Now it's really over!!!!!!!! se fine
Final Krug chapter
"as soon as people realize you're asking for more than you need, they feel completely justified in lying to you" 182
"the less data you ask for, the more submissions you'll get. People tend to be in an enormous hurry on the web" 182
"don't ask for a lot of optional information either" 183
These quotes apply directly to internet forms, and my days in retail. We were required to ask the customer for their phone number and zip code. I could literally have hours taken away from me if I didn't do that-and we all knew that customers hated being asked those questions. They were unnecessary-there was even a button to push on the cash register if the customer refused to give out their info. The transaction would then proceed normally.
Especially on Back Friday, I would deliberately "forget" to ask them for their info and hit the button just because I knew everyone was in a hurry. In asking for the info, we were holding up the registers, which in turn was costing us money because impatient customers would give up and leave. Just as people are in a hurry on the web, so are holiday shoppers.
Sometimes, rather than be rude to the workers, (I'm sure the customers understood that asking them for their info was in our job description), some customers would provide fake numbers to pacify us. I know because I've done that myself.
"most of the time on the web, people don't want to be engaged; they just want to get something done, and attempts to engage them that interfere with their current mission are perceived as annoying, clueless, and the worst kind of hucksterism." 184
If someone has taken time out of their day to visit your site, you might as well make their experience as smooth as possible. That means no flash slide shows that don't really contribute any useful information. No "download the ____" here. Or ads that they have to click through to get to the page they want. I hate those. Ironically, there is usually a "skip this ad" link. If you need to put a link on the page skipping the ad, shouldn't that tell you something about the audience? If you put that link there, you already know most people are going to be annoyed by the ad. So why even install the ad in that form? Make it an optional, clickable banner that requires willful initiation from the site visitor to work.
"as soon as people realize you're asking for more than you need, they feel completely justified in lying to you" 182
"the less data you ask for, the more submissions you'll get. People tend to be in an enormous hurry on the web" 182
"don't ask for a lot of optional information either" 183
These quotes apply directly to internet forms, and my days in retail. We were required to ask the customer for their phone number and zip code. I could literally have hours taken away from me if I didn't do that-and we all knew that customers hated being asked those questions. They were unnecessary-there was even a button to push on the cash register if the customer refused to give out their info. The transaction would then proceed normally.
Especially on Back Friday, I would deliberately "forget" to ask them for their info and hit the button just because I knew everyone was in a hurry. In asking for the info, we were holding up the registers, which in turn was costing us money because impatient customers would give up and leave. Just as people are in a hurry on the web, so are holiday shoppers.
Sometimes, rather than be rude to the workers, (I'm sure the customers understood that asking them for their info was in our job description), some customers would provide fake numbers to pacify us. I know because I've done that myself.
"most of the time on the web, people don't want to be engaged; they just want to get something done, and attempts to engage them that interfere with their current mission are perceived as annoying, clueless, and the worst kind of hucksterism." 184
If someone has taken time out of their day to visit your site, you might as well make their experience as smooth as possible. That means no flash slide shows that don't really contribute any useful information. No "download the ____" here. Or ads that they have to click through to get to the page they want. I hate those. Ironically, there is usually a "skip this ad" link. If you need to put a link on the page skipping the ad, shouldn't that tell you something about the audience? If you put that link there, you already know most people are going to be annoyed by the ad. So why even install the ad in that form? Make it an optional, clickable banner that requires willful initiation from the site visitor to work.
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Dani,
I like how you related the principle Krug uses in his text to the "real-world" retail idea. It makes a lot of sense to me when I think about it that way. Another example of mine is (and I really hope I don't offend anyone with this, i know you sometimes can't help it) I hate when there are tables, outside the cafeteria for example, that ask you to sign up for what they're sponsoring, or to contribute something to them. Look, if I'm interested by the huge sign that's posted on your table or because I know you I'll stop over and ask what is going on. But DON'T grab me out of the hallway during my busy day when I'm trying to get somewhere and ask if I want to support something. Chances are I do, but can't you see I'm busy?
I guess this is the same principle. People don't want to be pestered and doing that can often cause some harsh feelings.