"Where's the 'Wow Factor?'"
By Brent Dixon on July 27, 2007
This question recently came up in a conversation about a credit union website. So my simple question, in reply, is this:
What if instead of looking for zany animations, a website that plays rock music, or any other of the latest hippest coolest fads…what if the “wow factor” was that your credit union’s site was accessible and easy to use?
If you’re designing a site, or managing the process, ask yourself why your users are coming to your site. Make that experience as close to perfection as possible. Businesses who pay a mind to solid user-experience – scannable content, attractive design that looks consistent across browsers, simple navigation, copywriting that sounds like a human – these are the Wow Factor.
And here’s another question that tends to come up in tandem with the former: “What do young people want in a web site?” As a young person, I can say this: We are impatient. We want what we want, and we want it now. We do not want to have to wade through all the fluff that you think is “neat” to get to the bottomline.
I hereby rename the traditional “Wow Factor” the “Neat Factor.” Because that’s what happens, users will say “oh that’s neat,” and then go back to wanting your site to just work right, please.
Ron Shevlin on July 28
“We want what we want, and we want it now.”
My kids are like that. Or I should say, were. When they were TWO.
More seriously (or, rather, less insultingly), do you really think that just because I’m twice as old as you that I’m more patient or more accepting of “fluff” (that’s not what I call it, but I’ve been chastised on this site before for using words that the FCC doesn’t let people say on TV)?
There’s a huge segment of the Boomer generation I call the Crankys. We’re impatient (like you claim to be) and FED UP with dealing with incompetent firms whether they be banks, telcos, or what have you.
That’s also why I believe WOW is overrated. Forget wow. Just get it right the first time—with no hassle.
brent on July 28
Ron – You’re totally right, let’s file “stop pummeling us with fluff” under general usability…not “Gen Y Usability.” The two year old hasn’t left any of us.
If companies stop getting ahead of themselves by pushing novelty over the success of the basic experience, that’s when “holy crap…it worked?” happens.
That is a far more novel experience than most people give it credit for.
(For example, lately I’ve been celebrating when my phone doesn’t give me the blue screen of death when I try and send a text message.)
brent on July 28
Also (pointing the finger back at you), do you feel like
Boomermost marketers have an exaggerated perception of how novelty-driven Gen Y is?I feel like…”Heck yes.”
Ron Shevlin on July 29
Outside the world of financial services, I really can’t answer that. Within FS, however, I’m not sure that many large banks (or any brokerages) have even figured out that Gen Y exists. They market student checking accounts and credit cards to them … and then figure they can forget about them for about 15 years.
A couple of years ago, I wrote a piece about why banks shouldn’t be ignoring Gen Yers. (briefly, 2 main reasons: 1) they’re a helluva lot more involved w/ managing their finances than boomers were at that age, and 2) an opportunity to build a relationship that lasts a lifetime, which is a lost cause w/ boomers.) The response I got can be characterized by one sr. exec at a large bank who wrote me, poo-pooing the report, saying “why we would market to them? they’ve got no money to give us, and they’re just going to leave us in a year or two.”
Bottom-line: I don’t know that FS marketers think Gen Y is novelty driven, I think they think Gen Yers are second class customers.
Roger Conant on July 30
Ron…I’m even more(older)of a boomer that you and I’m definitely a cranky. I believe that last weeks “DUDE” thread is a commentary on the fact that Gen Y is “in the process” of being examined. But let me ask both of you (and especially Ron) do you believe that we can pretty well give up on the FIs reaching any part of Glen Urban’s ADVOCACY state anytime soon?
Cammie Morrow on July 30
I completely agree-If you try and keep up with all the gadgets and gizmos to attract attention to your site, or fit into a fad- no matter what age group you fall in(mine is Gen X by the way) your website will become dated fairly quickly. I just want something simple that I can navigate and that doesn’t talk at me but to me-
I hope I accomplished that with our site, the jury is still out-but I can say this-anything is better then the horrific site we had.
Although my new site isn’t completely where I’d like it to be as of yet-I think it has a good beat and you can dance to it.
Ron Shevlin on July 30
Roger: CUs are already doing a great job on the advocacy front (assuming that when you refer to Urban, you mean the view of advocacy that holds that the FI is perceived as being an advocate for the customer, and not the twisted Net Promoter view of the word).
As for other FIs (ie, large banks) two obstacles exist: 1) they don’t know what they have to DO (or change) to be seen as an advocate, and 2) since they can’t calculate the payback on those changes if they did know what to change, they won’t make the change.
That’s for the short-term (3-5 years), at least. After that, I hold out hope for broad changes.
p.s. Urban got the customer advocacy term from me. I still have the email from him asking my permission to use the term. That being said, he was the one to write the book….
Roger Conant on July 31
Thanks Ron…now I do remember reading all of those pieces you developed when you were with Forrester. I had to google like a bandit because the company I was with did not belong to Forrester. I’m really looking forward to the FORUM Trabian conference in OCT and a chance to visit with you.
Jeff Stephens on August 03
To borrow from Seth Godin, I think one of the keys to this is taking the idea of making a website “accessible and easy to use” to the edge. As Godin calls it, this is “Edgecraft.” In other words, don’t make it “a little” easier to use, make it absurdly, shockingly easier to use. That would be taking “easy to use” to the edge. Obviously the traditional google homepage is an amazing example of that.
Brent on August 06
Jeff – Have you found any FI sites that are absurdly, shockingly easy to use?
Ron – Did you really coin that phrase? If so, you’re fancy.
Cammie – I like your phrase “talk at me.” That’s a good call.
Ron Shevlin on August 07
Cammie—For what my opinion is worth, I think your site is great. Nice layout, tasteful rotating graphics, and a great job of calling attention to what’s new, special deals, and tools. [I’ve got a few nits I’d share w/ you privately].
Brent—Mock me all you want.
Brad on August 13
Young people have seen more that an older user, so trying to “wow” them is probably a waste of resources. Your right to focus on usability and great user experience.
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