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Subject:RE: Web media From:Janet Valade <janetv -at- systech -dot- com> To:TECHWR-L <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Wed, 16 Feb 2000 08:26:48 -0800
<<One of the best examples of poor design is the shopping cart.
Research on
> online shopping revealed that more than 60% of shopping card purchases are
> abandoned before the user gets to the checkout. That doesn't mean that a
> shopping cart metaphor isn't great. What it does mean is that shopping
> cart
> implementations are not all good.>>
>
I think someone may be misinterpreting these results. I use shopping
carts and abandon them all the time. It isn't because the shopping cart is
poorly designed. Actually, it may be because it is the best designed, or at
least most recognizable, part of the site. Sometimes all I want to know is
the price and, when I don't see the price quickly elsewhere, I just jump in
the shopping cart. Sooner or later, it will tell me how much I owe. I'm not
saying that I am typical. I have no idea if this is totally unique behavior
on my part or not. I'm just saying that there is another possible
interpretation of the research results and that perhaps drawing conclusions
or basing future design decisions on this research is premature at this
point.
Janet
Janet Valade
Technical Writer
Systech Corporation, San Diego, CA mailto:janetv -at- systech -dot- com
