I am very interested in human computer interactions and mainly web interaction. Can you please tell me some studies, web sites, papers, links or research groups that are investigating Web pages design metrics similar to this http://www.ccs.neu.edu/home/tarase/TaraseMetrics.pdf.
Jakob Nielsen is an incredible usability expert with many excellent publications in Usability. He has written great books like Designing Web Usability.
The other guy I would really recommend is Steve Krug. He wrote Don't Make Me Think and many other really great books on usability.
The other aspect to think about is User Experience Design is as much about observing and then reacting as it is about design patterns and methodologies. In that vein I have to recommend Observing the User Experience
You could also consider joining a group like the Usability Professionals Association which is devoted to promoting best practices in the field of Usability.
And after all that, how could I forget Boxes and Arrows?
of course, the field of User Experience Design is rather huge and expansive. Think of these as starting points on a long and rewarding journey :)