Web Page Design and Assessment

1. Web Page Design and Assessment Lecture notes Bus 240: E-commerce by Aslihan Celik Bus 240: Web Page Design and Assessment

2. Successful Web Site Strategy • The customer experience is the key driver of success online. • 3-M's Framework: Medium.The Web is a constrained medium:screens are small, modems are slow and users are technically inexperienced. Despite all the hype about futuristic potential online, the true way to succeeding online is to create good customer experiences that work within the constraints of the Web. Marketing.The Web has completely changed the rules of effective marketing. Most importantly, on the Web, brand is the experience and the experience is the brand. Money.If customers can't buy, they won't buy. Make it easy for the customer to give you money. Bus 240: Web Page Design and Assessment

3. Aspects of a good customer experience Clear, concise wording: Customers don't want to read long paragraphs of text. Get to the point. Quick page download: Under 10 seconds on a 28.8 modem, as tested through a public ISP like AOL or Mindspring -- not the internal corporate network. Appropriate page width: Most customers view the Web at 800 x 600 resolution, and some still are at 640 x 480. Choose a resolution and fit your pages inside that width. (Vertical scrolling is OK.) Simple page design: Where appropriate, use simple page design focused on moving customers toward completion of their goal. Don't clutter the page with dozens of features and links that most customers don't want. Few, and small, supporting graphics: Decorative graphics can help create an aesthetic "feel" to the site that supports the brand image. But use these sparingly. If customers have to spend valuable time downloading lots of unnecessary graphics, your brand image suffers. Large graphics only when good for the customer: Large graphics should be provided only when relevant to the customer's goal. For example, if customers click to zoom in on a product picture, the large graphic is appropriate. But never include large graphics just to make your site look good. Jargon-free language:Use wording that customers understand. For example, on a travel site, don't refer to the "equipment" -- call it the "plane." Give clear product names, not abbreviations. A good search: Include a prominent search function, but only if it gives accurate and concise results. Easy navigation: The site structure should be based on what the customer wants, not how the company is organized. For example, a site selling books and music should make it easy to buy both products in the same buying process. The company may be organized into two different divisions (in two different buildings?) for books and music, but to the customer, they're just two kinds of products on the same site.

4. Aspects of a bad customer experience Error messages: For example, typing in the credit card expiration date as "10/02" generates an error on some sites, which want the date as "10-02". Instead, the site should interpret both dates as right, and not tell the customers they did something wrong. Long instructional text: Customers don't want to read how to use the site, they just want to use the site. Give the value; don't talk about it. Excessive technology: For example, don't require unnecessary plug-ins or include irrelevant Java applets. Fatal errors: Don't delete the customer's order. Don't allow servers to give a database error in the middle of the buying process. Distracting screen elements: Don't include text tickers or irrelevant animated graphics. You want your customers to move through the buying process, not be mesmerized or distracted or stopped by it. Irrelevant or flashy features: Don't design your e-commerce site just to make your company look good. Instead, serve the customer with simple, clear design. Typographical errors: Misspellings, grammatical errors and other textual errors not only make your site harder to understand -- they also make your company look unprofessional. Excessive or inaccurate search results: If your search function makes customers wade through thousands of results, it would be better if you didn't offer search at all. Basic Web errors: For example, don't allow any of your links to return a Page Not Found error.

5. The Clickable Corporation Click with Information “Share your knowledge, reap the benefits”. ex: Autobytel.com, expedia.com • organize and “distill” information • focus on your niche • tell the benefit of specific information at front • careful with visual effects • prototype and support your site Bus 240: Web Page Design and Assessment

6. The Clickable Corporation Click with Choice “Help customers make a choice. Watch them choose you”. ex: barnesandnoble.com • be clear, explain in plain English • build a database of customer preferences • use chat rooms • user search techniques • stock items that you sell online • keep the physical store open (?) Bus 240: Web Page Design and Assessment

7. The Clickable Corporation Click with Convenience “Make it convenient for your customer. Make it efficient for yourself”. ex: peapod.com, fedex.com • make long and difficult tasks quick and easy • keep track of your products and services 24hrs • perform tasks that customers don’t want to do • integrate other sales capabilities with your web site • use e-mail to establish dialog with customers: feedback • use state-of-the-art technology Bus 240: Web Page Design and Assessment

8. The Clickable Corporation Click with Customization “Customize your product. Personalize your approach.” ex: dell, cisco • enable customers to design products for their needs • stay in touch with customer trends • establish one-to-one relationships with customers • speak the same language as your customers • integrate all your business processes • make it a one-stop shopping experience • ensure accuracy and compatibility in product design • provide timely, customized communication Bus 240: Web Page Design and Assessment

9. The Clickable Corporation Click with Savings “Share your savings. Build your sales.” ex: Northwest Airlines, BMG music • sell your surplus products at bargain rates • undersell competitors who only sell in stores • integrate traditional business functions into your web site - avoid duplication and speed up processes • spend money to save money: integrate as many of your business processes as possible into your Web technology so that you can realize compensatory savings Bus 240: Web Page Design and Assessment

10. The Clickable Corporation Click with Community “Connect your customers. Create a community.” ex: GeoCities.com • create an online (interest-specific) community • find pools of potential customers who haven’t yet discovered the Internet and bring them online • take advantage of already existing online communities • allow member of a community to develop a sense of ownership and control • hire experts to manage interactive communication • learn changing needs of your community members Bus 240: Web Page Design and Assessment

11. The Clickable Corporation Click with Entertainment “Make it fun. Make it pay.”ex: Broderbund, ibm • make your site easy on the eyes, clever, well written, exciting • dazzle, thrill, keep it fast • put your product or service in the context of family and community: don’t only look to sell a message; try selling a story • never underestimate the power of whimsy and humor Bus 240: Web Page Design and Assessment

12. The Clickable Corporation Click with Trust “Build trust. Boost profits.” ex: Wells Fargo • address privacy issues • stand behind your products and services • concentrate on offering useful information than a heavy sales pitch: earn respect and trust Bus 240: Web Page Design and Assessment

13. Web Site Assessment Ask these strategic questions: • What are the company's goals for the site? • Who are the target customers, and what are their goals? • Does this site help customers accomplish their goals and the company's goals? • Do customers experience something quick and easy enough to bring them back, and keep them from going to competitors? • How is the customer experience? • How does the site performs wrt “Clickable Corporation” criteria? Bus 240: Web Page Design and Assessment