Everything I Know about Web Navigation I Learned by Running a Yard Sale

1. Everything I Know about Web Navigation I Learned by Running a Yard Sale Steve Krug Built Environments on the WebDartmouth CollegeOctober 30, 2002

2. Who is this guy, anyway • Steve Krug (steev kroog) (noun) 1. Resident of Brookline, MA 2. Usability consultant 3. Husband, father • Advanced Common Sense • Me and a few well-placed mirrors • Corporate motto: “It’s not rocket surgery™”

3. What I do all day • Expert usability reviews • Teach workshops • Occasional testing • Mostly “neighbor testing”

4. About me and presentations • I have a method • Think about what I want to say • Make notes over coffee • Lose notes • Rewrite same notes • Have some “new” thoughts, make “new” notes • Shortly before the “day of”, look for notes • Rewrite same notes • Gather illos and screenshots from all over • Stir well • Today is even more improvisational than usual

5. Today’s Usability Example

12. Compared notes in the elevator • “You can’t stay here without having that problem” • Some kind of initiation ritual

13. How did I get here? • Sarah asked • …nicely

14. But then… • …she told me there was a theme. • Like Beat the Clock • “By the way, you have to do it…under water” • “Built Environments on the Web” • I hate speaking to a theme • Dirty little secret • There aren’t that many things I’m interested in

15. So I started to think, “Trask, radio. Trask, radio.” “This is Forbes. . . . It's just your basic article about how you were looking to expand into broadcasting. Now the same day . . . I'm reading page six of the Post, and there's this item on Bobby Stein the radio talk show guy. . . . He's hosting this charity auction that night--real blue bloods. Now I turn the page to Suzy who does the society stuff and there's this picture of your daughter . . . and she's helping to organize the charity ball. So I started to think, ‘Trask, radio. Trask, radio.’ And then I hooked up with Jack, and he came on board with Metro. And so now, here we are.” Melanie Griffith inWorking Girl

16. I’d been meaning to write an article • We’ve had three yard sales in past 5 years • Division of labor • Melanie deals with the crowd • She’s a people person • I do signage • Don’t ask what this says about me • My responsibility is to get people to the goods • “Bodies in the tent” • Web sites are publishing/show biz

28. Points to Ponder • You have to lead them by the hand • Web: It’s not the number of clicks, it’s the confidence level that you’re [still] headed in the right direction • Big, bold arrows instill confidence

31. Points to Ponder • Know what can be read at the given distance, speed • Walking (bulletin boards, trees by sidewalks) • Pausing (intersections) • Driving • Residential street • Parkway (huge sign) • Web: Subtle doesn’t work

35. Points to Ponder • Get them when/where they’re able/ready to read • Jared calls it “interruptibility” (or something) • Don’t cross-sell on the first page of your checkout process

36. Points to Ponder • Know what will emerge from the clutter around it • Trees • Other signs

37. Points to Ponder • You need to test • Test from the “user”’s point of view • Get in the car or stand in the road • Just looking from the curb won’t do • You’ll often be fooled • Same reason why you need to do user testing of a site • Live tests of different colors, sizes, amounts of text • Amazon does lots of live trials

39. Points to Ponder • Know what info people need to decide to follow the arrows • Date (happening now, or come back later, or over) • Contents • Suggest the goods you have • “Yard Sale” may do it • “Estate Sale” means something different • “Multi-family Yard Sale” • Toys, Furniture • Other questions they have in mind • “Helen’s not moving” • Make it human, engaging, distinctive • Web: Know what info they need to decide to click the link

40. Points to Ponder • It’s all about compromise • Legacy data

41. My definition of “legacy data”

49. Anonymous flames go to… Email: skrug@sensible.com www.sensible.com

50. © 2002 Steve Krug Any use of this material without the express consent of the New York Yankees and Major League Baseball is prohibited