Steve was a brilliant software engineer, but his latest project—a grocery delivery app—was a labyrinth of "innovation." To find a carton of milk, a user had to navigate through three animated splash screens and a categorized "lifestyle" menu. Steve called it "immersive."
Steve smiled. That was the highest compliment he could ever receive.
A week later, they ran a user test. A grandmother, who usually struggled with tech, tapped through the app in seconds. Don’t Make Me Think, Revisited: A Common Sense ...
"Read this," she said. "The user's brain is like a battery. Every time they have to wonder 'Can I click this?' or 'Where is the home button?', you’re draining that battery. By the time they find the milk, they’re too tired to buy it."
The next morning, Steve started "Revisiting" his design with a common-sense lens: Steve was a brilliant software engineer, but his
He chopped his "Welcome to the Future of Freshness" intro down to a simple search bar.
Steve stayed late that night, devouring the chapters. He realized he had violated the "Krug’s First Law of Usability." He had built a puzzle, not a tool. A week later, they ran a user test
"That was easy," she shrugged. "I didn't even have to think about it."