Don’t Make Me Think! by Steve Krug

Published on 9^th August 2008 in Book reviews, Usability.

As far as usability books go, there are few that come more recommended than Don’t Make Me Think! Steve Krug’s expanded and revised second edition, published two years ago, is a surprisingly short introduction to usability, but that’s really the point. It defines a few key principles and lessons from which you can begin to learn about usability or refresh your knowledge of it.

Krug starts by laying out why you’d want to read Don’t Make Me Think! and what it will and won’t contain. It’s a smart introduction to a book which is not just aimed at designers, but manager and executives as well. He then proceeds to outline the book’s central principle: “Don’t make me think!” It’s a remarkably simple rule, but you’d be amazed how many websites and interfaces forget to spell out the obvious.

Don’t Make Me Think! goes on to explain how people really use the Web; not by reading everything and making logical decisions, but by scanning and muddling through. Krug focuses on a great little fact; we don’t make optimal choices; we satisfice (a neat portmanteau of satisfying and sufficing). People choose the first reasonable option, not the best one.

The book moves on to visual hierarchies, choice, writing for the Web and an extensive section on graphical cues and conventions. Krug touches on a few business issues too, including homepage design and how to safely navigate making design decisions in a team. He introduces more formal usability testing, then moves on to accessibility and a brief introduction to cascading style sheets.

What makes Don’t Make Me Think! so easy to recommend is not just the balanced choice of topics, but also Krug’s writing style. He explains issues and suggests guidelines in plain English that everyone can understand. The book is also in full colour with plenty of illustrations, so you know exactly what he’s talking about.

Looking at the cover, you’d be forgiven for thinking that it’s a one principle book that revolves around a few anecdotes and a handful of buzzwords, but it’s the complete opposite. Don’t Make Me Think! is an essential read for anyone remotely interested in the subject and a great title to having lying around as reference. If I could only have one book on usability, this would be it.