For your convenience, I’ve rounded up all of the FAQ lists from my site in one place. Enjoy!
General
What have you been up to lately?
Mostly working on some book projects. And one of them isn’t even about usability or UX: It’s about writing.
I’ve never made any secret about the fact that I find writing to be ridiculously hard work. In an attempt to spend less time in agony, over the years I’ve found some things that make writing easier (no, not alcohol), and produce better results—things I wish someone had told me back when I started out. And for a while now I’ve been trying to shape them into a book.
If you want to know more, check out my blog post about the writing book project, or the What have I been up to category, or my twitter feed (@skrug).
Why do you have so many FAQ lists?
It’s true: If you poke around a little, you’ll discover that I’ve got an FAQ list on almost every page of my site.
I happen to think that making it easy to find the answers to frequently asked questions is a good thing—as long as they’re really Frequently Asked Questions, and not QYWPWA’s (Questions You Wish People Would Ask).
And just in case you can’t remember where you saw one, I’ve also put all of the FAQ lists together in one place.
What have you been up to lately?
Mostly working on some book projects. And one of them isn’t even about usability or UX: It’s about writing.
I’ve never made any secret about the fact that I find writing to be ridiculously hard work. In an attempt to spend less time in agony, over the years I’ve found some things that make writing easier (no, not alcohol), and produce better results—things I wish someone had told me back when I started out. And for a while now I’ve been trying to shape them into a book.
If you want to know more, check out my blog post about the writing book project, or the What have I been up to category, or my twitter feed (@skrug).
How can I get in touch with you?
The best way to contact me is by email. (I may never see a twitter DM, for instance.)
You’ll find details on the Contact page, but please do us both a favor and read the FAQ list there before you write.
Don’t Make Me Think
I’ve been doing Web design (or development, marketing, etc.) for a long time. Won’t this be too basic for me?
As one Amazon reviewer said:
“If you’re new to web design, you’ll learn TONS; if you’re a seasoned pro, you’ll get a solid refresher and maybe even pick up on a few new things.”
A lot of UX professionals tell me they leaf through it again every time they start a new project, just to remind themselves of all the “common sense” that they tend to forget.
What's the current edition? Is there a new one in the works?
I may do another edition someday, but it’s an awful lot of work, so it won’t be soon.
Is this just about Web sites?
Not anymore.
When I first wrote it in 2010, I focused on the usability of web sites because that’s what most people were building.
But in the third edition, I expanded it to show that it applied to almost anything that people use. Web, mobile, and desktop applications are obvious candidates, but it’s just as effective for things like PowerPoint presentations and election ballots.
As Burak Yigit Kaya (@madbyk) tweeted recently:
“I seriously think everyone who builds or participates in building things should read the classic “Don’t Make Me Think” by @skrug.
And I really mean ‘things’ not just ‘web things’.”
Rocket Surgery Made Easy
What's the difference between this and Don't Make Me Think?
- Don’t Make Me Think is a book about how to think about usability. It’s an introduction to usability/UX/user-centered design principles.
- Rocket Surgery is about how to do usability. It’s a how-to book that shows you how to do your own simple, fast, effective usability tests.
There is some overlap, because Think also explains what usability testing is and why you should do it. But the books are really very different.
I’m not going to be doing usability tests myself. Do I need this?
If you manage people who do testing, I’d definitely recommend reading it, since it may show you a better way for them to work. (You might even end up buying copies for them to read.)
Does this only work for testing Web sites? What about apps, for instance?
The book focuses mostly on testing Web sites a) to keep it short and uncomplicated, and b) because when I wrote it in 2010 web sites were much more widely used than apps.
But the same method can be used to improve almost anything that people use. Web, mobile, and desktop applications are obvious candidates, but it’s just as effective for things like PowerPoint presentations and election ballots.
On the Downloads page, you’ll find test scripts I’ve added specifically for testing mobile web sites and apps.
Are you suggesting that amateurs can do testing as well as experienced professionals?
No. Professionals will always (well, nearly always) be able to do a better job.
A professional
- will have valuable experience setting up and facilitating a test
- has usually seen the same usability problems many times and knows a lot about how to fix them, and
- may be in a better position to spell out unpleasant truths.
My point is that almost all amateurs can do a good job (good enough to be very valuable), and there are rarely enough professionals available to do as much testing as is needed. Getting it done is far more important than doing it “perfectly.”
About me
How did you end up doing what you do?
My “career” has definitely not been a straight line.
- Set out to replace Don Herbert of the tv show Watch Mr. Wizard (think Bill Nye, only in the 1950s) when he retired.
- Got an English Lit degree in college, after having to quit Physics because nobody explained calculus to me. (It’s a long story.)
- Got a job as a proofreader from a friend who ran a typesetting shop. (After all, I did have a degree in English.)
- Learned about computers while running the typesetting equipment.
- Started writing computer manuals when a friend who was a tech writer had more work than she could do herself. (She literally said, “After all, you have a degree in English.”) Spent ten years as a tech writer.
- Etc., etc.
For the rest of the story, For the rest of the story, check out this lovely chat I had with New Zealand UXer Brendan Jarvis on his podcast (The Space InBetween), where he walked me through my whole UX career.
Why did you write your bio in the third person?
Good question. Believe it or not, I spent a lot of time (way too much time) trying to decide which way to write it (“Steve Krug is…” or “I’m…”).
