Chapter 1. Don’t make me think!
KRUG’S FIRST LAW OF USABILITY
Michael, why are the drapes open?
—KAY CORLEONE IN THE GODFATHER, PART II
People often ask me:
“What’s the most important thing I should do if I want to make sure my site or app is easy to use?”
The answer is simple. It’s not “Nothing important should ever be more than two clicks away” or “Speak the user’s language” or “Be consistent.”
It’s...
“Don’t make me think!”
For as long I can remember, I’ve been telling people that this is my first law of usability.
It’s the overriding principle—the ultimate tie breaker when deciding whether a design works or it doesn’t. If you have room in your head for only one usability rule, make this the one.
For instance, it means that as far as is ...
Get Don't Make Me Think, Revisited: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability, 3rd Edition now with the O’Reilly learning platform.
O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.
