Book: Don't Make Me Think!
I can’t remember why I bought this book, but I’m glad I did. The author, Steve Krug, is a web usability expert and basically wrote about almost everything he knows about web usability (so he says on his website).
Even though this second version of the book was written way back in 2005, I found its content to still be applicable today. The only chapter that might be a bit outdated is Chapter 11: “Accessibility, Cascade Style Sheets, and You”. Nowadays I think everyone uses CSS and don’t bother with html table based layouts anymore. Other than that little nitpick, the rest of the chapter, and book, is relevant and a good read.
It’s Not Rocket Surgery!™
The subtitle is “A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability” which I think portrays the book quite well. The author explains many usability concepts in an easy to understand way, always showing things from a user’s perspective.
Don’t think of it as a rule book, it does not tell you how to build sites “the right way”, nor does it bad mouth other websites. What is does do, is provide you with a set of guiding principles that you should take into consideration when designing your website. These principles are explained in a way that makes sense, and is accompanied by many examples and illustrations to show them in action. There are also many real world website designs that the author uses to show what works, what doesn’t, and why. All of this comes at 184 pages, so it’s a quick read, plus it’s colorful and visually appealing which transmits a friendly feeling.
Not web apps, websites
Even though the book is about web usability, it doesn’t discuss web applications and focuses only on websites. Still, many of the guidelines presented in the book are also applicable to web applications. It essentially gives you a behind-the-scenes view of the world from a user’s perspective, with a lot of tips on how to enhance the various elements of your site. This type of information is invaluable, whether your designing web applications or websites.
Lesson #1
The most important thing I take away from this book is exactly its title: Don’t Make Me Think! It might seem silly, but only after reading the book did I realize the importance of designing your websites in the most clear and simple way possible. Forget about counting clicks, worry more about reducing the number of “???” (question marks) that popup in a user’s head. It might only take 3 clicks to do something, but if it confuses the user, it won’t matter. Once you realize there is no such thing as an “average” web user, things start falling into place.
Lesson #2
The second most important lesson for me is: do usability tests early, and do them often. Such things like the “average web user” and “the right way to design websites” are myths. They don’t exist. It all depends on the context. Just because you like something, it doesn’t mean that everyone else will like it too. Want to see if your design works? Test it with actual people!
Complicated tests aren’t necessary, nor is it essential to find your “target user”, and you don’t need to spend a lot of money or time. Steve shows you how to conduct simple, no hassle web usability tests which is accompanied by a sample test session so you actually get to “see” how it’s done.
Verdict: Recommended
The only possible reason to not buy this book right now is because another 5 years have almost passed and a new version might be coming (1st Edition published October 2000; 2nd in August 2005). So it’s up to you if you want to wait. But, if you think it can come in handy right now, then go ahead and order the book! One thing is for sure, your users will appreciate it!