name	dec-krug-laws
description	Steve Krug's "Don't Make Me Think" laws — self-evidence as the goal, mindless clicks over fewer clicks, and ruthless word-cutting. Use when reviewing copy density, navigation clarity, or any flow that forces users to stop and think; a fast gut-check for cognitive friction.
tags	["usability","krug","copy","clarity","cognitive-load","always-on"]

Krug's Laws — Don't Make Me Think

Three blunt rules for removing friction. Apply as a fast pass over any page or flow.

"Don't make me think." Self-evident is the goal. Every question a user has to stop and answer ("Is this clickable? Where am I? What does this do?") is friction. The interface should answer before it's asked.
Click count doesn't matter — mindlessness does. It doesn't matter how many clicks a task takes, as long as each click is obvious and effortless. Three mindless clicks beat one ambiguous one.
Cut the words. Get rid of half the words on each page, then half of what's left. Reduces noise, shortens pages, makes the useful content prominent.

Read each screen and flag anything that makes you pause — that pause is the defect.
Don't optimize for fewer steps; optimize for obvious steps.
After writing UI copy, delete half. Re-read. Delete more. Labels and instructions are where bloat hides.

name	dec-krug-laws
description	Steve Krug's "Don't Make Me Think" laws — self-evidence as the goal, mindless clicks over fewer clicks, and ruthless word-cutting. Use when reviewing copy density, navigation clarity, or any flow that forces users to stop and think; a fast gut-check for cognitive friction.
tags	["usability","krug","copy","clarity","cognitive-load","always-on"]

Three blunt rules for removing friction. Apply as a fast pass over any page or flow.

"Don't make me think." Self-evident is the goal. Every question a user has to stop and answer ("Is this clickable? Where am I? What does this do?") is friction. The interface should answer before it's asked.
Click count doesn't matter — mindlessness does. It doesn't matter how many clicks a task takes, as long as each click is obvious and effortless. Three mindless clicks beat one ambiguous one.
Cut the words. Get rid of half the words on each page, then half of what's left. Reduces noise, shortens pages, makes the useful content prominent.

Read each screen and flag anything that makes you pause — that pause is the defect.
Don't optimize for fewer steps; optimize for obvious steps.
After writing UI copy, delete half. Re-read. Delete more. Labels and instructions are where bloat hides.

dec-krug-laws