If you're designing online courses (or websites in general), Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability by Steve Krug, will speed you along to creating a user friendly site.

We often create Websites from a designer's perspective rather than a user's perspective. The opening chapters discuss site design issues as they relate to how your students and visitors will use your site. Topics like scanning, chunking, navigation, user patterns, page design, copy concepts, and usability testing are all explored through Krug's Laws of Usability -- the first of which is "Don't Make Me Think."

The final few chapters relate to designing, creating, and implementing site usability testing. Krug explains why user testing is so important and provides sample scripts to show you how user testing rounds can be accomplished. Additionally, he takes the time and initiative to explain the potential costs connected to accomplishing your user testing. This will come in handy when you're dealing with administrators who hold the purse strings.

One of my favorite things about this book is that the material is presented following the same Laws of Usability that the author teaches. The book is easy to read and understand. Krug uses plain language (and a little humor) to make his points.

Don't Make Me Think is one of the best books I've ever read on Website design and usability testing. The concepts I've learned have been invaluable in my own online classroom and personal Website designs.

About the Author
Steve Krug is a highly respected usability consultant who has worked quietly for years for companies like Apple, Netscape, AOL, BarnesandNoble.com, Excite@Home, and Circle.com. Don't Make Me Think! is the product of more than ten years experience as a user advocate.


Book Stats
Title: Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability
Author: Steve Krug (with a forward by Roger Black)
Publisher: New Riders Publishing & Circle.com Library
Publication Date: 2000
Page Count: 195
ISBN: 978-0789723107

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