Steve Krug’s Don’t Make Me Think is a book about the usability of a web site.  He takes a “common sense approach” to appeal to users, developers and clients.  I definitely recommend this read to everyone.  Whether you are a developer or client, you will take something away.  Some of the topics can even be applied to other areas, not just websites.  Some of the topics Steve covers are:

Basic Usability

He writes about how to make a website usable for everyone.  Not just your target market.  Some users may understand industry lingo, while others will have no clue what you are discussing.  Some users will know to click this image or that image, but other users may think it is just that, an image.  Steve does a good job of providing examples with details about how companies made their websites more usable.  I have run into many of the items he mentions.  In the end, you are the ultimate decision maker.  But your clients are where you make money.  If the site is not usable, then you risk losing money.

Navigation

I have run into several cases where someone wants to put navigation everywhere.  They want it in the left column, bottom, right column, top.  And each navigation panel is different.  This just confuses users.  Navigation needs to stay in one place, be consistent and easy to understand.  Steve does a good job of showing the evolution of sites like Amazon and their attempts at creating user friendly navigation.

How to avoid inner office politics

One of the most time and money consuming problems are inner office politics.  One person likes this color or this navigation scheme or this page title.  Someone almost always disagrees.  Then you end up wasting time and money trying to make everyone agree.  Steve does a good job of showing how you can avoid these disagreements, solve them early and save time.  There is no right way to build a website.  But many times, there is a better, more usable solution.

Testing

The book has a chapter based on testing.  How to test, what to test, when to test… These are all questions that are answered.  Unfortunately, small companies do not have the time and resources to do monthly usability tests and make changes to their websites. Regardless of company size, I believe this is a good chapter for everyone to read.  You may not be able to make monthly changes, but when you do test you will know how to do so.

Accessibility = Usability

There is some information on accessibility and usability.  I do believe the two go hand and hand.  If a site is not accessible to everyone, then it is not usable.  By programming without accessibility in mind, you will have to spend more time and money to make it accessible.  By developing with accessibility in mind,  you will save that time and money.   Accessible sites need little development to make them work for both visual and handicap users.  In my experience, an inaccessible site, almost always needs to be rewritten.

Inner Office Politics 2

Near the end of the book, Steve discusses how to handle inner office politics when it comes to a higher up.  Developers are just that.  They develop.  They do not make decisions.  So how do you convince someone not to make a terrible decision, when they believe it is the right course of action.  Many bosses have been out of the development game for a long time or have never been developed before.  Yet, because they are the decision maker, they are always right.  Steve gives some examples of how you can sway there opinion and help save your company time and money.

Fin

This is a great book.  It is a little outdated and the site examples are thus outdated.  However, the concepts are still applicable to today’s web world.  I only had one criticism.  Many times, Steve mentions that everyone can afford to do monthly usability testing and continue making changes.  I work with a lot of non-profits and small businesses and  would have to disagree with his belief.  Many clients are purchasing a website as an added expense, while still implementing their current marketing strategy.  The upfront cost of a website and the cost to have someone update that website can strap marketing funds for a time… for a time.  It takes time to see a return on investment.  Once that ROI hits, then the organization can start putting money back in for usability testing.  Big businesses can surely afford to continue tweaking their websites.  I think those with smaller budgets should focus on changes once a year, not monthly.  The point is to continue updating your website to adhere to accessibility and continue to be user friendly.

As Steve says, “building a great website is an enormous challenge, and anyone who gets it half right has my admiration.”