I suppose I settled on third person because a bio is inherently sort of “braggy” (“Steve was born in a log cabin, but grew up to be….”), so it sounds a little better if it seems like someone else is saying it.
What have you been up to lately?
Mostly working on some book projects. And one of them isn’t even about usability or UX: It’s about writing.
I’ve never made any secret about the fact that I find writing to be ridiculously hard work. In an attempt to spend less time in agony, over the years I’ve found some things that make writing easier (no, not alcohol), and produce better results—things I wish someone had told me back when I started out. And for a while now I’ve been trying to shape them into a book.
If you want to know more, check out my blog post about the writing book project, or the What have I been up to category, or my twitter feed (@skrug).
Downloads
If I translate one of these files into my language, will you add it here for others to use?
Yes, thanks. That would be great. Contact me at skrug@sensible.com and I’ll send you some details about doing it.
Can I share these files with friends and co-workers?
Yes. Feel free to share them directly with individuals, but please don’t post the files anywhere online. Instead, post a link to this page.
(If you post a copy somewhere, it won’t get updated if I make any changes here.)
Contact me
Can you take a quick look at my web site and tell me what you think?
Sorry. I wish I could, but a lot of people ask, and I’m afraid life is just too short to do everything.
Why haven't you answered my email?
You may already know why. Think about it for a minute.
For instance, did you ask me to do your homework assignment for you? (People actually do this, a lot: “Could you please answer these three questions?”)
Or did you ask me if I could just take a quick look at your web site and tell you what I think? (See the next FAQ.)
And sometimes life just gets so crowded with “stuff” that even if I want to answer your email, it can take me a very long time to get around to everyone. Don’t necessariliy give up hope; you may hear from me months later.
How do I get started in the exciting, high paying field of UX/usability?
I’m afraid I don’t have much useful advice to offer because I got into the business a long time ago when there were no real job requirements and very little competition. The truth is I don’t think I could get a job like mine nowadays.
You’ve probably already tried or thought of the things I’d recommend.
But I do have one very good piece of advice in my blog that I learned from someone else.
Do you still teach workshops?
I taught workshops for years, and loved doing it.
But since UX has boomed there are an awful lot of people out there offering them, and since I have a bunch of other things I really want to do, I don’t teach public workshops anymore.
But I can still sometimes be talked into doing an in-house workshop—remotely, for the time being—to teach your team how to do usability testing. It costs about $15k for a full day workshop. Send me email if you’re interested.
I sent you a DM on twitter, but you never replied. What's up with that?
Two things:
- I don’t check twitter very often, and
- I’m not a big fan of “chatting” via DM.
If you want to get my attention, it’s much better to send me an email.
Hi Mr Krug!
I’m a big fan of your work, “Don’t make me think” is definitely one of my references.
I’m a UX designer and most of my work is on web apps not websites. I’m constantly researching for the best practices on usability testing but most of the information I can find is always related to web sites and not web apps. Even if they are similar they are definitely not the same.
I was wonder if you have any reference of guidelines regarding web apps and not websites and in what sense do you consider different, off course if you agree with me that they require different approaches.
Thank you so much in advance.
I’m counting in attending in UX:LX master next February maybe we’ll meet there 🙂
Alexandra…
Thanks for the kind words. The idea of having “fans” is something I never envisioned for myself, but it’s certainly fun, and I’m very grateful for it.
The fact is, I tend to believe–probably more than most people–that usability testing is pretty much the same regardless of what you’re testing: Give someone some tasks to do, get them to think aloud while they do them, then watch, listen, and learn about what confuses them.
There are differences, of course, but right this moment I’m having an even harder time than usual thinking of good examples. 🙂 When something comes to me, I’ll try to remember to come back and add to this.
I was curious about one thing, though: You mention web apps vs. web sites. Do you really mean web apps (things that, say, run in a browser) as opposed to mobile apps? What kind are you working on?
And if you do end up making it to UX:LX, please ping me then. (Too bad it doesn’t involve actually being in Lisbon. I presented at the first UXLX years ago, and it was wonderful to be there. Maybe again someday.)
Permission to Use Some of Your Content with Citations for Non-published Doctoral Work
Hi Steve,
I have long been an admirer of your usability work. In fact I have purchased every edition of Don’t Make Me Think! I bought the first edition when I was the director of eConsumer Health for Merck/Schering Plough in 2000. So, obviously, I am a fan,
For my “retirement job” I am a writer for Georgia Southern Magazine, website content, press releases and other stories for Georgia Southern’s Office of Communications and Marketing.
In my off-hours I am a third year doctoral student in curriculum studies. It’s nothing like it sounds. Curriculum studies deals with theoretical frameworks, social justice and lived experience in education. It’s all very interesting.
For one of my classes, Advanced Seminar in Instructional Technology, I am supposed to develop a simple learning module in Google Sites. I have been promoting your theory of “don’t make me think” to the other students in the class. They are predominantly high school and college educators who have no introduction to usability – but many have taught online since the pandemic. So the fake module I am developing is all about the subject, “Usability for Educators”. This module is not for consumption by the general public. It is simply a doctoral class assignment to be shared and discussed among the eight other people in the class.
I plan to use several examples from your latest book, with of course, appropriate citations for your work, as is the custom for doctoral papers and other writings. It is not going to be published.
I just wanted you to know what I was doing in case the module should find its way to you somehow . And, of course I wanted to thank you for your work!
Thanks very much!
Liz
PS- You’re email didn’t work!