Useful: Does it do something people need done?
Learnable: Can people figure out how to use it?
Memorable: Do they have to relearn it each time they use it?
Effective: Does it get the job done?
Efficient: Does it do it with a reasonable amount of time and effort?
Desirable: Do people want it?
and recently even
Delightful: Is using it enjoyable, or even fun?
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
first law of usability.
“Nothing important should ever be more than
two clicks away” or “Speak the user’s language” or “Be consistent.”
Chapter 2. How we really use the Web
SCANNING, SATISFICING, AND MUDDLING THROUGH
Why are things always in the last place you look for them? Because you stop
looking when you find them!
—CHILDREN’S RIDDLE
FACT OF LIFE #1: We don’t read pages. We scan them.
FACT OF LIFE #2: We don’t make optimal choices. We
satisfice.
FACT OF LIFE #3: We don’t figure out how things work. We
muddle through.
If we find something that works, we stick to it.
Chapter 3. Billboard Design 101
DESIGNING FOR SCANNING, NOT READING
If you / Don’t know / Whose signs / These are You can’t have / Driven very far
/ Burma-Shave!
Chapter 4. Animal, Vegetable, or Mineral?
WHY USERS LIKE MINDLESS CHOICES
It doesn’t matter how many times I have to click, as long as each click is a
mindless, unambiguous choice.
—KRUG’S SECOND LAW OF USABILITY
Chapter 5. Omit needless words
THE ART OF NOT WRITING FOR THE WEB
Get rid of half the words on each page, then get rid of half of what’s left.
—KRUG’S THIRD LAW OF USABILITY
Instructions must die
Chapter 6. Street signs and Breadcrumbs
DESIGNING NAVIGATION
And you may find yourself | in a beautiful house | with a beautiful wife And
you may ask yourself | Well... | How did I get here?!
—TALKING HEADS, “ONCE IN A LIFETIME”
Chapter 8. “The Farmer and the Cowman Should
Be Friends”
WHY MOST ARGUMENTS ABOUT USABILITY ARE A WASTE OF
TIME, AND HOW TO AVOID THEM
One man likes to push a plough The other likes to chase a cow But that’s no
reason why they can’t be friends!
—OKLAHOMA!, OSCAR HAMMERSTEIN II
The antidote for religious debates
The point is, it’s not productive to ask questions like “Do most people like
pull-down menus?” The right kind of question to ask is “Does this pull-down,
with these items and this wording in this context on this page create a good
experience for most people who are likely to use this site?”
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