I am NOT the Standard
I had the first-hand experience of having to please all people with one product. The first thing I learned is that to plan with me in mind is disastrous. I prefer text-heavy, in-depth prompts. But we got feedback requesting more icons. I prefer "DOS-like" features, and that obviously wouldn't be met with warm reception.
So, am I writing this blog post to talk myself out of any future ad design or marketing research projects? Well, I hope not. We listened to our customers, entertained beta testers, and ended up with a website that was both easy-to-use and stylistically pure. And we got something else I value highly... insight for the future (along with a cool new product: http://www.addresstwo.com/).
In business, we often times need to be reminded that we are not the "typical" customer. Should we call people on their mobile, or office? Well, I prefer office... that must mean everyone prefers office calls, right? Will our customers be more interested in ease-of-use or a wealth of information? Well, I personally like feature availability over interface clarity... doesn't everyone? No!
The concept goes even deeper into marketing and design. How do you lay out your website? What's your goal. Believe it or not, statistics show that if you're trying to get a high percentage of hits to result in a transactional sale, use long scrolling text that tells a story. Even though that format grates on my nerves, for the segment of our population that's inclined to buy online on an impulse, it can't miss! But for the wrong situation, like a b2b company trying to build trust and awareness, it's destined for failure.
In every situation, don't hesitate to ask yourself, "would I respond to this ad?" or "would I like this website?" But, even when your answer is "yes," your cube-mate might groan in disgust. Don't take it personal, try to understand and adapt to the infinite diversity of human preference. In design, we have the challenge of trying to synthesize a wide array of preferences and reconcile conflicting feedback.
So, am I writing this blog post to talk myself out of any future ad design or marketing research projects? Well, I hope not. We listened to our customers, entertained beta testers, and ended up with a website that was both easy-to-use and stylistically pure. And we got something else I value highly... insight for the future (along with a cool new product: http://www.addresstwo.com/).
In business, we often times need to be reminded that we are not the "typical" customer. Should we call people on their mobile, or office? Well, I prefer office... that must mean everyone prefers office calls, right? Will our customers be more interested in ease-of-use or a wealth of information? Well, I personally like feature availability over interface clarity... doesn't everyone? No!
The concept goes even deeper into marketing and design. How do you lay out your website? What's your goal. Believe it or not, statistics show that if you're trying to get a high percentage of hits to result in a transactional sale, use long scrolling text that tells a story. Even though that format grates on my nerves, for the segment of our population that's inclined to buy online on an impulse, it can't miss! But for the wrong situation, like a b2b company trying to build trust and awareness, it's destined for failure.
In every situation, don't hesitate to ask yourself, "would I respond to this ad?" or "would I like this website?" But, even when your answer is "yes," your cube-mate might groan in disgust. Don't take it personal, try to understand and adapt to the infinite diversity of human preference. In design, we have the challenge of trying to synthesize a wide array of preferences and reconcile conflicting feedback.
Labels: customer feedback, graphic design, product design
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