A Customer Experience Moment: Specifically Seeking Sandals

Taking a day off from work in the midst of a challenging project requires, what I refer to as, ‘vacation agility'. I’m out of the office but I carry my blackberry and check email at regular intervals during the day. I schedule conference calls early in the day and utilize the business center at the hotel so the family can sleep in.  It works.  Following this course of action during a recent get away to the Mid-Atlantic, I was unexpectedly able to exercise my usability research skills to gather some interesting design data. 

Here’s what happened...

I headed for the hotel business center at about 7AM, stopping only to grab a cup of java from the complimentary coffee urns boasting Starbucks brews. I was lucky enough to find the corner seat vacant placing me in front of a hotel-supplied computer to check personal email and to the right an open desk area to set up my work-supplied laptop. Through my laptop I could also access all my work files via the technical magic the smart people at my company perform. (Hocus-pocus if you ask me, but I try not to ask too many questions.)

During the second hour of my stay at the business center a friendly man I estimated to be in his late 60’s sat down at the computer next to me. As he browsed the Yahoo news he rattled a few headlines out loud.  My comment on one of the headlines broke the ice and we began to chat.  As I worked, I enjoyed hearing about his company, his family and some of his recent travels.

I also learned that one of his goals that morning was to order a pair of sandals designed specifically to be worn in the water.  He was able to quickly find the online store where he wanted to make his sandal purchase.  He spoke out loud as he navigated through the transaction.  He found the style, color and size sandal he wanted and the price was right.  He added his selection to his shopping cart and pulled out his credit card to seal the deal.

As he proceeded to the on line register the system presented a screen indicating it was a secure transaction and he seemed pleased to learn that.  He entered in his address and credit card information, clicked on Submit button and expected that his sandals were successfully on his way to his home.  Instead, a screen displayed indicating there were errors on the page he had just completed and he needed to resolve those issues.  The challenge was that the issues that needed to be resolved were not specifically identified in the ‘error’ message the system presented.

As I read the error message, I could deduce which fields likely needed attention but based on his talk out loud approach the fields in need of correction were not as evident to him. The trainer in me wanted to immediately respond by suggesting how to resolve the issues.  However the usability researcher in me won the brief internal debate and observed how he navigated through this poorly designed purchasing transaction and attempted to resolve the issues.

There were about five tense minutes filled with trial and error.  And I have to admit at one point, when he seemed to be caught in a looping scenario, the trainer in me did emerge to ask him a slightly leading question to facilitate his progress.  Although after several attempts he did successfully complete the sandal purchase, observing the transaction forced me to question how many other potential customers have had a similar customer experience and how many, unlike in this case, abandon the purchase transaction.

This is a case where reviewing web analytics on abandon rates during the check out process would likely provide insight into the potential value of redesigning the purchase transaction and clarifying how 'error' messages are being interpreted.  In addition, integrating actual customer feedback into the redesign process would provide simple answers to design questions and likely yield significant revenue increases for this online store.

An ATM without letters...

I recently had the pleasure of birthday shopping for my two year old cousin.  With my own daughters well past toddlerhood, I welcomed the excuse to meander around the toy store.  What fun I had exploring some new toys as well as classics sure to fill countless hours with enjoyment.  After several loops around the store, and making some tough decisions between dolls, my little ponies, and various crafts and books,  I brought my final selections to the register.  As the manager rang up the items, I reevaluated my choices and decided my little cousin would certainly be pleased with her birthday surprises.  Mrs. Potato, I thought, would be the biggest hit!

I opted to pay for my purchases with my ATM card.  Being a small non-franchised toy store, the ATM system required the clerk swipe my card into the bank device and then I would enter my PIN number on a separate handheld key pad to validate the purchase.  When the clerk announced the purchase total, I presented my ATM card for swiping.  Once he swiped the card in the bank device, he gave me the cue to enter in my PIN in the key pad of the separate hand held device.  

My PIN is composed of a number and a series of letters and another number.  I entered the first number of my PIN on the key pad and then quickly realized that unlike like most ATM key pads, each key on the hand held device displayed only numbers, not the corresponding letters like other traditional ATM key pads.  Ordinarily that may not be an issue, but in my case, five digits in my secret PIN are letters which I have never associated with numbers.  I attempted to select the appropriate number keys that I thought may contain the corresponding letter of my secret PIN however, when I pressed enter, I realized my number selections were not accurate.  As a result, I was not be able to use my ATM card to complete the transaction and had to resort to making the purchase with my credit card which didn't require I enter a PIN.  

Although the clerk was very patient and understanding, my overall user experience related to my purchase was negative.  Initially I questioned if there was a problem with my ATM card.  Plus it was confusing to be presented with a device which skewed so far from the norm and rendering the transaction unable to be completed.   Now when I think about returning to that toy store, although I had fun browsing, this negative experience will continue to be associated with the store as well.  

My experience underscores the value of creating scenarios during the business requirements process of systems design to better understand needs of typical users of systems being developed.  It also highlights the value of usability testing during the design phase of the project development lifecycle.  Even an abbreviated testing effort using paper prototypes of the device has the potential to reveal issues and design opportunities prior to investing in actual product development saving significant dollars late in the development lifecycle potentially jeopardizing budgets and planned time lines.   So go ahead and advocate for user testing, early and often, during the development lifecycle for your rewards will likely be great!  

