Don't Make Me Think!

I'm not a Web designer but I decided to Don't Make Me Think! because I could just read and think about the content while traveling. I've found most of the content insightful and this particular bit gives a glimpse of why I like the book.

And the worst thing about the myth of the Average User is that it reinforces the idea that good Web design is largely a matter of figuring out what people like. It's an attractive notion: either pulldowns are good (because most people like them), or they're bad (because most people don't). You should have links to everything in the site on the Home page, or you shouldn't.

Heh - the Average User - I hate it when the Average User comes up at work because it is the same thing: it is the dev / PM / etc. claiming they know what the Average User wants so they can enforce their agenda.

The point is, it's not productive to ask questions like "Do most people like pulldown menus?" The right kind of question to ask is "Does this pulldown, with these items and this wording in this context on this page create a good experience for most people who are likely to use this site?"

Good point - seems like that could apply to the code / end-user issues as well.