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DON’T MAKE ME THINK A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability Second Edition

DON’T MAKE ME THINK A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability Second Edition . Author: Steve Krug Presented by: Nicole Wilson. Krug’s First Law of Usability : Don’t make me think!. “What is the most important thing I should do if I want to make sure my Web site is easy to use?”

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DON’T MAKE ME THINK A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability Second Edition

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  1. DON’T MAKE ME THINKA Common Sense Approach to Web UsabilitySecond Edition Author: Steve Krug Presented by: Nicole Wilson

  2. Krug’s First Law of Usability: Don’t make me think! • “What is the most important thing I should do if I want to make sure my Web site is easy to use?” • “Don’t make me think!” • As far as humanly possible, when I look at a Web page it should be self-evident. Obvious. Self-explanatory. • Things that make us think: • Typical culprits are cute or clever names, marketing-induced names, company-specific names, unfamiliar technical names • Links and buttons that aren’t obviously clickable • Search bars: how to search

  3. Things that make us think:

  4. We’re thinking “great literature” (or at least “product brochure”) Users reality is much closer to “billboard going by at 60 miles an hour” Three facts about real-world web use: We don’t read pages. We scan them. We don’t make optimal choices. We satisfice. We don’t figure out how things work. We muddle through. How we really use the Web:Scanning, satisficing, and muddling through

  5. How we really use the Web…

  6. Billboard Design 101:Designing pages for scanning, not reading • Five important things you can do to make sure users see—and understand—as much of your site as possible: • Create a clear visual hierarchy • Take advantage of conventions • Break pages up into clearly defined areas • Make it obvious what’s clickable • Minimize noise

  7. Different kinds of users: “Search-dominant” users “Link-dominant” users Everyone else Persistent navigation (or global navigation): describes the set of navigation elements that appear on every page of a site Should include five elements that you most need to have on hand at all times: Site ID A way home A way to search Sections Utilities Exception to this rule The Home page Forms Page names Street signs and Breadcrumbs:Designing Navigation

  8. “You are here” indicators Accomplished by highlighting my current location in whatever navigational bars, lists, or menus appear on the page Most common failing = too subtle Breadcrumbs Show you where you are Give users some sense of where they are in the grand scheme of things while still allowing the sub-sites to keep their independent navigation schemes Breadcrumbs alone are not a good navigation scheme Breadcrumb “best practices” Put them at the top Use > between levels Use tiny type Use the words “You are here” Boldface the last item Don’t use them instead of a page name Tabs They’re self evident They’re hard to miss They’re slick They suggest physical space Example: www.about.com Street signs and breadcrumbs:Designing Navigation

  9. Designing Navigation • “You are here” indicators • Breadcrumbs

  10. The Home page has to accommodate: Site identity & mission Site hierarchy Search Teases/Content promos/Feature promos Deals Shortcuts Registration Has to meet a few abstract objectives: Show me what I’m looking for …and what I’m not looking for Show me where to start Establish creditability & trust As quickly as possible the Home page must answer these four questions: What is this? What do they have here? What can I do here? Why am I here—and not somewhere else? How to get the message across The tagline The Welcome blurb Nothing beats a good tagline! Designing the Home page

  11. The Home page • The Home page has to accommodate: • Site identity & mission • Site hierarchy • Search • Teases/Content promos/Feature promos • Deals • Shortcuts • Registration

  12. Another important component to Web usability: doing the right thing—being considerate of the user The reservoir of Goodwill It’s idiosyncratic It’s situational You can refill it Sometimes a single mistake can empty it Things that diminish goodwill Hiding info that I want Punishing me for not doing things your way Asking me for information that you don’t really need Putting sizzle in my way Your site looks amateurish Things that increase goodwill Know the main things that people want to do on your site & make them obvious & easy Save me steps where ever you can Put effort into it Know what questions I’m likely to have, & answer them Provide me with creature comforts like printer-friendly pages Make it easy to recover from errors When in doubt, apologize Usability as a common courtesy

  13. Thank you Questions?

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