“A COMMON SENSE APPROACH

TO WEB USABILITY”
-STEVE KRUG
PREPARED BY,
MERIN SCARIA
 INTRODUCTION
 First edition in 2000.
 Users asking for updates.

 Second edition-2006.

 Our edition in 2013.

 Book is old-13 years like 100 years in Internet.

 World has changed.

 Technology changes.

 Usability-UXD went mainstream.

 How people understand & use things.

 USABILITY PRINCIPLE
 Usability Consultant-things they are working on.
 E.g. -Design for new website.

 Uses it, note places where people get stuck or

confused.
 Met client-decide on which issues to be fixed &
how.
 Get payed.

 Most companies-unable to hire.

 Usability Principles:-common sense.

I. Useful->learnable->memorable->effective-
>efficient->desirable->delightful
 DON’T MAKE ME THINK!.
 Most important thing to do to make my site easy
to use?It’s not-
 Speak users language

 Be consistent.

 Self-evident ,self explanatory pages.

 Thoughts-what? why? is that? How?

 Get rid of question marks.

 Adds to work load, distracts attention.

 You cant make everything self-evident->self-

explanatory->appearance, names etc.
 HOW WE REALLY USE THE WEB.

 Differences on how we think they use it vs other.

 We don’t read pages-scan them-phrases catch
eye.
 We don’t make optimal choices-we satisfice-best
vs reasonable.
 E.g. firefighter-first reasonable plan-mental test.
 We don’t figure out how things work-muddle
through.-never read instructions.
THEY SEE WHAT YOU WANT THEM TO
SEE.
 Use conventions:-stop signs, controls in car.
 Navigation bar, logo etc-designers reluctant to
use.
 Create effective visual hierarchies- large, bold,
related things kept together.
 Break up pages into clearly defined areas-helps
user focus.
 Make it obvious what is clickable.
 Keep noises down.
 Shouting-videos, animations,too much stuff.
 Format text-headings, bullets, spaces, short
sentences, highlight key terms.
 USERS DON’T BOTHER ABOUT
MINDLESS CLICKS
 Till each click is painless & they are on right
track.
 Links should be clear & unambiguous.

 E.g. trying to buy a printer-Home /Office .

 When you cant avoid giving a direct choice, give

some guidance.
 Brief.

 Timely.

 Unavoidable-ensure that I’ll see it.

 OMIT NEEDLESS WORDS
 Sentence should contain no unnecessary words-
drawing with no unnecessary lines.
 Omit words-no one going to read.

 Reduces noise level of page.

 Makes useful content more prominent.

 Happy talk must die-introductory talk.

 Eliminate instructions.
 USE EFFICIENT NAVIGATION
 Headed to mall-buy vegetables-decide on asking
direction or look at department names.
 When you enter a website-

 Trying to find something

 You decide- If browse, go through hierarchy.

 If not found, leave.

 Nav tells us where we are & how to find

whatever we are looking.
 Site-ID, links to sections, utilities-sign in/
register, Home button.
 Search box-use general convention.
 WEB DESIGN
 Home Page:-
 Site identity & mission

 Navigation links-overview

 Search box

 Promos

 Registration

 Deals

 Tag line-description of whole site, clear &

informative.
 Every page should do as much as it can to convey
purpose-enter site not through home page.
ARGUMENTS-WASTE OF TIME.
 Web teams are not really successful in making
decisions based on usability.
 Web developers are also web users.

 Likes & dislikes-hard to check on feelings.

 Think everyone is like us.-sensible people.

 Have different perspectives .

 Designer-elegant design

 Developer-complexity.

 Instead of do people like this? Ask , does this

feature create good experience for people who will
use it?.