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dendenwen's review
5.0
Quick read that simply and clearly laid out the basics of usability testing. I definitely will be trying out the "morning a month" method and probably will involve the developers on my team in figuring out what we want to test.
kristenbyers's review
4.0
I purchased this book for a class before finding out the textbook had changed since the last time the class was offered. Oops. Luckily Steve Krug's writing is easy to read and I figured it would be a good backgrounder before the course despite the fact it's no longer the designated textbook. Some of the references are a little outdated now (10 years might as well be a lifetime in terms of the Internet). Remote testing is also only very briefly mentioned at the very end. I can see why they moved away from this book as the textbook for my course -- in the age of COVID-19, we will be conducting our usability tests for class remotely.
bwinton's review
4.0
It was a good book, but was less related to the things I think I'll be doing than I thought it might be. Still, if you're developing software, and don't have a User Research department, you probably want to check this book out.
rkcraig_24's review
4.0
I finished this one a while ago, and kept forgetting to mark it as Read! Oops. Anyways, this is a great book about low cost Usability Testing. This book was recommended to me as part of my internship with Hennepin County. It's a great, quick read about Usability testing and why companies should do some low cost, three people testing once a month. A definite recommended read for people interested in Usability testing as part of their careers. Maybe if Steve Kruger updates his book with a mobile testing section, I'll check it out again and update this book to a five!
raerei's review
3.0
Read "Don't make me Think" back when I was first starting and this book is just as good if you're interested in running quick usability tests. I found the chapter on the types of common problems participants have and the chapter on being a therapist to be the most useful in my work life.
A fast read, but were I to start running tests, I'd read it again.
A fast read, but were I to start running tests, I'd read it again.
thompsonsimon's review
4.0
Steve Krug's follow-up to Don't Make Me Think, the go-to recommendation for an introduction to making websites useful and usable, is a similarly bright, light-touch introduction to usability testing.
A lot has passed in the ten years since the book was published, but the fundamental principles hold true that regular testing can improve websites, intranets and other digital tools. Krug argues that this can be done in as little as a morning a month, and buries a lot of useful information in ways that simply make sense to anyone interested in learning how their services are used by real people.
What's more, like Don't Make Me Think, Rocket Surgery Made Easy is the kind of book that won't scare away bosses and can easily be handed on for them to read. With a reading time of a matter of hours and clear, simple techniques that don't require a dedicated lab, you could be making improvements to your digital products in a matter of weeks. The heavier books can wait a little longer.
A lot has passed in the ten years since the book was published, but the fundamental principles hold true that regular testing can improve websites, intranets and other digital tools. Krug argues that this can be done in as little as a morning a month, and buries a lot of useful information in ways that simply make sense to anyone interested in learning how their services are used by real people.
What's more, like Don't Make Me Think, Rocket Surgery Made Easy is the kind of book that won't scare away bosses and can easily be handed on for them to read. With a reading time of a matter of hours and clear, simple techniques that don't require a dedicated lab, you could be making improvements to your digital products in a matter of weeks. The heavier books can wait a little longer.
dannewton's review
4.0
A great introductory guide to user testing. The casual style and jokiness makes it a light read while still giving you everything you need to know to begin user testing.
bryanmanio's review
3.0
I’m a bit torn on this one. While I really enjoyed “don’t make me think”, this follow up seemed to follow the same pattern too closely.
I often found myself noticing he was repeating himself not only from his previous book, but also repeating points throughout the chapters of this one.
The script was helpful, the maxims were nice, but he should have known focusing on specific software while writing this would badly age certain parts of it.
Since this is just a visual process, I’m not sure why he didn’t reference a screen recording of the entire flow in his website, instead of the audio recording of the script.
I often found myself noticing he was repeating himself not only from his previous book, but also repeating points throughout the chapters of this one.
The script was helpful, the maxims were nice, but he should have known focusing on specific software while writing this would badly age certain parts of it.
Since this is just a visual process, I’m not sure why he didn’t reference a screen recording of the entire flow in his website, instead of the audio recording of the script.
ibeforem's review
5.0
In a past life (or, about 3 jobs ago) I read Don’t Make Me Think, and I loved its casual and humorous style. So when I needed to read up on usability testing, I knew Steve Krug wouldn’t let me down. Rocket Surgery has that same easy-going tone, and he breaks down usability testing into easy steps. Also very helpful are the demo and sample scripts available on the companion web site. Before I started, I was daunted by the thought of usability testing, and was fairly sure I would screw it up (or at least, the results wouldn’t be useful at all). Now, I feel a lot more comfortable about conducting my own initial tests in a couple of weeks. I won’t be following Krug’s path exactly, but he’s given me some good landmarks.