47 books
—
92 voters
Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.
Start by marking “Rocket Surgery Made Easy: The Do-It-Yourself Guide to Finding and Fixing Usability Problems” as Want to Read:
Rocket Surgery Made Easy: The Do-It-Yourself Guide to Finding and Fixing Usability Problems
by
It's been known for years that usability testing can dramatically improve products. But with a typical price tag of $5,000 to $10,000 for a usability consultant to conduct each round of tests, it rarely happens.
In this how-to companion to Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability, Steve Krug spells out an approach to usability testing that anyone can e ...more
In this how-to companion to Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability, Steve Krug spells out an approach to usability testing that anyone can e ...more
Get A Copy
Paperback, 161 pages
Published
December 1st 2009
by New Riders Publishing
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Reader Q&A
To ask other readers questions about
Rocket Surgery Made Easy,
please sign up.
Be the first to ask a question about Rocket Surgery Made Easy
Community Reviews
Showing 1-30
Start your review of Rocket Surgery Made Easy: The Do-It-Yourself Guide to Finding and Fixing Usability Problems
..."I’ve always said that writing is the hardest work I know of and that I can’t understand why anyone would do it unless someone was holding a gun to their head (which, of course, is what deadlines are all about)." ...
:)))))))
:)))))))
Just like "Don't Make Me Think", this is a concise, easy to read, and valuable book that anyone in software development should read. Steve Krug has a way of explaining the Usability Testing concept that can be applied easily. It was an interesting read. I couldn't put it down until I finished it before I landed on a 6 hour flight.
So simple and direct - this book is great! I've done usability tests many times before, but I don't do them all that frequently. This book is like a simple cookbook that will remind me of all the important little things I need to do or consider when I do these test. It will be a handy reference for me! Plus, Steve Krug is funny, which is part of what makes his book is a pleasure to read.
Nicely written but I don't feel that I have learnt anything new. I would recommend it to the begginers, not people who already had a chance to run any usability test in the past.
Read "Don't make me Think" back when I was first starting and this book is just as good if you're interested in running quick usability tests. I found the chapter on the types of common problems participants have and the chapter on being a therapist to be the most useful in my work life.
A fast read, but were I to start running tests, I'd read it again.
A fast read, but were I to start running tests, I'd read it again.
„A designer knows he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.“
The author takes a very practical and pragmatic approach to actually generate actionable results from a simplified version of usability testing that can be done on any website (even your own website).
Instead of involving a large number of people and consuming resources preparing for, and writing large reports thereafter of all feedback received, etc. -- the approach taken will easily generate the "top 3 issues to be solved" from usability testing done as described in the book.
Later in the book, ...more
Instead of involving a large number of people and consuming resources preparing for, and writing large reports thereafter of all feedback received, etc. -- the approach taken will easily generate the "top 3 issues to be solved" from usability testing done as described in the book.
Later in the book, ...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I’m a bit torn on this one. While I really enjoyed “don’t make me think”, this follow up seemed to follow the same pattern too closely.
I often found myself noticing he was repeating himself not only from his previous book, but also repeating points throughout the chapters of this one.
The script was helpful, the maxims were nice, but he should have known focusing on specific software while writing this would badly age certain parts of it.
Since this is just a visual process, I’m not sure why he ...more
I often found myself noticing he was repeating himself not only from his previous book, but also repeating points throughout the chapters of this one.
The script was helpful, the maxims were nice, but he should have known focusing on specific software while writing this would badly age certain parts of it.
Since this is just a visual process, I’m not sure why he ...more
I purchased this book for a class before finding out the textbook had changed since the last time the class was offered. Oops. Luckily Steve Krug's writing is easy to read and I figured it would be a good backgrounder before the course despite the fact it's no longer the designated textbook. Some of the references are a little outdated now (10 years might as well be a lifetime in terms of the Internet). Remote testing is also only very briefly mentioned at the very end. I can see why they moved
...more
This book is purely about usability testing. Not about rocket science. I have no idea what the author was thinking when he decided to name this book “Rocket Surgery Made Easy...”...! Misleading title.
Albeit the weirdly named title, this book is quite helpful for product managers to conduct their usability testing. This book is highly practical and the author has listed down step by step procedure to conduct a usability test for your software. What to look out for and what not.
This book is quit ...more
Albeit the weirdly named title, this book is quite helpful for product managers to conduct their usability testing. This book is highly practical and the author has listed down step by step procedure to conduct a usability test for your software. What to look out for and what not.
This book is quit ...more
Kudos for the Companion Book to Don’t Make Me Think
Rocket Surgery Made Easy is an excellent resource for anyone who facilitates usability testing.
Steve Krug outlines all of the steps, from preparation to execution. He covers variations in the process, whether you are leading testing in the same room as the participant or by remote access. Steve also recommends online facilitation tools such as Go to Meeting and capture tools such as Camtasia.
Not only is this book a must-have; it’s a great read ...more
Rocket Surgery Made Easy is an excellent resource for anyone who facilitates usability testing.
Steve Krug outlines all of the steps, from preparation to execution. He covers variations in the process, whether you are leading testing in the same room as the participant or by remote access. Steve also recommends online facilitation tools such as Go to Meeting and capture tools such as Camtasia.
Not only is this book a must-have; it’s a great read ...more
This should be called Usability for supper dummies. A basic book that can be written in less than one A4 page. Unless testing and usability is something that you haven't heard before in your life and have almost no idea what it is - skip this book and don't waste your time. If you know a very, very bit of conducting any kinds of interviews and know a little of usability meaning - skip this book and get something that provides a more knowledge.
It is exactly what it says it is. Great starting point for anyone starting research. If you have no experience and probably are a engineer or designer or product creator - this is a great starting book to getting your end user feedback. And fixing the website or app accordingly.
