As I travel around the web there are many “User Issues” that really get my goat with some websites. These include the following;
- Being forced to register and create a User account before I can progress through a shopping cart to purchase an item.
- Being forced to download some obscure browser plug-in so that I can view or use a feature on a website.
- Being forced to use the Internet Explorer browser rather than my preferred Firefox one as the site doesn’t work in anything else (a common issue with many online banking sites).
- Being forced to use my browser’s ‘Back’ and ‘Forward’ buttons to navigate around a site because it lacks a decent navigation system.
- Being forced to close ‘pop-ups’ that appear unannounced in my line of sight.
- Being forced to wait for Flash intro pages to load before I can get to the main stuff I want to see on a website. Less common these days I know, but they’re still out there.
- Being forced to listen to music that starts to play as soon as the page loads. The lack of any obvious way to turn it off, adds to my annoyance.
- Being forced to wait for a slow page to load. Less of problem with broadband these days, but JavaScript bloated pages with massive images are still out there.
You get the idea no doubt and I’m sure you’ve got your own annoyances to add to this list.
However, the point I’m making here is the common theme throughout all of my listed items, namely; “being forced”!
If people are ‘forced’ to do something they don’t want to or are ‘forced’ to take a particular route down a path they don’t agree to, then experience and human psychology tells us that the desire to repeat that process is not high on their Christmas list for next year.
To see what I mean, think about the websites you’ve recently visited that ‘forced’ you into one or more of the options above. I’ll bet you’re not in a rush to revisit that site.
So what has the link with “puppies” got to do with all this?
Those of you that know me or follow me on Twitter; will understand that my household is in the midst of training our newly acquired puppy (Lucy: pictured). All the books we have on the subject and the training classes we’re currently attending, make it clear that “persuasion” is better than “punishment” when it comes to getting her trained.
In other-words, it’s better to motivate our puppy to perform a particular task, like ‘Sit’ or ‘Stay’ etc with something she likes (in the case with Lucy, a bit of sausage) rather than ‘force’ her to do it using a technique she doesn’t like. Then the next time she’s asked to do the task she’ll WANT to do in return for her reward.
With respect to your own website: if you want visitors to come back to your site and once there, enjoy their experience; then treat your visitors like a new pup. Make sure your site is designed and built in such a way that it “rewards” and “motivates” your site’s visitors through good design, simple navigation and interesting and useful content. Then, like our new puppy, your site’s visitors will want to come back when called.
