Patience is a virtue that’s not embraced by web users

As if we didn’t all already know we’re an impatient people, an infographic put together by OnlineGraduatePrograms.com last week helps quanitfy just how our distaste for waiting impacts website conversion rates. 

The takeaway is that minimizing time on task is vital to a successful website routine. If you’ve gotten users to your site and convinced them to take the next step with your company, congratulate yourself on clearing two big hurdles, but don’t stop there. If you don’t move them swiftly and efficiently through the next steps, you might ultimately lose their business.

Consider these statistics:

1. Google found that of the 3 billion searches that are done in a day, slowing the response time by just .04 seconds reduced the number of searches a day by 8 million.
2. One in 4 users will abandon a web page that doesn’t load in 4 seconds.
3. Half of mobile web users will abandon a page that doesn’t load in 10 seconds. Moreover, 3 out of 5 of these users will not return to that site. 
4. Of the $24 billion in revenue Amazon enjoys every year, $1.6 would be lost because of a 1-second page delay.

Speed isn't the only factor impacting website usability. Contact Is It Easy? to learn more.

Why video is an effective sales tool for your website

What do these companies know that you don't?  Is it worth investing in video as a sales tool for your product or service? Consider these reasons why online video is so persuasive, from Susan Weinschenk, an expert in applied psychology.  

1. Movement in peripheral vision grabs attention.  Based on the number and type of receptor cells in the retina, we detect movement best with our peripheral vision. Moving video is particularly difficult to ignore, even while we're paying attention to other parts of the screen.
2. Speakers' and listeners' brains sync up.  Research has shown that when we listen to someone speak, the listener's brain patterns begin to mirror those of the speaker's. The closer the brains are synched up, the more the listener understands the speaker's message.
3. Video compensates (somewhat) for the asynchronous problem.  There is sychronous communication (phone, Skype) and asychronous communication (email, texting). Weinschenk refers to research showing that we're bonded during sychronous communication. While video is asychronous, the ability to hear and see a person makes it the most compelling of all asychronous forms of communication.
4. Video can convey emotional information, not just factual.  Watching and listening to someone speak communicates more social and emotional information than just reading text. This information can be more compelling than the "just the facts" style of text.
5. Video testimonials combine all the powerful elements together.  Written reviews and testimonials are already very compelling to users. They provide the social proof many users seek when buying a product or service. Video testimonials provide not only social proof, but they also grab the users' attention, synch up their brains, and speak to their emotions.

Given how effective video testimonials can be, you should certainly consider them for your business.  They could be exactly what convinces your website visitor to become your customer.  

You can read Weinschenk's take on it here.

Three ways to end an opinion war

Jared Spool wrote an interesting article last week about ending the opinion war and how his company handles the task. The term opinion war is pretty self-explanatory; but just to be clear, it is when two parties having a vested interest in a project hold differing opinions about how something should be implemented.

Opinion wars can be difficult to navigate.  It can be nearly impossible to sway someone’s opinion on a matter. Many times because each party thinks it has comes to an opinion in a reasoned and rational way, which makes it difficult to see the reason and rationale behind the opposing opinion. This is what makes politics so entertaining/frustrating, right?

As a small business owner, you may argue with yourself more than anyone else about how something should be accomplished, but even still we have a few suggestions on how to come to a sound resolution.  

Spool offers two suggestions in his article.  We added the third.

1. Use an arbitrator. Each project has a not-so-senior project manager who has the full power to make the final decision. This person is tasked with evaluating the opinions, asking for advice from senior practitioners if needed, then banging the gavel. An interesting approach.
2. Let user research guide the way. This is the approach Is It Easy? specializes in. First and foremost, ongoing user research helps orient stakeholders’ opinion in the right way, staving off potential opinion wars. However, when a specific difference does arise, we’ll review what data we may already have about our users (personas, scenarios of use, interviews, surveys) for insights. Then, if needed, we’ll collect new research using prototypes.   
3. Use A/B testing to evaluate each opinion. Rather than using prototypes in a round of user testing, we’ll create two different versions of the same page that will go out live to your users. Each version will be exactly the same, the only difference being the element in question. Half of your users will see one version of the page (version A) and the other half will see the other version (version B). When you set a conversion goal, you can assess which design yields better results.

When should I use A/B testing?  We feel it works best in the following situations.

1. The elements in question are specific and discrete. A/B testing works for questions about particular images, text, colors, labels, and placement. We test one variable at a time to avoid confounding the results. If there are larger questions about whether or not your message is getting across to users or if your subscription or shopping cart flow is confusing, those are questions best left to user testing. You may learn from user testing that your shopping cart flow is confusing because of the placement, wording, or color of your checkout button, in which case we'll use A/B testing to discover the optimal design.
2. Each opinion can be tied to a conversion scenario. For each page version, we’ll want to set up a conversion page or some other way of tracking a “win.” A conversion is the desired behavior from the user, such as subscribing, placing an order, or submitting contact information. Therefore, we can track a conversion when a user lands on the “thank you” for subscribing, ordering, or contacting page. The design that leads to more conversions wins the opinion war.  
3. Results from qualitative user studies were inconclusive. If the element you’re arguing over is specific, sometimes you may not get a clear picture of what would serve the users better during user testing. User testing uses a small sample size, so questions such as which banner placement yields more clicks may not be conclusive. I love user testing, but it can be somewhat artificial because users adopt goals and motivations for the test they may not have in real situations. To get answers to very specific questions, we recommend A/B testing to see what converts a higher rate of customers over a large sample size.  

