"Don't Make Me Think" by Steve Krug

Question 1

You should try, but often you can’t make every web page…

Answer 1

self-evident. Sometimes you have to settle for self-explanatory.

Question 2

Using a site that doesn’t make us think about unimportant things feels…

Answer 2

effortless.

Question 3

The main reason not to force people to think when using your site is that people aren’t going to spend a lot of time…

Answer 3

looking at the site.

Question 4

If web pages are going to be effective they must work most of their magic at a…

Answer 4

glance.

Question 5

We don’t make optimal choices. We…

Answer 5

satisfice, which is a cross between “satisfying” and “sufficing.”

Question 6

We don’t read pages. We scan them. Why do we scan?

Answer 6

1) We are in a hurry.
2) We know we don’t need to read everything.
3) We are pretty good at it.

Question 7

Why do web user “satisfice?” Why don’t they look for the best choices?

Answer 7

1) They are usually in a hurry.
2) There is not much of a penalty for guessing wrong.
3) Weighing options may not improve chances of success.
4) Guessing is more fun.

Question 8

We don’t figure out how things work. We…

Answer 8

muddle through.

Question 9

Muddling through is

Answer 9

1) Inefficient

2) Error-prone

Question 10

One of the advantages of the users “getting it” is that there is a much better chance that they will …

Answer 10

find what they are looking for.

Question 11

If your audience is going to act like they are reading a billboard, then design great…

Answer 11

billboards.

Question 12

We muddle through because…

Answer 12

1) it is not important to us and

2) if we find something that works, then we stick with it.

Question 13

Each page should have a

Answer 13

clear visual hierarchy.

Question 14

Clear visual hierarchy: The more important something is, the more…

Answer 14

prominent it is.

Question 15

Clear visual hierarchy: Things that are related logically are also related…

Answer 15

visually.

Question 16

Conventions are your …

Answer 16

friends.

Question 17

There are two important things to know about web conventions…

Answer 17

1) They’re very useful.

2) Designers are often reluctant to take advantage of them.

Question 18

Break up pages into clearly defined…

Answer 18

areas.

Question 19

Make it obvious what’s…

Answer 19

clickable.

Question 20

Convention calls for the&raquo_space; to be pointing…

Answer 20

towards the clickable text.

Question 21

When you are designing web pages…assume everything is…

Answer 21

visual noise.

Question 22

Users like…

Answer 22

mindless choices.

Question 23

It is not the number of clicks that is important, but rather how much …

Answer 23

thought is required to make the decision to click.

Question 24

Web Navigation 101 is four step process.

Answer 24

1) You are trying to find something.
2) You decide to ask first or to browse first.
3) If you browse, then you make your way through the hierarchy using a series of signs,e.g., buttons, links.
4) If you can’t find what you want, then you leave.

Question 25

Jakob Nielsen calls people who immediately go to the search bar to find what they want...

Answer 25

search-dominant.

Question 26

Jakob Nielsen calls those who will browse the site using its links...

Answer 26

link-dominant.

Question 27

The web experience is different from a store experience because...

Answer 27

on the web there is no sense of: • scale • direction • location

Question 28

Website navigation is about...

Answer 28

* getting from one place to another and * finding out where you are. * giving you a sense of "knowing your way around." * letting you know what's here * tells you how to use the site * gives you some confidence in the people who designed the site

Question 29

On the Mac keyboard Option and 8 will create a

Answer 29

bullet point.

Question 30

Persistent navigation should include five elements...

Answer 30

1) Site ID 2) a way home 3) a way to search 4) utilities 5) sections

Question 31

Every web page needs a ...

Answer 31

name.

Question 32

"You are here" indicators are important. The most common failing of "You are here" indicators is that they are too...

Answer 32

subtle.

