Putting Users First.(Web site design; Retired Officers Association)(Brief Article)

Make it user-friendly: This is what The Retired Officers Association (TROA), Alexandria, Virginia, wanted to achieve in redesigning its Web site (www.troa.org). A 40 percent increase in use during the first three months following the redesigned site's debut indicate early success.

"Everybody likes this redesign--members, potential members, staff, and board members--which says a lot about its versatility and utility," says Lt. Gen. Michael A. Nelson, USAF-Ret., TROA president.

TROA hired an outside company to conduct usability testing, a process that measures a product's efficiency and effectiveness by observing users performing tasks. TROA invited eight …