What are your thoughts? Have you had opinion wars over design decisions in your business? Tell us how you came to a resolution.  

We interrupt this task to bring you…

Getting customers on the path to purchase is an accomplishment. You’ve convinced them they need your product enough to fork over their hard-earned money to you in exchange. Once users click the Buy or Checkout button, they have an expectation of what the next few moments of their life will be like. 

1. Fill in address
2. Dig out and enter credit card info
3. Enter address
4. Select shipping speed
5. Submit order

Also, let’s not forget the subroutine that many of us embark upon somewhere in there.

1. Do a quick search for a coupon code
2. Hopefully find a coupon code
3. Find coupon code entry box
4. Enter code

The other day, I was merrily shopping online when I suddenly found myself on a registration page. It seems I could no longer go about my business in peace. At that point, the powers that be decided it was an appropriate time to put the brakes on my delightful forward progress. I must now tell them who I am and where they can send my advertisements.  

Sigh.

I’m interrupted. I was 2-seconds away from inputting my credit card information, but instead of clicking “Submit Order,” I’m typing in a user name, entering a password, and checking boxes. My hope at this point is that I’ll be dropped back at the same spot I was taken away from. Too often, that doesn’t happen.  Too often, I’m dropped off at some sort of welcome page or even the home page again. And, to add insult to injury, sometimes I’m even asked to log in!  What?!?

If there is some benefit to logging in the user may want to take advantage of, like avoiding having to fill in a mailing address or credit card information, then by all means offer the user a way to do that. But for the user who is focused on completing a goal; let him complete it, uninterrupted by your agenda. The site can always offer a way to create an account during the checkout process. Also, be sure to state the benefits of creating an account and include information about how your company intends to use the account information. Many users are wary of filling up their inbox with even more marketing emails.

Designing for bargain shoppers – keep up the bargain buzz.

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designing-for-bargain-shoppers-keep-up-the-bargain-buzz-tlflwwhndvlGqcbyDwvs.zip (129 KB)

Want to know how your checkout process could be failing to convert bargain hunters into customers? Here’s an example…

An enticing email with a 25% off promo code for LittleMissMatched last week, lured me into a little shopping on the website.  Although I arrived at the site courtesy of the giant “25% off” link in the email, there was no acknowledgement of that on the landing page.  

Tip: When users arrive on your site using a link in an email about a discount or sale, acknowledge that in an obvious way right on the landing page. This builds trust and excitement, two marvelous persuasive elements for shoppers.

I found a couple of bargains, put them in my cart, decided I was done, and went to check out.   

Not only was the discount not acknowledged on the landing page, it was also not acknowledged on the shopping cart page. In fact, there was no box to enter the promo code and no button to apply it, so the page doesn’t show me the final discounted price. Instead I see the full price glaring at me. The excitement over my discount purchase, my bargain buzz, is beginning to fade. 

 Just then, I see the note at the top informing me that I can enter my code later on in the process.  That’s fine, but I can feel myself losing the urge to complete my purchase now. The checkout process is not delivering on the promise the email hooked me with. I know I could use my head to figure out what my final cost will be (afterall, my undergrad was in mathematics), but that’s not fun and it kills the momentum. 

Tip: When designing for a bargain hunter, you must do one thing well.  Show her how much of a bargain she’s getting. Show her in bold and color. Show her in dollars and percentage. Show her in dimes and nickels (ok, just kidding about that one).   Deliver loud and clear on the promise she is getting a deal.  

Things go downhill from there.  I find myself on a login page, no promo code entry box in sight.  In addition, the screen on this page starts to look sketchy.  There is already an error message on the page when I arrive.  What?

The next page asks for my payment information.  All the usual questions start to pop up in my mind.  Where is my final total?  Where is the promo code box so I can apply my coupon code and see what I’m saving?  Did I miss the box in an earlier step?  Is my credit card going to be charged here?  My excitement is dwindling, and I’m starting to think about other things now.  Then I notice the text above the credit card images telling me I can enter the promo code later in the process.  Later?  How much later?  How much longer is this process?  Now, I’m starting to wonder if this is worth it.  

Tip: Before asking a user to input her payment information, make sure she knows the final price.  

Once you start asking a user to exert effort (like inputting her credit card info), the potential for abandonment begins to increase. To combat that, make sure to maintain the user's excitement and focus about what's waiting at the end.

I abandoned my purchase at this point.  It was late, and I drifted off to something else. Interestingly enough, the next day I noticed an email from LittleMissMatched telling me I left some items in my cart.  It was an attractive email, but the fact that the company has a process in place to address abandonment implies there is a known problem.  I believe if they fix their checkout process they’ll find they are sending out fewer of these emails.  

Bottom line: To improve conversions, generate excitement about the purchase. When it comes to bargain purchases, you have to do it first and foremost with the discounted price. You can pack another punch with messages like “Place your order now and you could be sleeping in your new super soft pajamas by then end of the week!” or “The weather is getting cooler.  These socks will look adorable on your toddler!”