You’re staring at a screen. Maybe you’re trying to buy a blender or sign up for a newsletter, but you can’t find the button. Your brain starts to itch. That tiny, rising heat in your chest? That’s cognitive load. It is the enemy of every person who has ever built a website. And if you’ve spent five minutes in a design meeting, you’ve probably heard someone mention the Don't Make Me Think book by Steve Krug.
It’s old.
Well, in tech years, it’s ancient. First published in 2000, it arrived when we were still using dial-up and thought "The Matrix" was the pinnacle of philosophy. Yet, here we are in 2026, and Krug’s "Common Sense Approach to Web Usability" is still the most gifted, stolen, and dog-eared book on every UX designer's shelf.
Why? Because humans haven't changed. Our eyeballs still work the same way. Our patience is still non-existent.
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The Core Philosophy: We Don't Read, We Scan
Honestly, you aren't even reading this sentence right now. You’re scanning. You're looking for a bold word or a header that tells you if this is worth your time.
Steve Krug’s first law of usability is the title itself: Don't Make Me Think. He argues that as soon as a user has to ask "Where do I click?" or "Is that a navigation bar or an ad?", you’ve already lost them. Every time we force a user to make a choice that isn't related to their goal, we add to their "cognitive tax."
Krug explains that we don't make optimal choices. We "satisfice." That’s a fancy word from social scientist Herbert Simon that basically means we choose the first reasonable option we see, rather than the absolute best one. We’re in a hurry. We’re like a person running through a train station—we don't look at the architecture; we look for the sign that says "Platform 9."
The Reservoir of Goodwill
Think of every user as having a "reservoir of goodwill." Every time they encounter a broken link, a confusing form, or a "clever" layout that hides the search bar, the water level drops. If the reservoir runs dry, they leave. They go to your competitor.
You can refill the reservoir by making things easy. A clear "Home" button is like a glass of water. A search bar that actually works is a rainstorm.
The Myth of the Three-Click Rule
For a long time, people in tech worshipped the "Three-Click Rule." The idea was that if a user couldn't find what they wanted in three clicks, they’d quit.
Krug famously debunked this.
He pointed out that the number of clicks doesn't actually matter. What matters is how much effort each click requires. Ten easy clicks that require zero thought are infinitely better than one "hard" click where the user has to stop and wonder if they’re doing the right thing.
It’s about the scent of information. If the user feels like they’re getting closer to their goal with every tap, they’ll keep going. If the trail goes cold, they’re gone.
Why Your "Creative" Design Might Be Killing Your Business
Look, I get it. You want your site to look unique. You want it to win awards. You want it to be "disruptive."
Krug would tell you to sit down and rethink that.
Standardization is the designer's best friend. There is a reason the "Cart" icon looks like a shopping cart and not a treasure chest. There is a reason the logo is usually in the top left corner and links back to the home page. When you break these conventions, you’re forcing the user to learn a new language just to talk to you.
Most people use millions of websites. They spend most of their time on other sites. This means they arrive at your page with a set of expectations already baked in. If you mess with those expectations, you aren't being "innovative"—you’re being annoying.
The Billboard Test
Krug suggests that every webpage should be designed like a billboard. If you’re driving by at 60 miles per hour, can you still get the gist of what’s going on?
- What is this? (Site identity)
- What do they have here? (Hierarchy)
- What can I do here? (Calls to action)
- Where do I start? (Clear entry points)
If a user has to squint or hover over five things to figure out what your company actually does, the "Don't Make Me Think" philosophy says you’ve failed the billboard test.
Usability Testing on a $0 Budget
One of the most practical sections of the Don't Make Me Think book is about testing. People think they need a lab, eye-tracking software, and a PhD in psychology to do usability testing.
Krug says that’s nonsense.
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He advocates for "Lost Our Lease" usability testing. Basically: grab one person, buy them a coffee, and watch them try to use your site. Do it once a month.
You don't need 50 people. You need three. In fact, testing with just one person is 100% better than testing with zero people. When you watch someone struggle to find the "Contact Us" page that you thought was "obvious," it changes your perspective forever. You realize that you, the creator, are the worst person to judge your own work because you already know how it works. You are biased by your own knowledge.
Mobile and the "Krug" Legacy
The later editions of the book (the "Revised" and "Added" versions) tackle mobile design. It’s funny because the principles didn't actually change; they just got harder to follow.
On a desktop, you have plenty of "real estate." On a phone, you have a tiny window. This makes the Don't Make Me Think rule even more vital. You have to be ruthless. If a feature isn't essential, it’s noise.
We’ve seen a shift toward "Flat Design" and "Minimalism" over the last decade, which aligns with Krug’s views. However, we also saw the rise of "Mystery Meat Navigation"—those icons that don't have labels. Is the three-line "hamburger" menu universal? Mostly. But for an older demographic, it’s a riddle. Krug always leans toward clarity over coolness.
Moving Toward a Frictionless Future
The biggest takeaway from the Don't Make Me Think book isn't about where to put a button. It’s about empathy.
It’s about respecting your user’s time.
If you treat your users like they are busy, distracted, and slightly grumpy, you will build better products. Don't assume they care about your "About Us" story as much as you do. Assume they want to solve a problem and then go back to their lives.
Actionable Steps to Improve Your Site Right Now
- Perform a "Squint Test": Look at your homepage and squint until the text is blurry. Can you still tell what the most important button is? If not, make it bigger or a higher-contrast color.
- Label Your Icons: Unless it’s a magnifying glass for search or a trash can for delete, consider adding a text label. Don't make people guess what a "sparkle" icon does.
- Kill the Welcome Mat: Don't use your prime real estate to say "Welcome to our site!" Use it to tell people what you can do for them.
- Simplify the Navigation: If you have more than seven items in your main menu, you’re probably overwhelming people. Group them.
- Fix the Forms: Every field you ask a user to fill out is a chance for them to quit. Do you really need their middle name and how they heard about you? Probably not.
The web has changed a lot since Steve Krug first sat down to write his "common sense" guide. We have AI, we have VR, and we have 5G. But as long as humans are the ones clicking the buttons, the Don't Make Me Think book will remain the gold standard.
Stop trying to be clever. Start being clear.
Next Steps for Implementation:
Start by identifying the "Primary Task" of your most important page. If a user can't identify how to complete that task within five seconds of landing, your first move should be to remove the two most distracting elements on that page. Once you've cleared the clutter, run a simple "Think Aloud" test with someone who doesn't work at your company. Ask them to perform that primary task while narrating their thought process. Don't help them. Don't explain. Just watch where they get stuck. Use those insights to simplify your navigation labels and button placements until the path becomes self-evident.