Don't Make Me Think
Author: Amy Liu
The book Don't Make Me Think! is written by a well-respected Web usability consultant, Steve Krug, to change the way websites are designed and improve the overall online user-experience. Some important points he emphasized include:
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Keep it short and simple. The key here is to omit any excessive wording or graphics that may make the web page too busy. Everything should be as obvious and self-explanatory as possible so the user can easily navigate to the information they're looking for. As tempting as it is to include flashy graphics and lengthy descriptions, the fact is most people will not pour over the aesthetic details of a site or enjoy scrutinizing over pages of endless text for a small piece of information. Users are often in a hurry and know exactly what they're looking for. Websites should be treated like a “billboard going by at 60 miles an hour” (21) -- designed to quickly grab someone's attention and provide all the necessary information in a simple and concise format.
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Look out for the user's best interest and use common sense. Designers too often try to differentiate their websites by implementing innovative layout changes, new functionalities or the latest features. Unfortunately, these elements often go unappreciated and only serve to confuse and frustrate the user. Websites that conform to Web conventions, on the other hand, provide a pleasant sense of familiarity and allow the user to effortlessly navigate through it. Here are some more helpful tips to keep in mind:
- Create a clear visual hierarchy and group related items by heading, style, or location.
- Lean towards the obvious when it comes to naming, placing and displaying clickables.
- Make frequently requested information easily accessible.
- Use highlighting persistent navigation or color coded tabs to tell the user "you are here."
- Have a search function.
- Easily link back to Home in case the user gets “lost”.
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While it's important to keep all the web pages a similar style and format, the Home page can be one exception to the rule. Here is a Home Page checklist to use as general guidelines.
- Site identity and mission (what is the site about and what does it provide).
- Tagline – 6 to 8 words that convey differentiation and clear benefits.
- Welcome blurb (Not a mission statement).
- Persistent navigation to give an overview map of the site.
- A search box for users who do not want to browse.
- Promotions such as top stories or hot deals (max of 4) and features like newsletters.
- Deals (advertisements, cross-promotions and co-branding).
- Frequently update content or link to recent press releases.
- Create a good impression, appealing to everyone who visits the site.
- Don't lose the big picture by cluttering up the Home page with too much noise.
- A clear place of where to start and shortcuts to highly requested information.
- Conduct usability tests early on and continuously during development to prevent costly changes later on. Despite common belief, here is no “average” user (128). The only way to really know whether a website works is by observing user responses in usability tests. Keep these tests simple and affordable so they can be conducted frequently (at least once a month) and the problems quickly resolved. Remember that conducting just one test with one person can help improve the site. “Very often, the right solution is to take something (or things) away that are obscuring the meaning, rather than adding yet another distraction” (158).