(Book Review) Don't Make Me Think, Revisited Edition

Overview

Review Published: May, 2016.

From usability expert Steve Krug comes the standard for understanding usability across the web and mobile devices.

Usability principles and how to implement them, user-testing, and accessibility concerns are all covered here in an easy-to-approach way that is fun to read.

Rating:

4.5 / 5

(Great Content, Presentation is Entertaining)

What does this score mean?

Difficulty:

Beginner (Straight-forward presentation, no industry jargon).

Length:

200 pages.

Where to Buy It:

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Check your Local Library:

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What's Good

Introduces theory backed up with specific techniques; virtually every concept that is addressed is backed up with concrete, easy-to-follow examples.
Provides additional resources; when it comes to usability and testing, the author provides us with in-context references, a handy index, and downloadable resources.
Conversational and approachable tone; while dealing with some lofty concepts and the means of implementing them, the author keeps things fun by using simple language, easy-to-follow strategies, and a good dose of humour.

What Can Be Improved

A few technical concepts aren't given examples; while a quick Google search solves this, it initially creates a little bit of confusion about what the author is talking about (i.e. a little bit about the technical aspects/scope of the "Skip to Main Content" links in Chapter 12 would be helpful).

The Bottom Line

Great resource for general usability concepts and basic usability-testing; this book is a great introduction to designing usable components for any user-interface, and gives readers a valuable introduction for conducting their own usability-testing (for a more in-depth look at this, check out Steve's other book "Rocket Surgery Made Easy").
Essential for beginners to UX/UI Design; now including usability considerations for websites and mobile devices, this is a complete high-level overview of the field of online usability.
A cornerstone for your design library; while other books may cover the specifics of design patterns in more detail (you can check out "Designing Interfaces" and "Mobile Design Pattern Gallery" for examples), this one provides a great basis for understanding usability concepts and how to design with them in mind (for just under $30).