NEPAccess.org is a web search portal for 50 years of lost scientific data created under NEPA, the National Environmental Policy Act. These documents are very useful for making decisions on public projects, yet can be difficult or impossible to find. To succeed the site has to be usable for five user groups or personas.
Usability
Reading behavior on an online literary magazine
How do people read on screens vs on printed paper? A analysis of on online literary magazine with a goal of increasing engaged long-form reading through design improvements.
Create your pizza online: A usability study
Users expect a pizza ordering site to be convenient, fast, and easy to use. This makes improving usability a major competitive strategy for the business.
Usability presentation: how deeply do people understand the science of weather?
Everyone talks about the weather–Weather Underground does something about it. Wunderground.com a beautiful weather site packed with climate information. The site can be a bit intimidating for someone who is not a science geek. This usability study looks at the experience of new users.