Posted by Sébastien Lachance with Comments (0)
Here is, like a promised, my review of Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability by Steve Krug.
First, I know some reader don't like long post, so I begin with the conclusion.
This book is a gold mine. It will be useful for web developer. He will be useful to anyone who is in contact with the development of a web site. And I risk myself to say that it should be useful for anyone who has to design something in any field for an end-user. This is really a great book to read.
And now, the review.
First of all, the book is short (201 pages). But it's a good thing. It goes right to the point. And if a ratio existed for the number of pages versus the quantity of valuable contents, it would be a top performer!
The author use already existing web sites to explain his points and use the "dialog style" where we can read a conversation between peoples. It's illustrated and some part are like a comic book.
In the first chapters, he wrote about the way to get a design right. Where the various element should be positioned to make the user think less and enjoy his experience more, the visual hierarchy, etc. We are scanning and not reading a web page. Important stuff to remember in fact.
And then, he is describing the problem we already (or will) have with home pages. He guide us through the challenge of getting it right and useful for any users. He talk about the way the user think and common misconceptions about it. One part that really hit me, is where he mention that the real person it should benefit is the user. We often forgot about this simple fact. No matter how great we think the web site his, he may not be perfect for the end user.
The chapter in which he explains how to do usability testing with real user is one of my favorites. How to choose users, where the test should be, which equipment is necessary, what to test and which procedures to follow. He even talk about the way to make user feel comfortable. There is no need to spend a lot of money, where we conduct extensive tests with various users. Sometimes, the most basic stuff we can do is right. That does not mean we should not have test, they definitely are necessary. He does a great job at proving the real value of those tests. I really enjoyed this chapter.
Near the end of the book, he discuss the experience for people with disabilities. He points to various references that every web developer should read and why it's important to respect guidelines that would help them. He kind of reminded me that we should not forget about them because it's a lot more work for us.
In conclusion, I believe that this book should be one the classic book every developer should read. I will put in in the same category as Code Complete.