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Title: Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability by Steve Krug ISBN: 0-7897-2310-7 Publisher: New Riders Pub. Date: 13 October, 2000 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $35.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.69 (212 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: This One Will Keep You Up Late
Comment: The first thing I thought when considering whether to purchase this book was, "Wow. Could it really be worth ... in soft-cover?" Did I buy it? Well, sure--otherwise I wouldn't be writing this review. And the thing that made me finally decide to purchase the book was the title, "Don't Make Me Think." In a world that values simplicity and ease of use, those are words to live by.
Designers looking for some real nuts and bolts technical information probably won't get much from this book. Actually, tech talk is not what it's about. "Don't Make Me Think" is a friendly, accessible treatise on the principles of Web usability--how to keep users at your site longer by giving them the most uncomplicated experience possible. Will it tell you how to implement your latest Flash creation? Nah. But it will help you discover ways to make your site more "user friendly," and usability is an important issue in building a site that attracts--and most of all, KEEPS--visitors.
I got two chapters into this book and my head was already churning with ways to make my site easier to use and understand, and therefore more "sticky." By chapter three, I'd begun a total redesign of my website, and continued working until 3 a.m. (My advice? Don't read this book unless you're willing to stay up late.) A month later, when all was said and done, I had built a better site and my stats showed that instead of the average 6 pages viewed per visit I had been experiencing previously, the site was now averaging double that with 12. All in all, not bad results for a ... investment.
"Don't Make Me Think" does wander off on a few tangents that have more to do with design and less to do with usability or the psychology behind what makes visitors keep on clickin', and the fact that it wanders from its chosen topic makes it slightly less useful. Still, if finding ways to improve your website visitor's experience is one of your goals, you'll enjoy "Don't Make Me Think."
Rating: 5
Summary: Effective and immediately useful
Comment: My situation: I'm a strong OO server-side developer who has suddenly been thrust into the presentation world of web site development. On all past projects, I've always had specialists on hand to deal with web site design and usability. Now I have to do everything (front-to-back) myself. I needed resources to get me up to speed quickly. This book has certainly fits the bill!
Lets face it, in today's world where we all have to do more with less (in less time), we don't have time to research all we'd like about web usability. Per Krug's 3rd law of usability ("Omit (needless) words"), he's done a fantastic job of doing just that with this book. If you want "the bullet" on good design and usability, this is an exceptional read. There is very little fluff and lots of tangible "meat" to this book.
I found the chapters on how people use the web and how to write for the web especially useful. He brings to light many design techniques I've encountered (as a web user), but I never realized the principles on which they were based. The home page chapter did a great job of highlighting some of the cultural/political challenges assoicated with home page design, as well as the laying out unique design constraints of the home page.
Many technical design books (I've read) do a good job of presenting practical design techniques, but leave it up to the reader to figure out what the underlying design principles are. This makes it difficult to customize techniques unless you understand the principles. I walked away with a good understanding of the general principles, as well as some techniques for designing usable web sites. For me (a top-down kind of learner), this was extremely useful.
While this book is not the be-all, end-all solution, its a great jump-start to web design and usability. It's extremely practical, uses solid real-world examples to illustrate both good and not-so-good designs, and Krug manages to interject some humor throughout.
After reading this, you'll never look at web pages the same way again!
Rating: 5
Summary: Ingeniously Obvious
Comment: I have been either programming or designing functionality for websites for almost 10 years. This book was the wake up call I needed. I can honestly say it has completely changed the way I think about what I do. While most of what is in the book does seem obvious, sometimes it takes having someone tell you these things to realize their importance. I like this book so much I recommended it to everyone I work with and picked up all of the books in the recommended further reading section. All I can say is read this book if you are a designer, developer, or business analyst!
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Title: Designing Web Usability : The Practice of Simplicity by Jakob Nielsen ISBN: 156205810X Publisher: New Riders Pub. Date: 20 December, 1999 List Price(USD): $45.00 |
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Title: Homepage Usability: 50 Websites Deconstructed by Jakob Nielsen, Marie Tahir ISBN: 073571102X Publisher: New Riders Pub. Date: 05 November, 2001 List Price(USD): $39.99 |
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Title: Information Architecture for the World Wide Web: Designing Large-Scale Web Sites by Louis Rosenfeld, Peter Morville ISBN: 0596000359 Publisher: O'Reilly & Associates Pub. Date: 15 August, 2002 List Price(USD): $39.95 |
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Title: The Elements of User Experience: User-Centered Design for the Web by Jesse James Garrett ISBN: 0735712026 Publisher: New Riders Pub. Date: 11 October, 2002 List Price(USD): $29.99 |
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Title: The Design of Sites: Patterns, Principles, and Processes for Crafting a Customer-Centered Web Experience by Douglas K. van Duyne, James A. Landay, Jason I. Hong ISBN: 020172149X Publisher: Addison-Wesley Pub Co Pub. Date: 22 July, 2002 List Price(USD): $54.99 |
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