Book Review – Don’t Make Me Think

Blueprint partakes in web usability testing upon site completion. Sites are tested to fix any bugs or make improvements. How many web pages have you visited and been frustrated trying to navigate them? That is where web usability comes into play. Steve Krug the author of Don’t Make Me Think discusses several major strategies to think about when designing a web page or web software to make it more user friendly. This book was designed so anyone could think like a web usability expert.

I would give this book a five star review. For one, it was a fun read. As you begin to read this text, you will realize that most of the approaches just make sense. Krug wrote the book with the mindset he could teach anyone to think like the an expert, so the book really does take a common sense approach. This book is an easy read. You could easily cover the material in this book in a few hours. I found the material highly interesting, and it really helped me get a grasp on things that do and do not work for websites.

It explores concepts like how a user thinks and the process they go through. If you keep the user in mind while you are designing a web page, it will give the user a better experience. Krug covers many key concepts.  For a good idea of the type of common sense points he makes, I will give you a few examples. One of the points Krug immediately makes is that design is usually more elaborate and the user has a difficult time. That is why simple designs that are easy to use and easy to navigate are usually the best.

Another vital point Krug mentions is that the phrases and wording used for your site need to be clear. In the example below, it shows wording and phrases that would be on the spectrum of obvious to requiring the user to think.

Krug says that is important to make your webpage self-explanatory. The main reason people think is below.

However, that is only sometimes the case.  People actually tend to stay on the page and continue to get frustrated. Read more on why and how to prevent user frustration in Krug’s book!

It is simple points he makes like this that can help your site be user friendly. Web usability is vital to have a functioning website.  Also, Krug gives examples of websites that are user friendly. Don’t Make Me Think is one of the best books on web usability.  Anyone could comprehend these basic common sense concepts that could minimize negative user experiences on their website. Contact our staff at Blueprint to see if a web usability expert is what you need.