Review: Don't Make Me Think!

I finished this book a few weeks ago, and have been meaning to write a review, so here goes…

The book Don’t Make Me Think! is subtitled A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability and is currently in its second edition, which I read. The Author is Steve Krug, with a website at http://www.sensible.com/.

This is not a huge book. I read it off and on, and finished it inside a week. A more focused reader could go through it in a matter of hours, I’m sure. Despite its slim size, the book contains much useful knowledge for usability concerns. I think it should be read by anyone involved in the development of a web site or application, from the manager down to the developer. The content does not go into huge depth; I think the intent was to add as much useful information as possible without overloading the reader.

The book works to promote usability in the reader’s eye. But the book itself is also quite usable, or rather, readable. The book has generous whitespace, useful images, and meaningful captions and examples. The pages are glossy, and the images are in full colour.

As the title of the book suggests, someone using a website or application should not have to think very much about how to use it. It should be intuitive and easy to use. Emphasis is placed on page layout and navigation.

The author puts much emphasis on user testing. Which is of course important for applications or sites that are going to be used by everyday users. Described are various types of testers you can use, how the testing is performed, and the interpretation of the results.

Again, this is not a huge book, and it will be worth at least skimming whenever starting a new project, just to refresh on the details.