Steve Krug

“The one argument for accessibility that doesn’t get made nearly often enough is how extraordinarily better it makes some people’s lives. How many opportunities do we have to dramatically improve people’s lives just by doing our job a little better?”

This week's quote is by a user experience professional based in Massachusetts - Steve Krug.

He is best known for his book Don't Make Me Think about human-computer interaction and web usability. It outlines the idea that good functioning software or websites should let users accomplish their intended tasks as easily and directly as possible. 

He mentions that design should take advantage of the fact that people are good at taking the first available solution to their problem. So, all the digital platforms should leverage that thought process to make it easier for users to find what they're looking for. In his book, he cites the example of Amazon's website as an example of a well-designed site that allows high-quality interaction despite the site getting bigger and more complex every day.

Additionally, he has also written another book Rocket Surgery Made Easy: The Do-It-Yourself Guide to Finding and Fixing Usability Problems.

Steve has over 25+ years of experience as a usability consultant for a wide variety of firms like Apple, Bloomberg.com, Lexus.com, NPR, and the International Monetary Fund. Both of his books are based on this experience.

Steve is an iconic man because his straight-talk approach to design is why his book Don’t Make Me Think continues to be relevant 20 years after its release.

One of the phrases that he uses in his book is appropriate for all types of website users to date. He describes the people on any website as "muddling through". They're easily distracted and pay less attention while scrolling through the pages. If you, as a business want your audience to succeed, you have to do everything in your power to keep them from getting lost from the main purpose, i.e. selling your products or services.

The book's title "Don't Make Me Think" really means - don't make the user think about unnecessary things. They only focus on things they want to see, the benefits they are getting, and what's in it for them. You want to be very clear about the kind of information available for the users and how to easily navigate through it.

In his latest edition of the book, he added a chapter on accessibility. Some people say that 60% people are disabled and that's why you should design for them. But Steve believes that what matters is you should do it because it's the right thing to do as it improves people's lives.

We applaud Steve and his thoughts about accessibility. There were very few people in the past years as compared to today who believed that as developers, we can improve people's lives drastically just by doing our jobs with a little more consideration for everyone using the websites and apps.

DDSN has been a strong advocator of designing for all people alike. We've specialised in web accessibility since the '90s and continue to implement it for big and small businesses in Australia. We believe that for changing the world, everyone can contribute in some way, and this is our way of taking a step towards that goal.

Today's Quote

Who is Steve Krug?

Steve Krug is a renowned user experience professional based in Massachusetts.

He is the author of two well-known books Don't Make Me Think and Rocket Surgery Made Easy.

He also heads a one-man consulting firm called Advanced Common Sense.

Steve offers in-house workshops where he teaches do-it-yourself usability testing and provides targeted advice to clients on web usability strategies.

DDSN Interactive is a leading web design and development company based in Melbourne, Australia. We specialise in web accessibility and the design & development of agile digital technology. We have helped multiple Australian businesses to adopt accessibility in their digital platforms by designing for all kinds of audiences. We have experience working in sectors like manufacturing, education, associations, and government institutions.

Let's discuss your next digital project today!