Steve Krug Didn't Make Us Think--and Other Good Things about His Presentation

By Karen Field Carroll

In April's meeting, Steve Krug, usability expert and author of Don't Make Me Think! A Common-Sense Approach to Web Usability began his presentation by showing slides of everyday items with "usability issues." These images included a misplaced cabinet in a Starbucks bathroom, and a camera whose physical design encouraged the user to block the lens with a finger. As he talked about the slides, Krug outlined several laws of usability, including:

Don't make the user think (hence the title of Steve Krug's latest book).
Make everything as self-evident as possible. The design of the object should explain how to use the object. If something can't be self-evident, Krug recommends making it self-explanatory-perhaps by adding a sign. By taking steps 1 and 2, designers accomplish step 3, which is:
Get rid of the question marks in people's heads.

The best way to improve an object's usability, says Krug, is to conduct usability tests. He then outlined common obstructions to usability testing:

People make it a bigger deal than it has to be.
Because the task seems larger than it has to be, people avoid doing it.
To overcome these obstacles, Krug recommends recognizing that usability testing is not formal science. What the job involves is watching users work with the object and taking notes.

When conducting usability tests, Krug recommends that designers conduct the tests as early in the design process as possible, and that they view it as a cycle. In other words, work in the mode of test-fix-test until the design is right.

In conclusion, Krug believes that good design involves good testing and lots of common sense.

The meeting for May features Robin Williams (not the comedian), author of The Non-Designer's Design Book and The PC/Mac is Not a Typewriter.

The May meeting is on May 11. Visit www.stc-sd.org/events-meetings to register. See you there!