Book Review:
Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability

Yes, all it takes is common sense to design a good website, but reading this book will persuade you that a decade of website consulting experience adds valuable insight.

by Alex Goldman ISP-Planet Managing Editor [March 20, 2006]

John McKown of Delaware.net recommended this book to us, and it's a good one.

Steve Krug advises companies on how to make their websites more effective, easier to use. His approach is to keep things as simple as possible, as exemplified in his own website, sensible.com. He calls his approach "advanced common sense" and writes that "it's not rocket surgery" (just to make sure that you're paying attention).

But if you can't afford a seminar or a consultant, he's written a very simple book, Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability, designed to be read during "a long plane flight."

Using simple language, charts, illustrations, and plenty of examples, he conveys a theory of website design that draws on years of experience as a usability consultant.

Chapters are short, easy to read, and have a clear sense of direction. The reader can clearly see the beginning, middle, and end of each chapter. Chapter titles and web-like design elements reinforce the message and make the reading experience easy. You don't have to think about how to read; you can just learn.

The book is lighthearted and very easy to read, and succeeds in conveying a great deal of information in a short period of time.

Chapters are organized in four sections: Guiding Principles, Things You Need to Get Right, Making Sure You Got Them Right, and Larger Concerns and Outside Influences.

The book delineates key features of any website, and shows how some websites have done it right. The book also talks about the design process, and shares warnings and tips about it.

Anecdotes are clear and concise. For example, Krug writes that if you're testing your website for usability by showing it to people and watching their reactions, you should ignore their comments about the color scheme because they will contradict each other "unless three out of four people use a word like 'puke' to describe the color scheme."

In a footnote, Krug adds, "this actually happened once during a round of testing I facilitated. We changed the color."

The book concludes with a valuable chapter on further reading, followed by acknowledgements. Of course, the most important acknowledgement is to his wife. A comment of hers is the core of the book's introduction: "If something is hard to use, I just don't use it as much."

This book will teach you how to make websites—your website and the websites you host—easier to use.

—End