Question 33

Breadcrumbs have shortcomings, but are

Answer 33

``` • self-explanatory • they don't take up much room • they provide a convenient and consistent way to do two things: 1) back up a level 2) go Home ```

Question 34

Breadcrumb "best practices" include:

Answer 34

* Put them at the top * Use > between levels * Use tiny type * Use the words "You are here" * Boldface the last item * Don't use them instead of the page name

Question 35

Although Amazon, which was known for it use of tabs, abandoned them in 2007, tabs are still an excellent navigation choice for large sites because...

Answer 35

* They are self-evident. * They are hard to miss. * They are slick. * They suggest physical space.

Question 36

Tabs should have these three attributes...

Answer 36

1) create the visual illusion that the active tab is in front of other tabs. 2) color coded to stand out 3) a tab should be selected when you enter the site, e.g., academics, which would also show the subsections.

Question 37

Take the "Trunk Test." Metaphorically, you have been blindfolded and locked in the trunk of a car, then driven around and dumped on a web page. You should be able to answer these questions...

Answer 37

* What site is this? * What page am I on? (Page name) * What are the major sections of this site (Sections) * What are my options at this level? (Local navigation) * Where am I in the scheme of things? ("You are here" indicators) * How can I search?

Question 38

The first step to recovery is admitting that the home page is ...

Answer 38

beyond your control.

Question 39

The home page is the ...

Answer 39

waterfront property of the web.

Question 40

The comparatively small amount of space "above the fold" on the home page is ...

Answer 40

"choice" waterfront property.

Question 41

Regardless of what compromises are reached in the end the home page must ...

Answer 41

convey the big picture.

Question 42

The home page needs to answer these five questions:

Answer 42

1) What is this? 2) What do they have here? 3) What can I do here? 4) Why should I be here and not somewhere else? 5) Where do I start?

Question 43

On a web site, the tagline appears right below, above, or next to the ...

Answer 43

site ID.

Question 44

A tagline conveys a ...

Answer 44

value proposition.

Question 45

Pulldowns suffer from several problems ...

Answer 45

1) You have to seek them out. 2) They are hard to scan. 3) They are twitchy, i.e., the list comes and goes too quickly.

Question 46

All web use is basically idiosyncratic. There is no ...

Answer 46

average user.

Question 47

Developers and designers are as alike ...

Answer 47

farmers and cattlemen. Farmers love fences. Cattlemen love the open range.

Question 48

Most usability testing gets done ...

Answer 48

too little, too late, and for the wrong reasons.

Question 49

Repeat after me: focus groups are not

Answer 49

usability tests.

Question 50

Focus groups won't be able to tell you if people actually can ...

Answer 50

use your site.

Question 51

The only way to find out if a site really works is to ...

Answer 51

test it.

Question 52

The best kept secret of usability testing is that ...

Answer 52

it doesn't matter who you test.

Question 53

Before you even begin designing your site, you should be ...

Answer 53

testing comparable sites. Maybe even actual competitors.

Question 54

Asking the user to do something and then watching how well they do it, is called ...

Answer 54

key task testing.

Question 55

Asking the user if they understand the purpose of the site, the value proposition, how it is organized, how it works is called ...

Answer 55

"get it" testing.

Question 56

On every web page, the name needs to be in the ...

Answer 56

right place and prominent.

Question 57

On every web page, the name needs to match what is ...

Answer 57

clicked.

Question 58

Three mindless clicks are equivalent to one ...

Answer 58

"I have to think about it" click.

Question 59

Another advantage of users "getting it" is that there is a much better chance that they will ...

Answer 59

understand the full range of what is on the site.

Question 60

Another advantage of users "getting it" is that there is a much better chance of ...

Answer 60

steering them to the parts you want them to see.

Question 61

Another advantage of users "getting it" is that they feel smarter and more in control and that ...

Answer 61

might bring them back to the site.

Question 62

Things that diminish goodwill. Hiding information that ...

Answer 62

the user wants, e.g., customer support phone numbers and prices.

Question 63

Things that diminish goodwill. Punishing me for doing things ...

Answer 63

your way, e.g., dashes in a telephone number.

Question 64

Things that diminish goodwill. Asking someone for information that

Answer 64

you really don't need.

Question 65

Things that diminish goodwill. Shucking and

Answer 65

jiving me, e.g., fake sincerity.

Question 66

Things that diminish goodwill. Putting sizzle in

Answer 66

my way, e.g., long Flash intro, pages of feel good marketing photos.

Question 67

Things that diminish goodwill. The web site looks ...

Answer 67

amateurish, e.g., sloppy and unorganized.

Question 68

Things that increase goodwill. Know the three main things that people want to do on your site ...

Answer 68

and make them obvious, e.g., how to apply.

Question 69

Things that increase goodwill. Tell me what ...

Answer 69

I want to know, e.g., how much does it cost.

Question 70

Things that increase goodwill. Save me steps whenever ...

Answer 70

you can, e.g., autofill information that you have provided to the user.

Question 71

Things that increase goodwill. Put effort ...

Answer 71

into it, e.g., provide helpful information.

Question 72

Things that increase goodwill. Know what questions I have and ...

Answer 72

answer them, e.g., use FAQs.

Question 73

Things that increase goodwill. Provide me with creature comforts like ...

Answer 73

printer friendly pages. People like to print things out.

Question 74

Things that increase goodwill. Make it easy for people to recover from ...

Answer 74

errors.

Question 75

Things that increase goodwill. When in doubt ...

Answer 75

apologize. Sometimes you don't have the resources to do everything that needs to be done.

Question 76

508 refers to Section 508 of the 1988 Amendments to the Rehabilitation Act, which specifies

Answer 76

accessibility standards for information technology that must be met by any vendor that wants to do business with the federal government.