This book lays out some clear and obviously effective principles of usability that I would definitely look over before tackling interface design. Krug reminds us that ‘ease of use’ is easily the make or break deal for any website. “It’s a fact: People won’t use your web site if they can’t find their way around it.” Here we get proof again, that user experience is the key to any successful type of website.

While some of the stuff may be obvious, or maybe just be obvious to me, I found his style to be amusing and a reflection of what really goes on in the head of the designer when it comes to designing and the politics surrounding it. His axioms are helpful for any beginners trying to rehaul a horribly designed website, but they don’t help with any complex problems of interaction. Perhaps Steve Krug willl explain those in another book.

More than finding the book useful for myself, the book is actually a good way to bridge understanding between yourself and non-designers. In fact, I came up with this 1-page summary of his book. Here it is below:

Don’t Make Me Think by Steve Krug – Some Key Points:

Three facts about real-world web use:
Fact of Life #1: We don’t read pages. We scan them.
Fact of Life #2: We don’t make optimal choices. We satisfice.
Fact of Life #3: We don’t figure out how things work. We muddle through them.

Designing pages for scanning, not reading:
> Create a clear visual hierarchy.
> Take advantage of conventions.
> Break pages up into clearly defined areas.
> Make it obvious what is clickable.
> Minimize noise.
> Make choices (w/ wording or graphics) obvious.
> Omit needless words.

Designing navigation:
> Allow the user to browse or search.
> Always provide a way back home.
> Tell the user what the site contains and where they are.
> Tell the user what their options are and where to begin.
> Name each page prominently and place the name in the right place.
> Provide a “You are here.” indication.
> Use breadcrumb navigation where appropriate and appropriately.
> Use tabs. They are wonderful indicators of space and self-evident.

Acid test for good navigation:
> What site is this? (Site ID)
> What page am I on? (Page name)
> What are the major sections of this site? (Sections)
> What are my options at this level? (Local navigation)
> Where am I in the scheme of things? (“You are here” indicators)
> How can I search?

Designing the home page and why it’s so hard:
> It must accommodate: Site identity and mission, site hierarchy, search, teases and promos, timely content, deals, shortcuts, registration.
> Abstractly it must also: make things users are looking for obvious and expose things that users might be interested in.
> It must establish credibility and trust.
>It must convey the big picture.

Five questions the home page must answer:
> What is this?
> What do they have here?
> What can I do here?
> Why should I be here – and not somewhere else?
> Where do I start?