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Book Review: Don’t Make Me Think

Posted August 1, 2006 By Caroling Lee |

If you’ve ever been to a Web site and struggled finding what you need, whether it’s searching for a product or looking up a particular piece of information — then you are familiar with bad Web usability.

Usability, on the Web, refers to how users interact with a site’s interface. If you are finding what you need on a particular Web site quickly and intuitively, it’s probably because your designer employed some of the standard practices of Usability.

Steve Krug is a Usability Professional who has been in the software and Web industry for nearly twenty years. He has consulted with AOL, Apple, Lexus, Barnes and Noble and Excite on how to make their Web sites easier, more user-friendly and thereby, more profitable.

In his book, Don’t Make Me Think, the title sums it up completely and concisely in one phrase. The Web is about common sense and simplicity and users should not have to ‘think’ about what to do next.

The best thing about this book, not surprisingly, is its simplicity. I read it on the plane ride to Portland and breezed right through it. You might think that a technology book would be boring, but this one will keep you interested and engaged, even if you’re a novice to Usability.

Krug describes some key principles in addition to the "Don’t Make Me Think" mantra that he provides to guide Usability newbies in the right direction.

Keep it simple (a.k.a. Give Users What They Want).

All too often, clients want to cram as much as possible on to the home page thinking that the more choices users have, the more likely they will stay on the site. Krug is very critical of this, noting that we (clients, designers, consultants, etc.) are forgetting the user’s motivation for getting on the Web in the first place. They’re looking for something. And they don’t want to spend a lot of time searching for it. Research has shown that users spend only a few seconds on a home page before they click on what they are interested in and move on. If your site does not immediately fulfill a user’s need, they will look elsewhere and it’s only a click away.

Make it Accessible.

Accessibility is a key principle of creating usable Web sites. Using Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) to code your site, adding alt attributes to images, allowing resizeable text — all of this and more will contribute to more usable sites.

Looks Matter.

Would you go to an interview in jeans and sneakers? Probably not. Your Web site should have a professional appearance, not only for credibility, but also to set the tone of a user’s experience. Sloppy sites are not a good representation of your company.

Let Them Print.

Believe it or not, a large percentage of users still want to print out pages that they can reference or pass on to others. Make sure that each page of your site is printable and that the printed version is formatted appropriately. It’s the little things that count.

Test. Test. Test.

Krug also sings the praises of Usability testing. Even if you don’t have a budget or the time, show the site to a friend or a family member. Watch how they interact with the interface. You might be surprised at what you learn. An exercise even this brief could provide invaluable information about the design and whether your Web site goals are on track.

The book also includes some great examples of redesigned sites that utilize some of Krug’s usability principles, as well as more tips on low-cost testing. I think the best part of the book is the Recommended Reading section in the back. It’s a great resource for getting a ground-floor knowledge about the Web and Web design in general. Use this as a starting point for your next Web project.

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