Free Web Site Templates

*Update:* “Pretty as a Picture”:http://www.sixshootermedia.com/free-templates/ has a smaller collection of templates, most (all?) of which are available on the two larger sites below. Means you don’t have to search through the crap to find the good stuff though.
Recently, I came across “Open Source Web Design”:http://www.oswd.org/ and “Open Web Design”:http://www.openwebdesign.org/ – two sites that showcase web site templates that are completely free for commercial or non-commercial use.

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Using Eye Tracking to Evaluate the Usability of Search Forms

In the second in his series on using eye tracking to evaluate user interfaces, Matteo Penzo examines the “usability of search forms”:http://www.uxmatters.com/MT/archives/000068.php in the January issue of UXMatters.
He compares how novice and experienced users tackle search forms on Google, Amazon, eBay, Flickr and useit.com (!) and arrives at some interesting (but not entirely unexpected conclusions).

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10 Tips to Improve the Comment Section of Your Blog

For many blog posts, the comments section – where the discussion occurs – is as important as the post itself. This is where the original idea or technique gets tested, refined and extended, questions are answered, and other options to it are presented.

Consequently, it’s worth taking the time to make your comments section as user-friendly and as attractive as the rest of your site. Here are some tips to bring the design of your comments section up a notch or two: Read More