High-Cost Usability Sometimes Makes Sense

Jakob Nielsen's Alertbox for November 5 is now online at:
  > http://www.useit.com/alertbox/expensive-usability.html
		
Summary:
Computing the net present value (NPV) lets you estimate the most
profitable level of usability investment.
For big projects, expensive usability can pay off.
			
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User Experience 2007 conference

  > Barcelona, this week
  > Las Vegas, December 2-7

31 full-day tutorials
2 keynotes: e-commerce, the state of usability

Full program:
  > http://www.nngroup.com/events

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INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING CAN INCLUDE USABILITY

CBS produced a nice piece of investigative reporting into complaints that
thousands of people are being billed for an online service they don't
remember signing up for. The key in judging these complaints is to know
how users normally behave online and where they usually look when using
websites or processing their email.

  > http://cbs5.com/local/local_story_306014541.html

The story raises the larger ethical issue of employing usability knowledge
to do evil. We know that certain design approaches will make users
overlook information and this knowledge can be used to hide things you
don't want people to know (but which you want to be able to claim that you
"disclosed").