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Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability, 2nd Edition (Paperback) (Paperback)
by Steve Krug
| Category:
Internet, Web, Software, Design |
| Market price: ¥ 398.00
MSL price:
¥ 368.00
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| Stock:
Pre-order item, lead time 3-7 weeks upon payment [ COD term does not apply to pre-order items ] |
MSL rating:
 Good for Gifts |
| MSL Pointer Review:
A guide for Web designers, programmers, project managers, and anyone else creating a Web site, clearly explaining what is needed to make good decisions about creating a usable Web site that people want to visit. |
| If you want us to help you with the right titles you're looking for, or to make reading recommendations based on your needs, please contact our consultants. |
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Author: Steve Krug
Publisher: New Riders Press
Pub. in: August, 2005
ISBN: 0321344758
Pages: 216
Measurements: 8.8 x 6.9 x 0.5 inches
Origin of product: USA
Order code: BA01013
Other information: 2nd edition
ISBN-13: 978-0321344755
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- MSL Picks -
Don't Make Me Think is like an operator's license for web site building software. An internet developer shouldn't be allowed to "turn the key" until they've digested this book.
Steve Krug's book is a quick read (190 pages) filled with insightful, entertaining and practical prose for those involved in internet development. He shows us what does and doesn't work, and then explains why. His extensive research into usability permeates every page.
The book itself is a stellar example of usability. Every graphic adds value and every paragraph amplifies the point. Color is effectively used, but not exclusively. Steve practices the techniques that he preaches. For example, the chapter called Omit needless words [The art of not writing for the web] is only 5 pages long.
Finally, he presents practical ways to perform usability testing (huh, what's that?) into the development process. Imagine knowing how user's will actually use your site.
Target readers:
Web designers, programmers, project managers, and anyone else creating a Web site.
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Steve Krug is a usability consultant who has more than 15 years of experience as a user advocate for companies like Apple, Netscape, AOL, Lexus, and others. Based in part on the success of the first edition of Don’t Make Me Think, he has become a highly sought-after speaker on usability design.
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Five years and more than 100,000 copies after it was first published, it's hard to imagine anyone working in Web design who hasn't read Steve Krug's "instant classic" on Web usability, but people are still discovering it every day. In this second edition, Steve adds three new chapters in the same style as the original: wry and entertaining, yet loaded with insights and practical advice for novice and veteran alike. Don't be surprised if it completely changes the way you think about Web design.
Three New Chapters!
Usability as common courtesy - Why people really leave Web sites
Web Accessibility, CSS, and you - Making sites usable and accessible
Help! My boss wants me to ______. - Surviving executive design whims
"I thought usability was the enemy of design until I read the first edition of this book. Don't Make Me Think! showed me how to put myself in the position of the person who uses my site. After reading it over a couple of hours and putting its ideas to work for the past five years, I can say it has done more to improve my abilities as a Web designer than any other book.
In this second edition, Steve Krug adds essential ammunition for those whose bosses, clients, stakeholders, and marketing managers insist on doing the wrong thing. If you design, write, program, own, or manage Web sites, you must read this book."
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| View all 11 comments |
E. Kao (MSL quote), USA
<2007-06-29 00:00>
First off, let me preface this by admitting that I am not a web designer or information architect expert by any means. I work in tech being a "jack of all trades" with internet applications where we are always strapped for resources (ie we don't have designers or web producers for this side project, all those resources are devoted to the cash cow at our company). At some times I'm an acting site product manager other times I'm a product marketer.
Steve Krug distills "everything you need to know" into a short book that is written colloquially and deals with real-life web team scenarios, and gives some really simple exercises for reviewing a website.
I especially appreciate his beginning most chapters with a real-life example (ie a designer vs a developer disagreeing about the use of a pulldown menu). This shows me he's been in the trenches before, and keeps me interested in what his solution is.
His chapter on how to run usability tests on a shoestring budget will help not only me (who'll have to run the tests), but also will provide a lot of background on scenarios where usability efforts tend to not take off within a company. Additionally he provides solutions on how to mitigate these excuses -- he's about how to get things done, not about theorizing.
Thanks Steve - another new fan has joined the fold.
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Ed Uyeshima (MSL quote), USA
<2007-06-29 00:00>
For those of us who do not design Web sites but must distill what makes them effective, this is a great resource. Design and usability expert Steve Krug has pulled together an easy-to-read book that is not only instructive but visually appealing and often amusing. His tenets are basic, but he is smart enough to recognize how everyone has an opinion on Web design and not necessarily a very informed one. Krug's philosophy is that the most effective Web sites come from solid, integrated design that addresses a need tangible to the user. He spends the bulk of the book proving just how valid his philosophy is.
