Don't Make Me Think, Revisited: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability

by Krug Steve

On sites that are built around a step-by-step process (applying for a mortgage, for instance), the entry point for the process should leap out at me. And on sites where I have to register if I’m a new user or sign in if I’m a returning user, the places where I register or sign in should be prominent. Unfortunately, the need to promote everything (or at least everything that supports this week’s business model) sometimes obscures these entry points. It can be hard to find them when the page is full of promos yelling “Start here!” and “No, click me first!” The best way to keep this from happening is to make the entry points look like entry points (i.e., make the search box look like a search box and the list of sections look like a list of sections). It also helps to label them clearly, with labels like “Search,” “Browse by Category,” “Sign in,” and “Start here” (for a step-by-step process).