Don't Make Me Think

Every question mark that pops into a user's head — "Where am I?", "What should I click?", "Why is this here?" — adds cognitive friction and makes it more likely they'll leave. The goal is to make web pages self-evident: users should be able to look at a page and get it without spending any effort thinking about it.

Three Laws of Usability

1. Don't make me think. Pages should be self-evident. If something requires a moment of thought ("Is this clickable?", "What does this label mean?"), it's a usability problem.
2. It doesn't matter how many clicks it takes, as long as each click is a mindless, unambiguous choice. Don't flatten navigation to reduce clicks — make each step obvious instead.
3. Get rid of half the words on each page, then get rid of half of what's left. Every unnecessary word competes with the useful words and dilutes them.

How Users Actually Use the Web

• Users scan, they don't read. They glance at each page, scan some of the text, and click on the first link that catches their interest or vaguely resembles what they're looking for.
• Users satisfice. They don't choose the best option — they choose the first reasonable option. Optimize for scanning, not comprehensive reading.
• Users muddle through. They don't figure out how things work — they find something that works and stick with it, even if it's not optimal.

Review Workflow

When reviewing UI code for usability, follow these steps in order. Read the relevant reference file when you need detailed checklists.