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Don't Make Me Think by Steve Krug

Don't Make Me Think by Steve Krug

by Parker · 56 things on Twos

Usability really just means making sure that something works well: that a person of average (or even below average) ability and experience can use the thing—whether it’s a Web site, a fighter jet, or a revolving door—for its intended purpose without getting hopelessly frustrated
If something requires a large investment of time—or looks like it will—it’s less likely to be used
There is no one “right” way to design Web sites
Internet business models are like buses: If you miss one, all you have to do is wait a little while and another one will come along
“Don’t make me think!”
I should be able to “get it”—what it is and how to use it—without expending any effort thinking about it
When we’re using the Web every question mark adds to our cognitive workload, distracting our attention from the task at hand. The distractions may be slight but they add up, and sometimes it doesn’t take much to throw us
People don’t like to puzzle over how to do things
You can’t make everything self-evident
On a self-explanatory page, it takes a little thought to “get it”—but only a little
We don’t read pages. We scan them
We don’t make optimal choices. We satisfice
We don’t figure out how things work. We muddle through.
Create a clear visual hierarchy on each page > Take advantage of conventions > Break pages up into clearly defined areas > Make it obvious what’s clickable > Minimize noise
Create a clear visual hierarchy
The more important something is, the more prominent it is
The most important headings are either larger, bolder, in a distinctive color, set off by more white space, or nearer the top of the page
Things that are related logically are also related visually
Things are “nested” visually to show what’s part of what
Innovate when you know you have a better idea (and everyone you show it to says “Wow!”), but take advantage of conventions when you don’t
Make it obvious what’s clickable
Break up pages into clearly defined areas
Keep the noise down to a dull roar
It doesn’t matter how many times I have to click, as long as each click is a mindless, unambiguous choice. —krug’s second law of usability
What really counts is not the number of clicks it takes me to get to what I want (although there are limits), but rather how hard each click is—the amount of thought required, and the amount of uncertainty about whether I’m making the right choice
Three mindless, unambiguous clicks equal one click that requires thought.
Of course, there are exceptions. If I’m going to have to drill down through the same parts of a site repeatedly, for instance or repeat a sequence of clicks in a Web application, or if the pages are going to take a long time to load, then the value of fewer clicks increases.
Omit needless words
Get rid of half the words on each page, then get rid of half of what’s left.
17. Omit needless words. Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnec- essary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts
Remove happy talk
Your objective should always be to eliminate instructions entirely by making everything self-explanatory, or as close to it as possible.
People won’t use your Web site if they can’t find their way around it
The Back button accounts for somewhere between 30 and 40 percent of all Web clicks
Two of the purposes of navigation are fairly obvious: to help us find whatever it is we’re looking for, and to tell us where we are
By making the hierarchy visible, navigation tells us what the site contains
Clear, well-thought-out navigation is one of the best opportunities a site has to create a good impression
Persistent navigation should include the five elements you most need to have on hand at all times
Having a Home button in sight at all times offers reassurance that no matter how lost I may get, I can always start over, like pressing a Reset button or using a “Get out of Jail free” card
Unless a site is very small and very well organized, every page should have either a search box or a link to a search page
The name of the page will match the words I clicked to get there
Put breadcrumbs at the top
Boldface the last item in the breadcrumb
Right off the bat, the Home page has to tell me what site this is and what it’s for—and if possible, why I should be here and not at some other site
Home page elements: site identity and mission, site hierarchy, search, teases, promos, timely content, deals, shortcuts, registration
There is no Average User
It’s not productive to ask questions like “Do most people like pulldown menus?” The right kind of question to ask is “Does this pulldown, with these items and this wording in this context on this page create a good experience for most people who are likely to use this site?”
Focus groups are good for quickly getting a sampling of users’ opinions and feelings about things
Focus groups can be great for determining what your audience wants, needs, and likes—in the abstract. They’re good for testing whether the idea behind the site makes sense and your value proposition is attractive. And they can be a good way to test the names you’re using for features of your site, and to find out how people feel about your competitors
The point of testing is not to prove or disprove something. It’s to inform your judgment
The best-kept secret of usability testing is the extent to which it doesn’t much matter who you test
Take anyone you can get (within limits) and grade on a curve
“Get it” testing is just what it sounds like: show them the site, and see if they get it—do they understand the purpose of the site, the value proposition, how it’s organized, how it works, and so on
Key task testing means asking the user to do something, then watching how well they do
Web usability: doing the right thing—being considerate of the user
I should never have to think about formatting data