HTML 4.0 Sourcebook
(Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.)
Author(s): Ian S. Graham
ISBN: 0471257249
Publication Date: 04/01/98

Design Tip: Make the Web Interface Easy to Use

An e-commerce site is essentially a computer application interface to be used by relatively na•ve users. Thus, the primary design goal must be to create a simple, easy-to-use interface. Users must be able to navigate through the site efficiently, with a minimum of confusion. If this is not the case, then navigating the site becomes more like solving a puzzle—and the last thing you want to do is puzzle potential customers!

The second main goal is to provide security—you must be sure to protect private information provided by users during a transaction (such as credit card information) and must make sure that the Web site itself is protected from hackers. This generally means hiring software developers who are expert in these issues and purchasing commercial e-commerce software packages.

It is also important to reassure users about the security methods used in on-line transactions. Many users are justifiably nervous about sending private information over the Internet, and it is important to alleviate their concerns. Providing a page outlining the secure transactions methods used at the site, along with a clear statement highlighting the high priority of security in the commerce environment, can help ease consumer concern. Highlighting partnerships with established banks and on-line commerce security vendors is also be beneficial, should such relationships be an important part of your site’s security and transaction-processing technologies.

The third goal is to have timely and accurate content. On-line catalogs must be up to date, with changes being immediately integrated into the Web environment—a successful Web site will always present the most current available information. Although people are willing to make allowances for dated prices in print media, Internet users do not have the same tolerance for out-of-date price or product information. Indeed, it is not just users who lack this tolerance. According to Alan Gahtan, an attorney specializing in cyberlaw with Borden and Elliot, Virgin Atlantic Airlines was recently fined US $15,000 for advertising an expired fare on its Web site.⁴

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⁴www.borden.com/techlaw/website2.htm

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Once an order has been submitted, it is important to provide clear confirmation that it has been processed—customers need reassurance that their order has been received and will be filled. A Web page response confirming an order and providing a confirmation number is certainly necessary, while follow-up e-mail to the customer is also a valuable option. Many current commerce sites do not clearly confirm completed transactions, leaving users uncertain as to the state of their order. The result is a reduction in on-line customers (because the interface is unclear, and users are reluctant to use it) and increased costs of telephone or e-mail support (for customers who are confused, and who are not sure if they actually bought anything!).

Finally, although the goal is to develop an autonomous on-line commerce application, customers need to be able to reach a real person, by phone or by some other means. In general, Internet users will have only modest skills relative to your e-commerce application, and your customers may need assistance when using the site or may want the chance to make additional inquiries. The traditional requirements of good customer service—namely, establishing good communication channels with customers to properly determine customer needs—is still of primary importance.

Content-Driven Web Sites

It is generally accepted that those under thirty will soon be looking to the Web as their primary source of “newspaper”-style information. Thus it is not surprising 4 that almost every newspaper or magazine has already constructed a significant, content-driven Web presence. Indeed, Wayne Parrish, vice-president of strategic development for the Sun Media Group and CANOE, said, “[By going on-line ] you’re investing to protect your future and you’re investing for the potential to become a player in what will be a fundamentally new and different medium.”⁵

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⁵“Newspapers Enter the New, Wired World,” Globe and Mail, Toronto, July 23, 1996.

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However, it is less clear how to turn such a presence into a profitable venture. Some sites have tried to develop revenue via on-line subscription services, but most of these have met with only limited success. Others sites, particularly those associated with news organizations, have developed a “free” content service, and use advertising or collateral product sales to generate revenue. Again, results are mixed, and very few such sites are profitable on their own. In most cases, they are cross-subsidized by their corporate parent.

On-line Fee-based Publications

The day Playboy (www.playboy.com) launched its site, it received over 100,000 visitors—a significant feat, leveraged in part by the strong Playboy brand name. Today, the same (but larger) site serves over 40 million page views per month.⁶ Playboy’s primary focus is to use the site to drive readers to the newsstand to purchase copies of the magazine. The site attempts to do so by providing a small amount of content for free, as a “teaser” to the print publication. However, the site also hosts an on-line Cyber Club service containing the full content of the print magazine, plus significant extra content. This extra content is only available on an electronic subscription basis. At present, some 16,000 members pay a $60 annual fee to access this adults-only library. This is a significant revenue stream, but it is unlikely that it actually covers the annual costs of maintaining the Cyber Club site.

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⁶www.ijumpstart.com

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On-line Publications as a Complement to Print

In contrast, the Web site for Canada’s largest circulation women’s magazine, Chatelaine (www.chatelaine.com), is purely content-driven and contains on-line versions of every article printed in the magazine, integrated into an extensive, searchable (and free) archive. Indeed, Chatelaine sees the Web and print magazines as complementary, and goes so far as to integrate content from the Web site into the print magazine by quoting from users who post to Chatelaine-sponsored discussion forums. In addition, Chatelaine uses the information gathered via the Web site to help define magazine content—for example, by following users’ comments in on-line discussion groups and writing magazine articles that address the concerns expressed in the on-line forums.