The full title isn’t in the subject line, but check out the Goodreads review and page below. My GR review itself is short, which I think is good when it comes to an instructional book like this one (longer would have meant I had more complaints). If it hadn’t been part of my training, I wouldn’t have known to read it, but it’s a good book with a lot of good information. As I read it, I realized I knew people who might like to use this as a reference and resource as they build or update their own individual or company websites. Just sharing the love.
Don’t Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability by Steve Krug
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This book was given to me as part of my training for a new job, and while it was the older edition, it still contained a great deal of information.
Krug lays out facts about web usability and the best ways to present information to earn goodwill from the end user. He discusses not only layout, but the key things any website should and shouldn’t have in order to be usable. He also talks about how the point behind usability is to make the user think as little as possible.
The information is written in a conversational tone and Krug doesn’t use a lot of technical jargon to trip up the reader. Everything’s presented in a concise manner, and he gives examples along the way, as well as mini “tests” the reader can do to practice understanding the concept. The result is being able to learn and process the information without feeling like you’re reading a text book.
I found this book valuable in helping me learn my new job, and I think anyone else working to build a website and trying to figure out their layout and how they’re going to use their content would find it valuable as well (and I would bet the newest edition would be the same, just updated).
The Romance Factor 