Don't Make Me Think book club questions

1. 1.

   Krug argues that users scan rather than read. When was the last time you actually read a webpage from top to bottom, and what made that unusual?

2. 2.

   Think of a website or app you use regularly that makes you think too much. What specifically is the friction, and what would fixing it require?

3. 3.

   Krug says the home page is the hardest design problem on any site. What do you think makes it so difficult, and does looking at your own organization's home page support that claim?

4. 4.

   The book advocates for testing with as few as three users rather than waiting for a large sample. How does this kind of low-cost validation compare to how your team currently makes design decisions?

5. 5.

   Krug's principles were first articulated for desktop web in 2000. Which of them transfer cleanly to mobile apps, and which need revision?

6. 6.

   He argues that debates about design should be resolved by user tests, not opinions. In practice, how much of the design disagreement you've witnessed has been resolved this way?

7. 7.

   Krug is quite harsh about homepage clutter and feature accumulation over time. What forces in your organization make sites or products accumulate complexity they shouldn't have?

8. 8.

   The book suggests that making something usable and making it accessible to people with disabilities are often the same work. Does your organization treat them that way?

9. 9.

   What is the 'trunk test' Krug proposes, and can your organization's primary product pass it?

10. 10.

    Krug's book has been influential for over two decades, but the web it describes has changed dramatically. Which of his core principles feel most timeless and which feel most dated?

11. 11.

    Don't Make Me Think is famously short — about two hours of reading. What does the book's own brevity model about the advice it gives?

How to run the discussion

• Pick six to eight, not all of them. An hour of real discussion covers fewer questions than anyone expects, and racing the list is what makes a book club feel like homework.
• Open with what people noticed, not what they concluded. Asking for a verdict first hardens opinions before anyone has heard each other.
• Let the disagreement run. The questions below that split a room are the ones worth the time; the ones everyone answers the same way can be skipped.
• Ask the quiet person a specific question. A direct, narrow question is far easier to answer than an open invitation to contribute.