Let Them View It All

Let Them View It All

As we’ve stated in previous newsletters, there are many differences when it comes to shopping online versus shopping in the stores, however many users still follow the same behavior patterns when shopping online. For example, when physically walking into a department store’s clothing section, most shoppers will do a quick scan of the items, and then selectively walk to a particular rack. They will more than likely do another quick scan of that rack before selecting certain items to take to the dressing room. This same type of behavior is followed by users when shopping online.

For example, once a user clicks to a particular category within the Ladies section of an online store, most desire the ability to do a quick scroll of all the items before clicking directly on one particular item. With this in mind, it is important that e-commerce sites provide users the ability to conduct a quick scroll of all the items they are browsing. The most popular way to do this is to display a ‘View All’ option in close proximity of the page navigation links. Surprisingly, there are a number of websites that do not offer this option, as noted in the screenshot below.

At this particular website, in order to get a glance of all the tops/shirts, a user is required to scroll through 10 pages of items.

The solution is simple - either offer a ‘View All’ option, or provide users the ability to choose the number of items they want displayed on the product page. In the screenshot directly below, users are given the option to ‘View All’ of the items. In the last screenshot, users are given the option to select the number of items they want displayed on the product page by choosing a number from the ‘Products per page’ drop-down menu.

There are also many other things users desire when browsing through items, such as sorting by price, brand, category, etc., but we will save this for another newsletter article! Until then, ensure users have the ability to view it all. Ruth Boyd - Usability Team Leader Why Do I Have To Sign Up? As more and more consumers turn to the Internet for their next purchase, be it a DVD or an automobile, some are cut-off from the process by the dreaded register/sign-up form. Due to the increase in identity theft and personal information breaches, many potential customers abandon the purchasing process at this junction. The issue here is not whether or not a consumer likes having to fill out a registration form, but whether or not the registration itself is necessary at all. Take the screenshot below for example.

In order to make a purchase, a potential customer is forced to create an account. Furthermore, they are forced to enter their birth year. We realize that many registration/sign-up processes allow frequent visitors to save personal information that is easily accessible for future purchases. However, many users will visit a site for a single transaction only, and if they are forced to register or sign up, some will stop the process and either drive to the store or proceed to another site. Giving users the option to register/sign-up with a site is much more appealing for potential shoppers simply because they are given a choice. In the screenshot example below, users are given the option to sign in (if they are already registered with the site), or to continue with the buying process without being required to register. The ‘Not Registered?’ section informs users that they will not be required to create an account, but that the option is available if they choose to do so.

Although the text in the ‘Not Registered?’ box could be made more visually prominent, the attempt is still made to let the customer know they have an option to register or to continue with the purchase without being required to create an account. This example screenshot is also good because the text explains why signing up will benefit the customers, ‘???to make future purchases faster’. This tells customers why signing up is important. Otherwise, consumers feel that the only reason they are doing so is because the company wants to sell their information or at the very least, send them junk mail. If at all possible, users should always be given the option to register, sign up, and/or create an account for all websites in which a transaction is involved. There are some exceptions to this rule, however. Examples include:

In virtually all other cases, e-commerce sites should make an effort to give consumers a choice. Ensure that it is made clear to users that, if they choose to not create an account, their personal information will not be saved following the completion of their purchase. We believe this would increase the frequency in which online shoppers follow through with purchases which, in turn, would create a greater online revenue flow for companies participating in this growing industry. Make it the buyer’s choice and everyone wins. Tony Moreno - Usability Analyst

Double-byte Language Support

In All Our Survey Services As an item of interest we want to make sure that our subscribers realize that Usability Sciences supports all languages, including those of the Far East that require Unicode, in all our survey services. A number of our customers want to run consistent worldwide online research in the US, Europe, and Asia. We support these efforts by providing survey development, localization, deployment, analysis, and reporting. If you have a need for these kinds of services please give us a call to discuss.