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Chapter-13

Guide For The Perplexed

Making Usability Happen Where You Live

Summary

Chapter 13 serves as a practical guide for the most common question designers face: “Where do I start?” Krug provides a clear roadmap for implementing usability improvements in the real world, where time and resources are limited.

The key is to start small, focus on fixing the most important problems first, and build momentum. Rather than trying to achieve perfection, aim for continuous improvement through regular testing and incremental fixes.

This chapter emphasizes that doing a little usability testing on a regular basis is infinitely better than doing none at all, and that getting organizational buy-in is often about demonstrating value through small wins rather than making grand arguments.

key Points

The Most Important Question: Where Do I Start?

  • Start with what matters most and what’s achievable – don’t try to fix everything at once
  • Most people feel overwhelmed when first learning about usability
  • The key is to start small and build momentum
  • Focus on the highest-impact, lowest-effort improvements first
    “Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good – just start somewhere”

Step 1: Identify the Most Important Problems

  • Do a quick usability test to find the biggest issues
    “Even testing with 3 users will reveal major problems”
  • Look for problems that affect the most users or block critical tasks
  • Pay attention to low-hanging fruit – easy fixes with big impact
  • Focus on problems in key user flows (signup, checkout, etc.)
  • The 80/20 rule applies: 20% of your pages probably cause 80% of problems

Step 2: Make a Plan

  • Prioritize problems based on impact and effort required
    “High impact + low effort = do these first”
  • Get buy-in from stakeholders before starting
  • Set realistic goals – what can you actually accomplish?
  • Create a timeline with specific milestones
  • Plan for regular testing cycles, not one-time fixes

Step 3: Start Small and Build Momentum

  • Small wins build credibility and make it easier to tackle bigger problems
  • Pick one or two obvious problems and fix them first
  • Document the before and after – show the improvement
  • Share success stories with the team and stakeholders
  • Use early wins to argue for more resources and time
    “Nothing succeeds like demonstrated success”

Step 4: Establish a Regular Testing Rhythm

  • Schedule monthly usability testing sessions (even if brief)
  • Make testing routine, not a special event
  • Test early and often throughout the design process
  • Keep tests simple and focused on specific questions
  • Consistency matters more than perfection – regular small tests beat occasional big ones

Getting Organizational Buy-In

  • Show, don’t tell – demonstrate usability problems with real users
    “Watching users struggle is incredibly powerful for convincing stakeholders”
  • Start with guerrilla testing if you can’t get budget approval
  • Frame usability in business terms (conversions, revenue, support costs)
  • Find an internal champion who understands the value
  • Invite skeptics to watch testing sessions
    “One usability test is worth a thousand expert opinions”

Common Obstacles and How to Overcome Them

  • “We don’t have time” – Show how testing saves time by preventing mistakes
  • “We don’t have budget” – Start with low-cost guerrilla testing
  • “We already know what users want” – Let testing prove or disprove assumptions
  • “Our users are different” – Test with your actual users to find out
  • “We’ll test it after launch” – Testing late means expensive fixes
  • Most objections stem from not understanding the testing process or its value

Building a Usability-Focused Culture

  • Make usability part of the conversation from the beginning
  • Encourage team members to attend testing sessions
  • Share testing insights widely across the organization
  • Celebrate usability wins publicly
  • Make “don’t make me think” a team mantra
  • Create empathy for users through regular exposure to testing

Practical Next Steps

  • Do this tomorrow: Schedule your first usability test
  • Find 3 people to test your most important page or feature
  • Write down 3-5 tasks you want them to complete
  • Watch them try to complete those tasks
  • Fix the most obvious problems that emerge
  • Share what you learned with your team
  • Schedule the next test for one month from now

Remember: Progress Over Perfection

  • The best usability test is the one you actually do
  • Don’t wait for perfect conditions to start testing
  • Imperfect testing is infinitely better than no testing
  • Small, consistent improvements compound over time
  • Every fix makes the experience better for real users
  • The goal isn’t perfection – it’s continuous improvement

Key Takeaways

  • Start where you are, with what you have – don’t wait for ideal conditions
  • Focus on high-impact, low-effort improvements first to build momentum
  • Regular, simple testing beats occasional elaborate testing
  • Show stakeholders real users struggling to get buy-in
  • Make usability testing a regular habit, not a one-time event
  • Build a culture of empathy for users through exposure to testing
  • Document and share your wins to maintain organizational support
  • Progress over perfection – every improvement counts
    “The best time to start was yesterday. The second best time is now.”
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