Book Summary: Don't Make Me Think

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Don’t Make Me Think was a quick read on the important points around testing a website or app for usability. This is a critical item that needs to be tested early and often, but typically is pushed off to the very end of a project if it is even tested at all.

What is Usability?

Usability testing encompasses a few important items that every website should be able to accomplish. This includes things like whether the website works, whether it is self-explanatory, and whether it is enjoyable to use. You need to do usability testing to make sure that users are actually able to use the thing that you are building.

Key Points

• The website should be self-explanatory and obvious, such that any individual or average (or below average) ability can figure out how to use it without a lot of training.
• The site should be created with a hierarchy such that it can be easily scannable. This means lots of bullet points and not a ton of text.
• Don’t try to reinvent the wheel for the sake of design. Use common web conventions so that things behave in a way that users expect.
• Eliminate noise wherever possible. This means limiting slideshows, animations, pop-ups, and attention-grabbing ads.
• Use the smallest amount of text that you need to convey information. No one is going to read everything on the internet (in fact, most people probably won’t even read this write-up!)
• Use persistent navigation that stays the same regardless of which page you are on
• Use breadcrumbs so users can understand where they are in the hierarchy
• Put a title on every page
• Don’t hide information like your customer service number or prices

How People Use The Internet

• No one reads an entire page. Typically, we scan them and click on the first link that seems relevant to us.
• No one weighs every option on a page and then chooses the one that fits best. They choose the first one that seems good enough.
• No one spends the time to figure out how something works. They muddle through until they get what they want out of it (or don’t get what they want) and then move on.