I just wish there is more about interpreting results and developing solution. Probably that is experience level. This is great for collecting problems to improve upon.
I just wish there is more about interpreting results and developing solution. Probably that is experience level. This is great for collecting problems to improve upon.
My edition was older, so many of the recommendations in it for specific software or book editions could be improved. As a book, it has some pretty good recommendations about the logistics of user testing, but it was lacking in terms depth generally, such as understanding existing user or tester biases. If you've never tested a user before, but want to set up something structured, this isn't a terrible place to start. But if you're looking to understand testing in depth, go elsewhere.
Somehow I missed this usability classic book (although I started my UX "career" more than 10 years ago with Steve Krug's other classic, the "don't make me think").
Even I did many usability tests in the last years but I could learn some new ideas and tips that are useful in the day-to-day UX work. So for both beginners and senior UX/product design practitioners are a great choice to learn about usability testing in a very understandable and practical way.
Even I did many usability tests in the last years but I could learn some new ideas and tips that are useful in the day-to-day UX work. So for both beginners and senior UX/product design practitioners are a great choice to learn about usability testing in a very understandable and practical way.
This book is a great how-to for usability testing, but overall I didn't feel it added a whole lot more than Don't Make Me Think. Unless you're going to actually run usability testing for your company and you need a more detailed guide, you can probably skip this book. If you want an overview of the concept, read Don't Make Me Think.
Real easy to read, consistent with Don't Make Me Think.
Will start doing some usability testing very soon. I am really excited about the potential and pumped to make it a monthly rendez vous. Even thinking about signing up as a participant (not a test subject) ;-) on user testing web services to try the experience.
Thanks for all the tips Steve!
Will start doing some usability testing very soon. I am really excited about the potential and pumped to make it a monthly rendez vous. Even thinking about signing up as a participant (not a test subject) ;-) on user testing web services to try the experience.
Thanks for all the tips Steve!
Quick, easy read filled with valuable and practical information. Great for reference to come back to when you need a refresh on user testing and great starting point for anyone new to finding and fixing usability problems. Steve offers some useful resources you can download too - forms, testing scripts, etc.
I wish I had read this book about a year ago when we started with do-it-yourself usability testing. We've invented most of the stuff in the book on our own and our methods are surprisingly similar. We even use the same microphone as the one mentioned in the book! But there are still some useful tips and tricks we can use to improve our process.
This is PERFECT for amateur usability testers, or anyway people who want to become that for their organization. I feel like this book is perrrrrfect for librarians who want to test but don't know where to start. This book will literally get you through every step, including the debrief. Highly recommended for beginners!
Good read. Goes over a lot of basic usability practices and tips on how to overcome these challenges when building websites or products. Also awesome the it had usability testing examples too.
Main comment would be that it’s suitable for beginner to intermediates who have not seen the usability methods before.
Other than that would still recommend.
Main comment would be that it’s suitable for beginner to intermediates who have not seen the usability methods before.
Other than that would still recommend.
A great introduction to how to start doing simple usability testing and the reasons behind doing them, while focused on the websites, I can see the logic being extended for application testing too.
Easy reading and the content can easily be absorbed. Even sample scripts to get you started right away on usability testing is included in the book.
Easy reading and the content can easily be absorbed. Even sample scripts to get you started right away on usability testing is included in the book.
User experience testing .. when to do. who to interview. how to plan. how to do. pit falls to be careful about. lists to be prepared with.
Short read over a weekend.
Do it before you build projects and probably do it.
Short read over a weekend.
Do it before you build projects and probably do it.
Absolutely brilliant book! Concise, practical, and very well written. It will give you all the knowledge you need to get started with usability testing in a very short period of time.
I can't recommend this book enough for people looking to get feedback on their websites.
I can't recommend this book enough for people looking to get feedback on their websites.
Simple, direct, and right to the point cookbook for testing website design, at any stage--from a sketch on a napkin to a fully-functioning web site or application. You could extend application of principles and tools from this books to usability of other things. Very practical and handy book.
Quick read that simply and clearly laid out the basics of usability testing. I definitely will be trying out the "morning a month" method and probably will involve the developers on my team in figuring out what we want to test.
It is a MUST READ if you want to enter to the UX world.
I like the simplicity of the book, but still contains great content and it's very clear. The exercises and examples for doing an usability test are great!!
I like the simplicity of the book, but still contains great content and it's very clear. The exercises and examples for doing an usability test are great!!
I had to read this for a college design course, and I liked Steve Krug's colloquial style of writing. It helped make it a more enjoyable required reading, but I would never have picked it up on my own otherwise.
Krug has a such a simple and engaging way of writing that it makes reading his books fun and easy. This is a great read and resource for doing “discounted” and simple usability testing. Will be referring back to this book in the future.
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Readers also enjoyed
Goodreads is hiring!
Steve Krug (pronounced "kroog") is best known as the author of Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability, now in its third edition with over 600,000 copies in print.
His second book is the usability testing handbook Rocket Surgery Made Easy: The Do-It-Yourself Guide to Finding and Fixing Usability Problems.
The books were based on the 20+ years he spent as a usability consultant ...more
His second book is the usability testing handbook Rocket Surgery Made Easy: The Do-It-Yourself Guide to Finding and Fixing Usability Problems.
The books were based on the 20+ years he spent as a usability consultant ...more
News & Interviews
In most historical romances, love and marriage go together like...well, a horse and carriage. But what if the girl part of the girl-meets-boy...
35 likes · 14 comments
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
“When fixing problems, always do the least you can.”
—
4 likes
“You’re not interested in what it takes to uncover most of the problems; you only care about what it takes to uncover as many problems as you can fix.”
—
0 likes
More quotes…
