Google's new 'Website Optimizer': what does it mean for User-Centred Design?

When Google releases a product it can be cataclysmic for the companies that inhabit that area. Google Website Optimizer, a User-Centred Design tool, has just been released. Should we all be looking for a new job?

Google Website Optimizer (GWO) is free, it's easy to use, and unlike conventional user testing, you don't need a research lab nor pay for participant recruitment since you tap into your existing website traffic.

This is how it works - GWO allows you to evolve your site by monitoring live user behaviour. You give it a number of different page elements and it alternates between combinations of them on your site. It then calculates the conversion rates with the live data and gives you a report showing which combinations are the most successful. It's like natural selection - the good combinations win, the bad ones die, and you sit back and watch it all happen. It's frightening how quick and cheap it is to run these tests.

But here's the weakness: GWO only records behavioural information – it doesn't record intentions. So it can show you which design combinations work well, but it can't tell you why. This is where research methods that use good old fashioned human contact come in, such as user testing, contextual interviews and ethnography. As well as observing behaviour, you talk to your user about their needs, goals and expectations. You don't just look at the computer screen, you look into their eyes, and you listen to what they have to say. This gives you a rich understanding of what makes them tick, helping you think beyond your current designs.

Put another way, GWO supports convergent creativity – it allows you to hone in and optimize your designs. While this is obviously important, it misses out on the other side of things – divergent creativity – which involves coming up with radically new ideas that inherit almost nothing from your prior thinking. The old saying "garbage in, garbage out" holds true for GWO - it's only going to give you good results if you put good stuff in. With human contact research, you can turn up with nothing but a blank notepad and an open mind, and you can walk away brimming with new ideas.

So don't worry about GWO putting you out of a job - it's not going to happen. It's useful, it's perfect for convergent design on live sites, but ultimately it's just another tool for your toolbox.


Harry Brignull is a User-Experience Consultant at Flow Interactive. If you have any comments or suggestions about this article then please contact harry@flow-interactive.com

Associated Link: Google Website Optimizer

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