Don't Make Me Think by Steve Krug. Chapters 7-12

Chapter 7: Designing the Home Page

Things that the home page has to accommodate:
- Site identity and mission
- Site hierarchy
- Search
- Teases
- Timely control
- Deals
- Shortcuts
- Registration
Abstract Objections:
- Show me what I’m looking for
- And what I’m not looking for
- Show me where to start
- Establish credibility and trust
The home page needs to answer four questions (pg 93)
1) What is this?
2) What do they have here?
3) What can I do here?
4) Why should I be here and not somewhere else?
How to get the message out? (pg 101)
- The Tag Line
- The Welcome Blurb
Note: Perhaps ITAC’s site needs a Blurb?
Pull Downs and Drop Downs
- You have to seek them out
- Hard to scan
- They’re twitchy


Chapter 8: Why most web design teams arguments about usability are a waste of time and how to avoid them.

Left to their own devices, web development teams aren’t notoriously successful at making decisions about usability questions. Most teams end up spending a lot of precious time rehashing the same issues over and over.


Chapter 9: Usability testing on 10 cents a day.

Focus groups are not a usability test!
Focus Group: People react to ideas and designs. React to each other’s ideas.
Usability Test: One user at a time (web).
A) Figure out what it is. B) Try to use it to do a typical task. (pg 133)
Several true things about testing
- If you want a great site, you’ve got to test.
- Testing with 1 user is 100% better than testing none.
- Testing one user early in the project is better than testing 50 users near the end.
- The importance of recruiting representative users is overrated.
- The point of testing is not to prove or disapprove something. It’s to inform your judgment.
- Testing is an iterative process.
- Nothing beats a live audience reaction.
Recruit loosely and grade on a curve. (pg 139)
- We’re all beginners under the skin.
- It’s usually not a good idea to design a site so that only your target audience can use it.
- Experts are rarely insulted by something that is clear enough for beginners.
For usability testing use Camtasia to record on screen use. For $1,000 more we can buy Morae (Camtasia on steroids).
Types of testing:
- Get it Testing: See if they understand the site.
- Key Task: Ask the user to do something then watch how they do it.
Note: perhaps we should test our new site.


Chapter 10: Usability as Common Courtesy

- Do not cause the user to drain their reservoir of goodwill.
- Avoid things that can diminish goodwill (pg 164)
- Do things that increase goodwill (pg 166) example: printer friendly pages.


Chapter 11: Accessibility, Cascading Style Sheets and you

1) Fix the usability problems that confuse everyone.
2) Read an Article.
3) Read a book (reference)
4) Start using CSS.
5) Go for the low-hanging fruit.


Chapter 12: Help! My boss wants me to _____________.

Do not ask for too much information for online forms.





This book was very informative. I loved the common sense approach.

DJ