Building the Product

I keep hearing "don't make me think" but what does that actually mean when I'm designing a screen?

A starting point

It means the user should never have to stop and figure out what a button does, where they are, or what happens next. In practice that's obvious labels over clever ones, one clear primary action per screen, and layouts that match what people already expect from apps they use daily. As a starting point, if a new person needs you to explain a screen, the screen is the problem, not them.

Go deeper

Hand-picked from around the web, each with a note on why it earns your time.

2 resources 2 link-checked Watch Read

Watch

▶️ Video
✓ Link checked Free Beginner

Why we picked it The book gives you the principle, this short official Google video shows you the mechanics on an actual screen. It walks through how type size, weight, and spacing create a hierarchy so the eye knows what to read first, second, and third without anyone having to think about it. It is a quick, concrete way to see "clarity" turned into real layout decisions.

Understanding the Material Design type system

On Google Design Tutorials (YouTube) by Google Design about 4 minutes

Understanding the Material Design type system
  • A clear hierarchy comes from a small set of type styles with deliberate size and weight, not from styling every element differently.
  • Contrast between headline, body, and caption is what tells a user where to look first, which is exactly how you stop making them think.
  • You can apply the same type scale to any screen you are designing, so this is a practical starting template, not just theory.
Watch on YouTube youtube.com →

Read

📖 Book
✓ Link checked Paid Beginner

Why we picked it The most accessible, practical intro to usability ever written, you can read it in a weekend and immediately fix your product. The definition of 'make it obvious, not clever.'

Don't Make Me Think, Revisited

From sensible.com by Steve Krug ~200 pages

  • Self-evident design is the goal, kill anything that adds thinking.
  • Users satisfice: they scan and click the first reasonable option.
  • Cheap, frequent usability testing beats large formal studies.
Open sensible.com →

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