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Part 3 : Don't count me in...and please, no Spam...oh, and give me a reason to trust you
As well as asking general questions about their attitudes to websites in general (see last week), we asked our users about specific aspects of the Web. One such question concerned the visitor counter. These are the little graphical displays you see at the bottom of many sites indicating how many visitors they've had. They're usually provided free to webmasters (see a list of relevant sites).
Opinions can be summed up in one word - indifference - although there was also the feeling that the use of a counter smacked of amateurism. John Brown said: "For individual's private sites, they're useful for the site owner, but not for other users, so they should be hidden away." He added, "On commercial sites they're a waste of space."
David Lee probably best summed up the opinion: "They are irrelevant. I never judge a website by whether or not other people have visited it."
We also asked about attitudes to advertising seen at websites. Since our interviewees were primarily business users, the response was fairly pragmatic. Daryl Sawyer, for example, said: "As long as it is incorporated into the page design and doesn't unnecessarily slow the response time, I don't mind it. Advertising is needed to drive money onto the Internet...advertising is everywhere and to think it can be kept off the Internet is unrealistic."
There was, again, a general feeling of indifference towards advertisements, rather than dislike, except where they're too interruptive in nature. Perhaps surprisingly, two of our users admitted to actually paying attention to banner advertisements.
John Brown said, "The ads I pay most attention to are banner ads on sites I trust in terms of their content and the relationship they build with me.", while David Lee added, "I've learned to treat this advertising in the same way that I treat ads in magazines; I see them, but I only comprehend them a few pages later. So, the majority are ignored, yet I sometimes find myself desperately paging back asking, "What did that ad say?"."
Since we were talking about advertising we asked about people's feelings about sites or companies that send unsolicited mail. There was an interesting difference of opinion, reflecting I think the wider picture. Some simply ignore it, and don't see it as a great issue, while others got quite emotional, as summarized in these two responses:
"If Dante had had email, there would be a special ring in Hell for these people. There would be extended punishment for those who have the nerve to say "This is not spam" when you KNOW the email was unsolicited."
"I'm surprised at myself and my reaction to these emails. I never would have believed that I could become so angry receiving unsolicited emails. Why is this different from conventional junk mail received through the postal service? It takes so much more of my time and mental horse power to filter my electronic junk mail than to throw flyers in the trash."
We then moved on to consider online purchases. We wanted just to see what experiences people had had, and why they shopped online. Two of our users hadn't bought anything online. Peter Gowin cited security as the reason for not wishing to do so: "My credit card number is not going into the Internet - no way!" Instead, he preferred to use the Internet to research purchases before actually buying offline.
The responses of the three that had purchased online provided evidence of why a combined offline/online strategy might work out better than a pure Internet retail operation. On the issue of trust, the "recognition factor" was key:
David Lee: "The website must represent a company that has my trust outside of cyberspace as well." This view was supported by John Brown: "If I know the name, for example, if it's a business or magazine I know of, or if it's in the news."
But "recognition" wasn't the only factor, with security and professionalism also mentioned:
Daryl Sawyer: "1. Website uses encryption on the pages that contain your personal information, and 2. Website guarantees your purchases. This means they have something to lose if your information gets taken and that makes me feel better about their efforts to ensure my privacy. Amazon had a nice feature where you called and finished your credit card information automatically over the phone. This ensured they got your information securely and after that you could buy online without worrying about it getting stolen in transit. I say "had", because I don't know if they still offer that option."
John Brown: "If they have an air of professionalism. A cheap design makes me suspicious, although the content could redeem that. If a site has a "join us" section and advertises too many jobs in it, I wonder who's actually running the site!"
David Lee: "The website must represent a superior level of technical competence. I respect this, I trust this."
Two of our users had had problems when making purchases online, basically through a lack of information at the sites in question:
John Brown: "...not being able to find price, availability and delivery information. If you only get this when you place an order, it's a bit late."
Daryl Sawyer: "I have had trouble getting the order placed or getting the discount code to be accepted. I have also had problems with the prices shown from one page to another. I always buy from websites with customer service phone reps so that when I do have problems I can resolve them easily over the phone."
Daryl continues the phone theme with regard to customer service on the Web: "I don't like dealing with customer service via email. It takes too long. When I am having a problem, I want to talk to someone now. That is why I make sure they have a phone number to call before I buy. I don't know why they think that people who are used to instant responses from the website won't mind waiting a day or two for a response from customer service."
For David Lee, online customer service depends on what kind of purchases you're making: "For non-technical issues, for example finding the right-sized jeans, it is perfectly fine. However, my profession takes me to the darkest and dustiest corners of technology. For this there is no substitute for a (competent) warm body at the other end of the phone line."
John Brown is fairly satisfied with the customer service he's received: "Most sites I've used have responded to emails or problems fairly quickly. The main problem is when people misinterpret your mail, so some kind of more detailed information gathering on a Web page helps with that.
The good news is that all three purchasers value the benefits of online shopping, citing various reasons for doing so, including:
- "the ability to compare prices without having to visit all the shops on foot"
- "the ability to buy from shops located far away"
- "I can browse product information without being hassled by sales assistants"
- "I can shop at a time to suit me, not at a time to suit the shop"
- "I can get stuff delivered to me or direct to friends and family"
- "it is so damned efficient"
The last word on this goes to Daryl Sawyer, whose response to the question, "why do you buy on the Web?" was: "I can shop 24 hours a day, clothing optional. I don't have to drive anywhere, buckle any kids into car seats, strollers, etc. I don't have to go to three different stores to find what I need. Sometimes I have called around town and been unable to find a toy in stock. Then I've found it on the Web and had it delivered the next day."
And that positive note ends our small ibizInterviews experiment. Let's remember that it's just the views of five (business) users, and there's always a difference between how people think they respond, and how they actually do respond. Think, for example, how many people believe they are immune to advertising. Nevertheless, I believe this small, albeit unscientific, foray into the world of the user has produced some valuable insight, reinforcing what many experts, such as Jakob Nielsen (see a coming interview with him), have been saying.
Our grateful thanks again to our interviewees, John Brown, Peter Gowin, Mr. Gowrishankar, Daryl Sawyer and David Lee.
I'd like to leave you with a few related links on user attitudes and usability. Enjoy!
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