When comparing The Design of Everyday Things, by Donald A. Norman vs Don't Make Me Think, the Slant community recommends Don't Make Me Think for most people. In the question“What are the best books on web design?” Don't Make Me Think is ranked 1st while The Design of Everyday Things, by Donald A. Norman is ranked 3rd. The most important reason people chose Don't Make Me Think is:
The book understands it's goals and has a clear purpose. How to get people to understand, and accomplish their goals on the site. As suggested by the name, the book is to the point and doesn't waste time.
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Focused on the user
Whatever that's being designed, for whatever purpose, it always has the same goal of being used by someone. This book is focused on that interaction and on why users make mistakes. These principles still apply directly to web design, when design leads users to make mistakes, it will ultimately drive users away.
Pro Cross discipline principles
This book isn't focused on recent trends or properties specific to a certain field, and thus applies to all design. It provides a broad view and allows focusing on the fundamental goals of the user experience, rather than being limited in scope.
Pro Short and focused
The book understands it's goals and has a clear purpose. How to get people to understand, and accomplish their goals on the site. As suggested by the name, the book is to the point and doesn't waste time.
Pro Clear examples
Many visuals and real world examples of good design are provided, making it an easy to understand and read book.
Cons
Con Not specifically for web design
This book challenges the reader to think about the design of all objects, and their user-friendliness/usability. It is not specifically targeted towards web designers, but will help web designers think in a way that benefits users.
Con Poor binding quality
There have been complaints with the quality of binding with the 2nd edition book.