The author cites successful examples recognizable to even the most mundane surfer, for example, the tabular navigation structure of Amazon. But he doesn't shy away from those sites he finds lacking like the now-defunct Productopia site, which I agree had a confusing home page. Krug even presents site redesigns given his druthers, and the improvement is quite discernible. Using the helpful analogy of street signs, the author identifies the criticality of using persistent navigation, clear site sections and utilities and a search tool as components of a highly usable site. In order to engage the reader, Krug provides what he calls "trunk test" sites in which he tests us to identify missing elements and attempts to elicit site improvements. I particularly like this approach since it helps make Krug's guiding principles resonate more clearly.
The last part of the book provides a precise overview of usability testing. He provides helpful examples of questions to ask users and even includes a session transcript he conducted himself. Krug strongly believes in not structuring the testing to the point where honest feedback cannot be attained. In fact, he feels that instead of placing the onus on one expensive scientific test that it makes far more sense to conduct many simple affordable tests from beginning to end. I agree with Krug that the value of testing does not come from the collection of quantitative data but rather the qualitative findings that lead toward better design decisions. Krug expresses some similarly strong opinions about home page design and the credibility of so-called subject matter experts. Fortunately, with a decade under his belt at leading Internet companies like Netscape and AOL, he is certainly someone that deserves your attention.
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Freeman (MSL quote), USA
<2007-06-29 00:00>
Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability is to a web designer what a rifle is to a soldier.
If you've ever been involved in building a web site that will serve as the virtual world shingle for a corporation or government entity, you should have had this book with you during the project. Get it now if you'll be building such sites in the future.
Web sites don't become popular because someone in a meeting says, "Woudn't it be great if..." They become popular because they are focused and usable. Don't Make Me Think takes you step by step through the process of making a web site focused and usable. Once your web site is focused and usable, you will find that your web site will attract the only thing that justifies pouring your heart and soul into a web site - an audience.
If you build it they will come was a very popular moniker in the 90s. It isn't true. It should be, if you build it right, they will come.
The premise of this book is that if you make people think too hard about finding something on your web site, they'll go away and they won't come back. So if you are interested in having people come to your site and then come back for a second visit, this is the right book. I won't tell you what the author tells you about the logic behind keeping visitors. What I will tell you is that Don't Make Me Think follows its own rules. The book is superbly designed. It's full of practical examples of what works and what doesn't. It answers important questions like are we really asking the right questions? It's good. Buy it if you need help building a web site that will actually keep people interested in the content of said web site.
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Meryl Evans (MSL quote), USA
<2007-06-29 00:00>
When we design Web sites, we often overlook the simplest things because we're too wrapped up in the design. After working on Web sites for a while, some of us have slowly moved away from what we know is usable to adding or removing elements that may enhance the `look' - and also break a site's usability.
Steer back on track with the new edition of Krug's highly referenced book. Novice, intermediate, expert. No matter where you are on the scale, the book provides value to everyone - even managers, testers and project managers. Management likes to get their hands a little dirty when it comes to Web design projects and sharing this book may make the team's life easier.
Anyone involved with Web design or usability will recognize most, if not all, of the concepts covered in the book. What makes Don't Make Me Think usable is that it's a great checklist to ensure you've covered all the basics.
Krug provides many before and after examples to show how a few changes can enhance a Web site's usability. The illustrations reinforce the concepts covered as well as how visitors use and read a Web site.
As for the differences between the first and second editions, the second addition has three new chapters while usability testing shrinks from two chapters to one and with good reason.
The testing chapter breaks down the testing process into digestible steps; complete with a script between the tester (user) and the person watching the tester. Too often, we've seen testing get mangled or ignored. With this chapter, teams might find themselves empowered and eager to do testing.
The chapter on "Usability as common courtesy" explores how a site can make or break the "reservoir of goodwill" as Krug puts it. We arrive at a Web site with some goodwill and depending on how well the site meets or misses our needs; the goodwill level goes up or down. It may only take one mistake to propel visitors to flee.
Another new and short chapter is "Accessibility, Cascading Style Sheets and you." Krug captures what developers and designers hear when it comes to accessibility and addresses what they fear. He lists five things designers and developers can do make a site accessible without a lot of effort.
Finally, the book closes with "Help! My boss wants me to..." Krug has received plenty emails and questions on the topic to identify two questions that repeatedly come up. He provides email examples for free re-use, so no one has to explain it to the boss.
It only takes about two hours or a plane trip to read. The writing is conversational, clear and packs a punch with a dash of humor thrown in. Reading the book is not much different than reading fiction because it flows well and the information sinks in without much effort.
If you get this book and have the 1st edition, I recommend keeping both. You might find helpful stuff in the original material not found in the new edition.
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