E-Retailers Themselves Unsatisfied with Online Experience, and How to Plan it

When e-retailers shop online themselves, they find the experience barely warrants a passing grade, according to a US study. The report suggests that insiders are very hard on themselves and have extremely high expectations for improvement.

But while they know they should be doing a better job, they believe they do not have the information they need to do so. A side question in the study that asked respondents to evaluate various widely-used web metrics suggested their current tools are not at all equal to the task of telling them whether customers are satisfied and how to build customer satisfaction.

Ninety-one percent said customer satisfaction was highly important to them, however, only 25% were highly satisfied with their current web analytics ability to gauge customer satisfaction and 44% gave their current analytics a failing grade. Usability and the business of making websites user-centred was not raised by the survey and this is a sad reflection on an otherwise worthy endeavour to raise awareness of shortcomings.

The second annual survey and analysis of industry insiders' satisfaction by ForeSee Results, with Internet Retailer, reveals that some of the things web developers worry about the most do not impact upon user satisfaction, and there are other things that insiders feel need attention.

This year's low passing score of 63 (on a scale of 0-100) is up from last year's failing grade of 58, says the researchers. The survey and analysis were conducted using the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) technology, which allows comparisons to the University of Michigan's ACSI reports on customer satisfaction among American consumers.

'This is a snapshot of the mindset of people who really know what the web can and should be,' said ForeSee Results CEO Larry Freed. 'Investors and customers should be happy that these insiders are so hard on themselves. It means they're not taking their success for granted, and aren't just sitting back and enjoying their accomplishments. As long as insiders remain dissatisfied with their performance, they will work hard to make things better.'

The ACSI methodology is claimed to offer the capability of calculating which things have the most impact on overall satisfaction, and in this year's survey, image and account setup emerged as the elements of the web experience that would make the biggest difference to website users. "Image" encompasses things like whether sites demonstrate that they value customers, certain aspects of trust, and overall brand.

At the same time, the insiders are not much moved by some things that tend to get a lot of attention. Content, look and feel, and product information all ranked as the lowest priorities and have the least impact on improving overall satisfaction.

Privacy, another issue that gets lots of attention, is rated poorly by the insiders but has little impact on their satisfaction, revealing attitudes that mirror those of general consumers. Ordering, browsing, and general functionality are all good but could be better.

Clearly, the usability message needs to be shouted louder. All these categories could be planned for, tested and improved by some of our knowhow...

Online videos: Engaging your users
Source: Webcredible, 6 September 2008
 
A guide to using online video on your site to offer more enticing content and provide a more compelling user experience.

The Office of the Future?
Source: Occupational Hazards via Ergonomics in the News, 5 September 2008
 
The office of the future is less about technology and more about physiology.

This year's 10 best-designed Application User Interfaces
Source: NNg, 4 September 2008
 
Nielsen Norman Group recently announced the winners in its inaugural competition to find the 10 best-designed application user interfaces of the Application Design Annual 2008.

Caroline's Corner: Buttons on Forms - where to put them, and what to call them
Source: Caroline Jarrett, 3 September 2008
 
Should you put the ‘OK’ button to the left or the right of the ‘Cancel’ button? Like so much in forms, the simple answer isn’t really appropriate. And yet, who needs another ‘it depends’?

Three Usability Gurus
Source: avangate blog, 2 September 2008
 
A personal view, but lots of good links, especially if you're new to usability.

Ofcom publishes report on Usability Event
Source: Ofcom, 1 September 2008
 
Independent regulator and competition authority for the UK communications industries, Ofcom, has published its report on usability issues.

Get Fit for Remote Working
Source: UN, 30 August 2008
 
BT Business has announced the launch of a practical guide 'Get fit for mobile working' designed to help mobile workers avoid back, neck and arm problems.

Site Visit Interviews: from Good to Great
Source: User Focus, 29 August 2008
 
For those of you for whom the Basic Introduction to User Interviews wasn't quite enough.

Six Metrics for Managing UI Design
Source: Russell Wilson, 28 August 2008
 
A proposal of six metrics to be used for managing a user interface design department.

Don't Judge a Form by its Cover
Source: Formulate Information Design, 27 August 2008
 
The saying "don't judge a book by its cover" reminds us that looks are deceptive. It turns out that this idiom applies to forms too.