The document discusses principles of usable web design from Steve Krug's book "Don't Make Me Think". Some key points are: 1) Users scan pages quickly looking for relevant information rather than reading thoroughly, so design for scanning by using clear visual hierarchy, conventions, defined areas, obvious clickables and minimizing noise. 2) Make important content no more than two clicks away, be consistent, speak the user's language, use whitespace and don't require extra thought processes. 3) Frustrated users will leave a site for competitors easily, so usability is important for retaining visitors.

1. Usability Engineering
Don’t Make Me
Think
A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability
(Steve Krug)

2. So you want a user-friendly
site… what’s most important?
• Nothing important should ever be more than two clicks
away
• Be consistent
• Speak the user’s language
• Leave plenty of whitespace
• Don’t make me think

3. Why do we care?
• Puzzling over things that don’t matter to us tends to sap our
energy and enthusiasm – and time
• On the internet, the competition is always just one click away,
so if you frustrate users they’ll head somewhere else.

4. Things that make us think
• Names of things
Employment
Jobs Job-O-Rama
Opportunities
• Things that aren’t obviously clickable
Results

5. searching
• Do I have to think about how to search?
Keyword
Title
Author

6. How we really use the web
• We’d like to think users will read our site from top to bottom,
then make choices.
• What really happens?

7. Users don’t read, they scan
• Usually in a hurry
• Don’t really need to read everything
• We’re good at it
• Far Side: blah blah GINGER blah blah blah blah GINGER blah
blah blah
• Focus on words/phrases that match our goal (plus trigger
words – free, sale, etc.)

8. satisficing
• Users often don’t take the time to make optimal choices
• Often choose the first reasonable option – satisfice
• Study of fire commanders – didn’t compare options, took first
reasonable plan, did mental test for problems, took action
• Satisficing definitely applies to choosing web pages (no
penalty, easier to click than weigh options)

9. Muddling through
• Users often don’t take the time to figure out how things work
(why? May not care)
• Find a way to achieve goal (even if know it’s not optimal),
continue to do it that way
• May have completely wrong views about how things really
work
• Even true of “savvy” users
• Ex: type entire URL into Yahoo search box every time

10. What’s the lesson?
• If your audience is going to act like you’re designing
billboards, then design billboards.

11. Billboard Design 101:
Designing pages for scanning, not reading
• Five important things you can do to make sure users see—and
understand—as much of your site as possible:
• Create a clear visual hierarchy
• Take advantage of conventions
• Break pages up into clearly defined areas
• Make it obvious what’s clickable
• Minimize noise