Kian Ryan reviewed Don't make me think! by Steve Krug
Review of "Don't make me think!" on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
Well, this is an absolute gem of a book. I picked this up the day after finishing Beautiful Code and to be honest, really wasn't in the mood for any more particularly heavy content for a few days.
But Steve Krug makes the topic of web usability genuinely entertaing. He holds a light writing style with a touch of wit that helps to keep your attention from cover to cover. Add to that the short size of the book at only a couple of hundred pages, and the vibrant but clear layout and you've got a book that's in itself extremely usable and accessible.
When it comes to the content itself, it couldn't be explained clearer. Steve's chapters are logical and concise, you won't find any waffle in here that doesn't help to communicate the message of the chapter. He uses a adequate number of examples to illustrate his points, …
Well, this is an absolute gem of a book. I picked this up the day after finishing Beautiful Code and to be honest, really wasn't in the mood for any more particularly heavy content for a few days.
But Steve Krug makes the topic of web usability genuinely entertaing. He holds a light writing style with a touch of wit that helps to keep your attention from cover to cover. Add to that the short size of the book at only a couple of hundred pages, and the vibrant but clear layout and you've got a book that's in itself extremely usable and accessible.
When it comes to the content itself, it couldn't be explained clearer. Steve's chapters are logical and concise, you won't find any waffle in here that doesn't help to communicate the message of the chapter. He uses a adequate number of examples to illustrate his points, and even helps to demonstrate how various stakeholders in web projects can all contribute to the usability of the site.
For me, the most interesting idea was of usability testing. Having led a relatively sheltered web life, with most of my work either focusing on small scale projects or internal projects, the concept of usability testing presented as a lightweight process that can be repeated at minimal cost over and over again had not occured to me. Steve presents a framework for running these sessions that elimates all excuses for usability testing to be included in a project lifecycle.
Who would I recommend the book to? Anybody with a stake in web projects. Managers should read it (on one of their first-class trans-atlantic trips), designers should read it and keep the golden rules to heart before they put pen to paper (or stylus to tablet) and programmers/developers should read it to understand the technical requirements of implementing usability. Rarely do I say a book has opened my eyes, but I think I'll make an exception with this one.
