Amazon’s “remodel” FAQ page
Most of you will be aware that Amazon has pushed out a complete redesign of their site in the last several months. While we like the new look overall, we were mainly impressed with the company’s openness about why they did what they did.
Though at last visit this page was missing a title tag, the information it provides the customer is invaluable. Our favorites from this page:
- A chart provides a simple yet detailed breakdown of what’s changed and where you can find what you need.
- The FAQ, though it appears simplistic, accurately identifies the main issues returning customers might have with the new design and offers reasonable explanations. Heck, they even alliterated (Shopping, Searching, Saving and Buying). Everything is presented as a “good thing” for the customer, not some corporate decision based on research and stats.
- The tone is conversational. “That’s cool” and “Hmm” wouldn’t be found on most corporate sites, with the possible exception of focus group targeted marketing copy.
- They offer a special explanation for people that liked the old design. Many companies would try to downplay the old design to the point of not even mentioning it at all. They identify the location of moved features right up front.
- Perhaps this one’s a no brainer, but it is important that Amazon readily solicits customer feedback about the design of the site itself. No amount of planning and research can replace your customer’s experience once your design is in the wild. Amazon promises to continue to work to improve the site, meaning they want to convey that user feedback will not go unheeded. This can be the scariest part of web or UI design, but taking your users’ (or customers’) concerns into consideration will make your design that much stronger in the end.
Filed under: Being Successful, Think About It
