Don’t Make Me Think is a self-aware guide to hooking an audience. Its greatest effect lies in Steve Krug’s writing style. His style coincides with the various points he chooses to emphasize when developing an effective website. If his writing would have been dense, chances are the message would not have come across the same way. Overall, Krug successfully presented his arguments with credible support, even though I did not recognize who he was. However, I did not struggle with trusting his word. The reason for this, ties back into his style; if he is willing to be up front about producing traffic for a site, then he seems to genuinely want to help me.
Probably one downside to the text is its repetitive nature. I found myself reading points over and over again when the first couple times sufficed. Yet, I understand the effectiveness of a website stems from the connection of ideas. Therefore, the chances of repetition as tactic, increases. Clarity does not fall only with format, it reveals itself in content as well. In order for the site to attract views, it should address questions clearly. One other thing that distracted my read was the various target audiences. I do not own a business that is currently developing a website, therefore, there were certain sections of the text I would have rather skimmed briefly. If I did not have to read this for an assignment, I probably would not have addressed those sections: such as how to perform a usability test. Yet, there was something to learn from that as well.
“People don’t want to be engaged, they just want to get something done.” Krug includes this in an email addressing an employer’s request for a “flashier” website. The funny thing about reading this text is that none of the information is new. However, the message is delivered clearly and effectively, making it appear novel. I find that people are easily frustrated when Facebook changes its style drastically. For example, the new Timeline feature has been sweeping my friends’ pages, but I have not chosen to adapt to it just yet. People do not handle change so well, therefore it makes sense to adjust a site gradually so that one’s audience has the opportunity to adapt in the same gradual pace. I wish Facebook would learn from that; however the site has great traffic and consequently, may feel it has the ability to make such drastic changes without losing viewers.
The important points a website should take away from this book are presentation and consideration. I was surprised to see an emphasis on making a site accessible to the handicap. I think it is necessary for businesses to address that in the developing stages of their websites. This point connects to overall presentation of a site. Something simple I enjoyed reading was Krug’s comparison between website and newspaper formats. I have taken for granted my ability to recognize where the headlines and authors of newspaper articles are located. It is because of that organization that people are able to turn to journalism for clear answers. Differentiating between headlines, home page, search bar, etc. is one of the most important things to chew on when developing a website. If I cannot find these things readily, I simply exit. This then falls into the category of consideration. I understand that the business or author of the site has an agenda; if not, he or she would have avoided making the site altogether. It is an “I scratch your back, you scratch mine” kind of world. With this in mind, I feel that the business or author of the site should cater to his or her audience more so. It is the audience that is devoting time to the agenda. I find many sites are billboards rather than interactive portals for information. I think the best sites are pretty and practical. The flashier it gets, like Facebook, then the more I do not want to invest time in it. So, though the usability testing section of the book did not directly apply to me, I consider it an excellent way of judging one’s audience. The fact that a business would even take time to do these tests shows me its interests go beyond profit. If I ever develop a site for a business, these are the points I would stress come time to develop it.
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