Working with SocialSoftware, and participating in the creation and building of online collaboration environments ForFewAndMany, has increased my awareness of user experience issues in web environments.
One of the best books that I’ve come across on the subject is Peter Moreville’s AmbientFindabilty?.
Wikipedia:Findability describes the key user experience dimensions outlined in AmbientFindability? as: useful, usable, desirable, valuable, findable, accessible, credible.
see: http://semanticstudios.com/publications/semantics/000029.php
Xtof recently pointed to a tool that enables analytics of some of these usability dimensions, recommended to him by Tara Hunt, called Crazy Egg. (Link: Xtof:CrazyEgg.)
Crazy Egg costs range from free to 99 Dollars US per month, depending on what service level you purchase.
Crazy Egg looks useful, in particular because of the visualization tools like “overlay”:

And, “Heatmap:

I’ll be writing more about these usability concepts as I begin to apply them to different wiki, blog, and social software sites that I’ve created for myself, and people and clients that I collaborate with.
Thanks Sam for your enthusiasm about CrazyEgg?. So simple to install… ! Currently testing it on the fresh new french wiki LaVoieDuPinko?. I’ll try to report within one week – ChristopheDucamp
MattisManzel: CrazyEgg? looks indeed pretty interesting.
I added their script at the end of Main:MattisManzel/FrontPage but nothing happens. Well.