There are many Web pages out that poke fun at other Web pages. They list the ugliest Web pages, useless Web pages, confusing Web pages, Web pages that suck, and so on. These places are amusing, but they pose a larger question to those of us who have potentially embarrassing Web pages: Does my Web page suck? And, if so, what makes it suck and how can I un-suck it?

I recently had a reader rip one of my Web pages apart. He said it was poorly designed, and he accused me of using a Web page "wizard" to create it. (I actually hand-coded the Web page years ago.) So, it got me to thinking about whether my Web page was really that ugly. I have a ton of books on Web design; some make me want to puke, and others are just plain mediocre. One that stands out, however, is Steve Krug's Don't Make Me Think.

Rather than sit and gripe about Web pages that suck, or boast about all the wonderful Web pages the author has designed, Don't Make Me Think provides useful insight into the mental process going on in a user's head. This book doesn't swamp you with silly examples. Instead, it explains the best way to display information. It points out what doesn't work, but more importantly how it doesn't work and what would work better. There is a definite psychology behind how we process information on the Web. It's an amazing study--even good reading for non-Web designers as well.

The book is four-color beautiful and very well designed itself, with delicious artwork and text (which explains the beefy $35 cover price). The writing is excellent, full of insight, wisdom, and personality. It's a joy to read, and was comforting to me because I trust Krug's book over any of those pretentious Web pages that simply poke fun at other Web pages. Krug is out to improve, not to ridicule.

I can't complain about anything in this book. It's good execution of a good idea. Of course, there are no HTML or script examples, but there don't need to be. This is not a Web publishing or HTML programming title. The only true drawback is that its title doesn't closely identify it with its subject. Still, that doesn't seem to have hurt its sales.