Usability design is one of the most important--yet often least attractive--tasks for a Web developer. In Don't Make Me Think, author Steve Krug lightens up the subject with good humor and excellent, to-the-point examples.

The title of the book is its chief personal design premise. All of the tips, techniques, and examples presented revolve around users being able to surf merrily through a well-designed site with minimal cognitive strain. Readers will quickly come to agree with many of the book's assumptions, such as "We don't read pages--we scan them" and "We don't figure out how things work--we muddle through." Coming to grips with such hard facts sets the stage for Web design that then produces topnotch sites.

Using an attractive mix of full-color screen shots, cute cartoons and diagrams, and informative sidebars, the book keeps your attention and drives home some crucial points. Much of the content is devoted to proper use of conventions and content layout, and the "before and after" examples are superb. Topics such as the wise use of rollovers and usability testing are covered using a consistently practical approach.

This is the type of book you can blow through in a couple of evenings. But despite its conciseness, it will give you an expert's ability to judge Web design. You'll never form a first impression of a site in the same way again. --Stephen W. Plain

Topics covered: User patterns Designing for scanning Wise use of copy Navigation design Home page layout Usability testing


From Book News, Inc.
Krug, a usability consultant who has worked for companies like Apple and Netscape, offers sharp observations, a healthy dash of humor, and straightforward solutions to fundamental Web design problems. He shows how to design pages for scanning, how to eliminate needless words, how to design a home page, and how to streamline design for user navigation. He also reveals why most Web design team arguments about usability are a waste of time, and tells how to avoid them. Includes color examples from all types of Web sites on every page.Book News, Inc.®, Portland, OR


Book Description
People won't use your web site if they can't find their way around it. Whether you call it usability, ease-of-use, or just good design, companies staking their fortunes and their futures on their Web sites are starting to recognize that it's a bottom-line issue. In Don't Make Me Think, usability expert Steve Krug distills his years of experience and observation into clear, practical--and often amusing--common sense advice for the people in the trenches (the designers, programmers, writers, editors, and Webmasters), the people who tell them what to do (project managers, business planners, and marketing people), and even the people who sign the checks. Krug's clearly explained, easily absorbed principles will help you sleep better at night knowing that all the hard work going into your site is producing something that people will actually want to use.


Book Info
A guide for Web designers, programmers, project managers, and anyone else creating a Web site, clearly explaining what is needed to make good decisions about creating a usable Web site that people want to visit. Softcover.


From the Author
Even if every Web site could afford a usability expert (which they can't), there just aren't enough of us to go around. So I tried to boil down what I've learned over the years (principles like "Don't make me think" and "Get rid of half the words on each page, then get rid of half of what's left") into a short, profusely illustrated book--one that even the guy who signs the checks (the one who looks at the site when it's ready to launch and says "I hate green. And there should be more big pictures.") might read.


From the Back Cover
People won't use your web site if they can't find their way around it. Whether you call it usability, ease-of-use, or just good design, companies staking their fortunes and their futures on their Web sites are starting to recognize that it's a bottom-line issue. In Don't Make Me Think, usability expert Steve Krug distills his years of experience and observation into clear, practical--and often amusing--common sense advice for the people in the trenches (the designers, programmers, writers, editors, and Webmasters), the people who tell them what to do (project managers, business planners, and marketing people), and even the people who sign the checks. Krug's clearly explained, easily absorbed principles will help you sleep better at night knowing that all the hard work going into your site is producing something that people will actually want to use.


About the Author
Steve Krug is a highly respected usability consultant who has worked quietly for years for companies like Apple, Netscape, AOL, BarnesandNoble.com, Excite@Home, and Circle.com. Don't Make Me Think! is the product of more than ten years experience as a user advocate.

FROM OUR EDITORS

Exactly how do you deliver great web usability? This book shows you, start to finish! Steve Krug knows his stuff, and this slim volume brings together a career's worth of hands-on wisdom and experience. Discover how users really use the Web nowadays -- it's not how you think. Learn how to design pages for scanning, not reading; how to write for the Web; how to build great navigation; create an outstanding home page; and more. Includes three great chapters on doing your own low-budget usability testing -- and making sense of the results.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Even if every Web site could afford a usability expert (which they can't), there just aren't enough of us to go around. So I tried to boil down what I've learned over the years (principles like "Don't make me think" and "Get rid of half the words on each page, then get rid of half of what's left") into a short, profusely illustrated book-one that even the guy who signs the checks (the one who looks at the site when it's ready to launch and says "I hate green. And there should be more big pictures.") might read.

SYNOPSIS

It's a fact: people won't use your Web site if they can't find their way around it. Whether you call it usability, ease-of-use, or just good design, companies staking their fortunes and their futures on their Web sites are starting to recognize that it's a bottom-line issue.

In Don't Make Me Think, usability expert Steve Krug distills his years of experience and observation into clear, practical-and often amusing-common sense advice for the people in the trenches (the designers, programmers, writers, editors, and Webmasters), the people who tell them what to do (project managers, business planners, and marketing people), and even the people who sign the checks. Krug's clearly explained, easily absorbed principles will help you sleep better at night knowing that all the hard work going into your site is producing something that people will actually want to use.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Steve Krug is a little known but highly respected usability consultant who has worked quietly for years for companies like Apple, Netscape, AOL, BarnesandNoble.com, Excite@Home, and Circle.com. Don't Make Me Think! is the product of more than ten years experience as a user advocate.

FROM THE CRITICS

Booknews

Krug, a usability consultant who has worked for companies like Apple and Netscape, offers sharp observations, a healthy dash of humor, and straightforward solutions to fundamental Web design problems. He shows how to design pages for scanning, how to eliminate needless words, how to design a home page, and how to streamline design for user navigation. He also reveals why most Web design team arguments about usability are a waste of time, and tells how to avoid them. Includes color examples from all types of Web sites on every page. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING

For many years, I was certain that when Judy Garland was told to Follow the Yellow Brick Road to find the Wizard of Oz, it was as clear as an instruction could be structured. Now it has been superceded by Krug's Don't Make Me Think! His company's name, Advanced Common Sense, accurately mirrors the empowering message of his new book. He gives to all that read it the keys to the kingdom of knowledge navigation in the current land of www. (Richard Saul Wurman, author of Information Anxiety) — Richard Saul Wurman

Some books will open your mind. Don't Make Me Think goes further: it will open your "boss's" mind (and wallet) to investing in web site usability And it does so quickly, gently and with humor. So buy your boss a copy. Better yet, take advantage of the volume discount and order it for everyone who's involved in any way with your company's web site. (Louis Rosenfeld, author of Information Architecture for the World Wide Web)  — Louis Rosenfeld