Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability by Steve Krug
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
An excellent introduction to creating usable websites. As the title states, every website’s design and functionality should be so simple that people barely need to think to use it. The book’s 2nd edition is from 2005, so some examples are dated, but the concepts are quite relevant. This was a fun read due to its straightforward style and Krug’s humor. When I started looking for web design books, Steve Krug’s classic on web usability frequently appeared at the top of most lists, along with Designing with Web Standards by Jeffrey Zeldman. I highly recommend both books.
First Law: Don’t make me think. Make things obvious and self-evident, or at least self-explanatory. People scan; they don’t read. People choose the first reasonable option. People muddle through things rather than figure them out. Second Law: It doesn't matter how many times I have to click, as long as each click is a mindless, unambiguous choice. Make choices mindless for ease of use. Third Law: Get rid of half the words on each page, then get rid of half of what's left. Be ruthlessly concise.
Test early and often. Test with 3 or 4 users. Have each user think out loud as they use the site. Use a screen recorder to record the session for reference. Fix any problems, then test again. Review the results as soon as possible.
