Steve Krug City University London 3 October 2011 I’m just a guy with a hammer

Public Service Announcement: Do not shake hands with this guy >

© 2001 Steve Krug Who is he, anyway?  Steve Krug (steev kroog) (noun) 1. Son, husband, father 2. Resident of Brookline, MA 3. Usability consultant  Advanced Common Sense  Me and a few well-placed mirrors  Corporate motto: “It’s not rocket surgery™”  Nice clients  Lexus.com  Bloomberg.com  Technology Review

So, it’s 2011, right?  Why usability?  We’ve learned our lesson © 2001 Steve Krug

Even when I’m just minding my own business © 2001 Steve Krug

Things yell at me © 2001 Steve Krug

Assert their dominance over me © 2001 Steve Krug

And treat me badly when I comply © 2001 Steve Krug

If Don Norman was writing it today © 2001 Steve Krug

It wouldn’t be elevators and doors © 2001 Steve Krug

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Show of hands  Help me calibrate  Have read Don’t Make Me Think?  Wondering when I’ll write another book? © 2001 Steve Krug

Surprise! © 2001 Steve Krug

Let’s go back eleven years  I was trying to figure out what advice to give

© 2001 Steve Krug

“My ideal home page,” as told by…

© 2001 Steve Krug “My ideal home page,” as told by…

My solution? Usability testing  Best thing I know of for quieting arguments  Based on watching users, not personal biases  Creates a shared experience  Aha moment: Our users are not like us  You’re too close to realize how little they know  See it through their eyes  It just works © 2001 Steve Krug

What is a usability test?  Watching people try to use what you create while thinking out loud  NOT a focus group  Focus groups are about opinions  Usability tests are about watching use © 2001 Steve Krug

I believe anyone can do it ...if they keep it simple enough © 2001 Steve Krug

Most sites don’t get tested  $$$  Time  Even if there was enough money, there aren’t enough professionals © 2001 Steve Krug

Traditional usability testing  Lab  Experienced professional  8 users, minimum  Big honkin’ report  Weeks of work, usually by an outsider  $5k - $10k  Happens rarely © 2001 Steve Krug

Do-it-yourself usability testing  Three users per round  Three should be plenty  You’ll be doing it again next month  You’ll find more problems than you can fix  No lab or mirrors  Set up a monitor in another room so the development team can watch  No elaborate recruiting  “Recruit loosely and grade on a curve”

© 2001 Steve Krug Do-it-yourself usability testing  Record with Camtasia or Morae (Techsmith.com) or CamStudio  No stats, no exit questions, no faux validity  No big report  Debrief over lunch

And now, a demo test  The smallest demo test in recorded history © 2001 Steve Krug

We need a volunteer  Qualifying criteria:  Have used a Web browser  English-speaking adult  Doesn’t work for AT&T Wireless  It’s painless!  You’ll get a big round of applause when we’re done © 2001 Steve Krug

RSME: The fifteen minute version  Six maxims © 2001 Steve Krug

A morning a month, that’s all we ask.

© 2001 Steve Krug

When this happens:Say this: You’re not absolutely sure you know what the user is thinking (see below). “What are you thinking?” “What are you looking at?” (for variety) “What are you doing now?” (e.g., if you think they’re being silent because they’re reading) Something happens that seems to surprise them. For instance, they click on a link and go “Oh” when the new page appears. “Is that what you expected to happen?” They’re trying to get you to give them a clue. (“Should I use the ___?”) “What would you do if you were at home?” “What would you do if I wasn't here?” The participant makes a comment, and you’re not sure what triggered it. “Was there something in particular that made you think that?” The participant suggests concern that he’s not giving you what you need. “No, this is very helpful.” “This is exactly what we need.” The participant asks you to explain how something is supposed to work. (“Do these support requests get answered right away?”) “I can’t answer that right now, because we need to know what you would do when you don’t have somebody around to answer questions for you. But if you still want to know when we’re done, I’ll be glad to answer it then.” The participant seems to have wandered away from the task. “What are you trying to do now?”

© 2001 Steve Krug Start earlier than you think makes sense.

Incorrect thinking © 2001 Steve Krug

Correct thinking © 2001 Steve Krug

Recruit loosely and grade on a curve.

© 2001 Steve Krug Naturally, we need to test people who are just like our target audience. … people who are a lot like our users. … people who actually use our site. Representative users! Real users!

© 2001 Steve Krug

Make it a spectator sport.

© 2001 Steve Krug

Focus ruthlessly on a small number of the most important problems.

One problem: testing works too well  If you’ve done any testing, you know uncovers lots of problems quickly  This is part of the problem:  It takes far less resources to find problems than to fix them  You can find more in a day than you can fix in a month © 2001 Steve Krug

Problems you can find with just a few test participants Problems you have the resources to fix

© 2001 Steve Krug

When fixing problems, always do the least you can do™.

© 2001 Steve Krug Your motto should be…  What’s the smallest change we can make that we think might solve the observed problem?  Tweak, don’t redesign  Often the best solution is removing something, not adding something

© 2001 Steve Krug

Run, do not walk, to Amazon.com © 2001 Steve Krug

And the companion volume… © 2001 Steve Krug

Thanks for all the fish  Send any questions, feedback, gripes on the Twitter  And come visit

Questions, anyone? © 2001 Steve Krug

© 2011 Steve Krug