Still without a doubt one of my favourite web reads and always worth a revisit – ‘Don’t Make Me Think!: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability’ by Steve Krug.
Here’s some of my favourite quotes from the book.
1. “Don’t make me think”
Users shouldn’t have to puzzle over finding the content they’re looking for. They’ll quickly move on if they can’t find what they’re after.
2. “It doesn’t matter how many times I have to click, as long as each click is a mindless, unambiguous choice.”
The research has been done – fewer clicks don’t necessarily make users happier. What’s important is clear navigation, with well written links and ‘signposting pages’ that take users on a smooth journey to the information they want or task they’re seeking to do.
3. “Get rid of half the words on each page, then get rid of half of what’s left.”
Less is more when it comes to web content. Web users don’t read pages they scan them – looking for keywords or phrases, which leads nicely onto the next quote…
4. “Happy talk must die”
Users don’t have time for small talk. They are looking to complete a task. Content should be concise – lose the ‘fluff’.
5. “If you want a great site, you’ve got to test. After you’ve worked on a site for even a few weeks, you can’t see it freshly any more You know too much. The only way to find out if it really works is to test it.”
We might know our websites back to front but this could be a downfall when it comes to usability. Users should be involved in testing our sites as much as possible.
You can read much more common sense on Steve Krug’s website.
Just wanted to say thanks for this and that I shared this with my team at the University of Kent.
Luca