Nicholas Arpaia
MFC 215
Final-Essay
Don't Make Me Think by Steven Krug provides his readers with many lessons to learn
regarding web designing. Maintaining throughout that this usability guide that he has provided is
simply common sense, and that all of this material are based on observations that have collective
conclusions. The first third of this manuscript provides potential web designers with the guiding
principles on which to base the manufacturing of their work. The five chapters designated to
these findings suggest that it is truly the little things that build a designer from the ground up,
which sequentially are indicative of what it means to have a well-structured site.
Krug comes to the conclusion that there are five (5) essential guiding principles to web
designing, which entail almost an ever evolving chain of circumstances. Krug ensures potential
web designers that these philosophies are not only simple to observe but simple to enact and use
to its fullest potential. Krug stresses that the first guiding principle, Don’t make the users think,
is arguable the most important with the greatest realistic implications of an observant designer.
In order to fully understand what factors cause the user to think, it is important to once again to
link these factors to common sense. Many if not all users find any difficulty with a site to be
frustrating, any time the user is scratching his head you’re in trouble “They enjoy puzzles in their
place—when they want to be entertained or diverted or challenged—but not when they’re trying
to find out what time their dry cleaner closes. “.
The second guiding principle the krug brings to the reader’s attention is that of how we
really use the web. As with most things that are designed by one party and intended be used by
another, there will always be some clout lost in translation. Krug simplifies that there are three
simple facts of life regarding web designing. The first being that “we don’t read pages. We scan
them”, the simple fact is that we as users in this day and age are put to the test regarding the
finding of legitimate and trustworthy information. We are literally taught since grade school to
“read between the lines”. The second fact of life according the Krug is “we don’t make optimal
choices. We satisfice”, as a political science major I am immediately torn between these finding
which clearly contrast that of Rational choice. Krug suggests that we don’t simply “choose the
best option—we choose the first reasonable option, a strategy known as satisficing”. The last and
perhaps most important in regards to older web users Is that “we don’t figure out how things
work. We muddle through. The text makes it extremely apparent that we as users very rarely
take even a few second to try to understand even the most basic concepts before we ignorantly
create our own assumptions on how it works and where it derives from.
The third guiding principle suggested by Krug is that of “Billboard Design 101”, in
which Krug explains the phenomena of users and humans for that matter are so frequently
rushing through our lives and the web that be tend to regularly pass the signs put forth by the
powers at will. Furthermore, Krug demonstrates the varies techniques that a web designer could
us to make it clearer to the user that the information is indeed present, understandable, and most
importantly for ‘you’ the designer interrelated. These examples extent to include, but are not
limited to, “stop signs”, “Things are “nested” visually to show what’s part of what”, and “using
bulleted lists”. The forth guiding principles is described as the “animal, vegetable, or mineral?”
with findings that a contrary to the belief by all users whom have become frustrated with
websites clickablilty. If anyone has ever used a site, where you were forced to click you way
through a maze only to find that it had no needed information, it is not uncommon to link that
with the marketability of the site and grow a even deeper hate for advertisers. However, Krug
suggests that this is indeed false, concluding that it is regarded as in the sites best interest to use
the metric of “number of clocks to get anywhere”. Additionally, it is stated that this
responsibility cannot be shouldered by the user alone, affirming that “some assistance may be
required”. However, Krug stresses that this guidance must be limited as to not further frustrate
the user. The fifth and final guiding principle that Krug suggest is the need to “omit needless
word”. Krug frames his meaning of this idea simply as to “Get rid of half the words on each
page, then get rid of half of what’s left”.
Before reading this book, I had read numerous reviews about it, most stating that it was
this book alone which allowed these individuals to not have the skill to become successful web
designers, but allowed them to create a unique perspective that all users resort to primal instinct,
and the web designer must act accordingly. To speak frankly, I originally though it was a bunch
of malarkey, however after toughly reading it I have come to a similar conclusion.