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Dont Make Me Think
Product / Principles · Updated Apr 2026
Steve Krug's law of usability: the product should be obvious.
The Idea
When a user has to stop and think about what a button does or where something lives, you've failed. Usability is the absence of puzzlement. The user should flow through the product, never stopping to decode it.
Why It Matters
- Every moment of thought is a chance to abandon the task.
- Unfamiliar patterns cost users energy they didn't budget.
- Cognitive load compounds — each small confusion adds to the next.
How to Apply
- Use conventions where they exist. Save cleverness for places that matter.
- Labels should name the action, not be cute.
- Show the important thing where eyes land; hide the rest.
- Test with users who have never seen the product. Watch them pause — that's where to fix.
The Trap
Confusing "don't make me think" with "no complexity." Users don't mind complex products — they mind opaque ones.
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