA: New Riders.