In this special episode of Command Z, produced in collaboration with the IICOM of Puerto Rico, we sit down with none other than Steve Krug.

Steve Krug (pronounced “kroog”) is best known as the author of Don’t Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability, now in its third edition with over 700,000 copies in print. Its younger sibling is the usability testing handbook Rocket Surgery Made Easy: The Do-It-Yourself Guide to Finding and Fixing Usability Problems.The books were based on the 25+ years he spent as a usability consultant for a wide variety of clients like Apple, Bloomberg.com, Lexus.com, NPR, and the International Monetary Fund. His consulting firm, Advanced Common Sense (“just me and a few well-placed mirrors”) is based in Chestnut Hill, Massachusets. Steve currently spends most of his time either a) writing, or b) watching old movies on tv (when he really should be writing).

In this episode together, we explore what early web design got right, what modern interfaces may have forgotten, and how visual design continues to influence the balance between aesthetics and usability. We discuss the challenge of prioritizing user needs while managing technical constraints, the role of engineers in maintaining design integrity, and the often-overlooked shifts in the UX industry that deserve more attention.

A heartfelt thank you to the IICOM del CIAPR (Instituto de Ingenieros de Computadoras del Colegio de Ingenieros y Agrimensores de Puerto Rico) for making this interview possible and for their continued support in elevating conversations around technology, design, and accessibility.

Steve Krug Website:

https://sensible.com/