Recently, I completed an online assessment for a publisher. To get started, I searched for a consolidated “best practices” review of online publications but could not find one. So, I conducted one myself; albeit superficial but I hope informative. I’m posting it here to share with anyone seeking similar information.
Objectives
The objective of the assessment was to identify opportunities for the publisher to improve its corporate website and the effectiveness of the company’s trade publication websites.
Assessment Process
The assessment was conducted online, using heuristic evaluation methods in comparing the websites to known best practices as well as award winning news and financial trade publication websites.
My heuristic evaluation included principles from Jakob Nielsen, that are illustrated well in this blog posting written by Theresa Neil http://designingwebinterfaces.com/6-tips-for-a-great-flex-ux-part-5.
I also reviewed the 2010 Webby Award winning news sites including NY Times, BBC News, NPR, and Salon.com and several leading financial industry trade publications (the client is in the financial services space) including Mortgage Banking magazine, SourceMedia/National Mortgage News, Scotsman Guide, and MortgageOrb/Zackin Publications.
Financial Industry Publications Best Practices Review
Click to download the Financial Industry Publications Best Practices Review in PDF format. >>> 
Publication Best Practices Review >>>