The irony of the usability test...

So you may recall that this week the focus of my comments has been on the Facebook redesign.  My plan has been that I'd use the redesigned tool while others were getting acquainted with it as well.  Folks would form opinions on features they like and dislike and we'd end up with some fairly interesting fodder for my blog.  Sounds reasonable.

During the week I also decided to post the link to my blog on Facebook and ask my FB friends to add comments about the Facebook redesign to my blog.  Keep in mind, the circle of people potentially viewing my blog was expanding exponentially as a result of that prompt and yes, that was scary.

Well as I went through the link posting process, I learned that I wasn't just posting the link in my status, I found out the step was bolder than I had anticipated.  It went something like this...  I changed my status to request feedback.  Then when I pasted the link to my blog in that status, but the system responded by doing more then just posting the link.  The system created a new section on, I don't know if its on my wall or my home page (gosh, I wish Facebook would have some indicator telling me what page I'm actually on) and posted my link to my blog and along with my photo from my blog.  Yikes, I didn't expect that to happen.  My blood pressure went up slightly due to the unexpected system response but I gradually learned I could live with the outcome.

So my request of my FaceBook friends was to share feedback on elements they liked or didn't like about the new Facebook.  Feeling a bit vulnerable, I awaited my first piece of feedback to this very out of character request.  The rest of the evening went by and I didn't get one single response to my request either on Facebook or directly on my blog.  Hmmm,  I wondered if I had over stepped by Facebook boundaries by posting my request.  Or were my friends simply hesitant to go out and reply to a blog.  Well another full day passed without a single comment on either.  I knew there were people out there who had opinions on the new design.  Why weren't they responding to my inquiry?

Well two days later, I received a Facebook message from a friend asking why he could no longer view or write on my wall.  The lights suddenly went on in my brain and my questions began to get answers.  Facebook friends hadn't been able to respond because on the night I posted the link, I also modified my Facebook  security.  In adjusting my security  settings, I had tightened my privacy setting restricting even friends from viewing my wall.

Today, if we're Facebook friends, I expect you will be able to view the items on 'my wall' including the link to this blog.  And I hope you'll provide candid feedback on what you like, or don't like, about the Facebook redesign.  I'm interested to hear your thoughts on it.


~jill

Another Facebook Redesign...

Taking the market by storm, Facebook is still in it's youthful years from a company development perspective.  Despite it's relative infancy, it's been a driving force in shaping a new culture of on line communication tools.  Millions of users have come to enjoy and rely on Facebook as a means to sharing information with friends and family.  Though not without its flaws,  the lack of comparable tools available today,  renders 'Face-bookers' relatively forgiving of often complicated navigation and less than intuitive user interface.

With the launching of yet another Facebook redesign, how will users respond to the changes introduced?  I noticed several status updates today indicating some Facebookers were struggling with the new design.    Before I share my experiences, I'm going to create a thread on Facebook to ask people to post their comments about what they like or would like in the Facebook design.  It'll be a mini-usability study.

I'll be back with results during the next day or so.  Plus, I've invited folks to add their comments here.


Jill

Sadie Hawkins Dance Dress...

So there's a user experience associated every interaction we have whether it's with a web site, a person, situation or a product.

As I prepared my Singer sewing machine for the task of adding some finishing touches to my daughter's  pretty teal green satin Sadie Hawkins Dance dress, my brain quickly focused on usability as I attempted to thread the needle with my aging eyes.  These days not only is it impossible to thread the needle of my sewing machine without my glasses, it's even tough to thread it while I'm wearing them!  I realized something important this week:  Although necessity may be the mother of invention, usability plays a significant role in it as well.

Here's the breakdown of the scenario and the user experience.

I'm attempting to complete a task (threading the needle on my sewing machine) for which I now need an assistive device ie. my reading glasses.  As I attempt to complete the task, I am required to take several steps that render the process inefficient.  I turn the little light that is built into the sewing machine 'on' and realize it is of no value to assist me with task completion.

Then I get up and walk across the room to turn on the overhead light and sit back down at the sewing machine to again attempt to thread the needle,  still with no success.  What other ways can I reach task completion I wonder to myself.  Idea.... I walk over to the jelly cupboard to pull out the flashlight so I can add the hand held spotlight to assist with task completion.  Thankfully the beam of the flashlight provides the necessary light and the needle is threaded.  I can proceed with the real task at hand which is adding some straps to the beautiful teal satin dress.

Over all my user experience related to threading the needle is not positive.  In addition to the lighting being inappropriately placed on the sewing machine, I once again encounter the reality of the aging process.

The silver lining... The experience opened my eyes to a redesign opportunity for Singer or any other sewing machine manufacturer with regard to wattage and positioning of the light on a sewing machine.  I would estimate that the average age of folks interested in sewing spans most age demographics and probably weighs more on the 35+ female demographics.  Physiologically normal eye sight does begin to deteriorate in the 40+ demographics.  Threading the needle is a critical priority task and therefore ways to improve ease of use related to design should be of value to purchasers.

So remember as you continue to become more aware of your positive and negative user experiences, look for the opportunities in those experiences because they may just be the mother of the next great invention!

Now I've got to go so I can finish some hand-stitching on that pretty teal satin dress.