Online Consumer Experiences

Usability. That is a key mantra with online users and greatly influences the success rate of an online web site. An online consumer experience is governed by the way the site is designed and how it leads the users on to the next transaction. Some guidelines for good online consumer experiences are:

1) Keeping It Simple, Stupid! No offence meant but this is the KISS theory which means that the web pages have to be really simple to understand and follow. Complicated processes tend to turn off users and send them away. www.Google.com is the perfect example of how to keep web interfaces simple.

2) No Clutter. Most site owners would like to stuff the home page with as much data as possible resulting in information overload and one which is definitely going to confuse users. The objective of the site should be clear and that is going to offer a good experience to consumers. www.Facebook.com is a good example of clutter-free environment and new web technologies like AJAX have been put to good use here.

3) Speed and technology stack. Though these two factors are influenced by the backend of the web site, they greatly influence consumer experience. nothing is more bothersome than a slow site which is server-dependant issue and outdated technology also makes user experience painful. Online email accounts like www.hotmail.com have follow prey to these problems but have been quick to correct them in order to better the user experience.

4) Relevant content, product information, images and online help are some on-site items which improve consumer experiences. It comes as no surprise that www.amazon.com has such a tremendous customer following….it offers all this and more in a very easy to follow interface. In fact, the now-popular feature of reviews has been around at Amazon.com for more than a couple of years.

It is safe to say that good consumer experiences can make or break a web property as users are maturing and are able to understand which sites given them value for time!