Don’t Make Me Think - Book Review

The growth of technology has enhanced the way we disseminate information daily.

In result, our social culture has morphed into devices that limit face-to-face interactions, letters in the mail and the millennial generation enable to functional without social networking sites. However, this is nothing new to us. In the palms of our two hands, we embrace a world of information. When it comes to information, nearly no one wants to sit and ponder ways to access it. Or worst, wait a good five seconds for a page to load it’s content. When a consumer of the web wants information and mobility, they want it now.

 

According to the book "Don’t Make Me Think, Revisited – A Common Sense Approach to Web," thinking is over rated for those using the Internet, including myself. 

“All kinds of things on a web page can make us think unnecessarily.” 

However, this book focuses on how to allow consumers to use the web without using a depth of knowledge to do so.  

Through research, the book suggests consumers of technology do not like to read. That's why it's important for web designers to cultivate a product where information is easy accessible. It may include easy access to finding more information or booking a plane ticket. The general audience wants accessible information at their finger tips in a timely and effective manner.

The book makes reference our changing culture and ways designers strategically design webpages. The consumer should have easy access to material online where the web page distinguish itself from other web pages but doesn’t completely deviate from the standard webpage where someone is unable to maneuver the site. Indeed, adding creative visuals is the key to setting webpages apart.  

As far as a disorganized cluttered webpage, that is a recipe for the viewer to click the infamous “X” in the corner of the screen and log off. To engage the consumer, according to the book, short paragraphs, bullet list and highlighted terms are all great ways to keep your consumer’s attention on websites. 

The way our social culture access information on webpages is important when it comes to the initial stages of a website. In the coming years, I can’t wait to see how technology is going to continue enhancing the way we perceive the world on the web as an ever-evolving culture.