The best Web sites are better than Reality.

Minimize the user's memory load by making objects, actions, and options visible. The user should not have to remember information from one part of the dialogue to another. Instructions for use of the system should be visible or easily retrievable whenever appropriate.

To design an easy-to-use interface, pay attention to what users do, not what they say. Self-reported claims are unreliable, as are user speculations about future behavior.

On average, when you ask someone to perform a task on a site, they cannot do it. It's not their fault; it's the designer's fault.

The more users' expectations prove right, the more they will feel in control of the system and the more they will like it.

Clear content, simple navigation and answers to customer questions have the biggest impact on business value. Advanced technology matters much less.

What we learned is money doesn't grow on trees.