Re: [IxDA Discuss] Where is the Sign In on Amazon.com?
On Jul 6, 2009, at 6:51 AM, eva kaniasty wrote: I don't buy the idea that users don't look for sign-in. I'd be more inclined to believe that sign-in has become a convention in itself that anyone who has used the web for any length of time is familiar with. Whether or not it conceptually makes sense to sign in first, I think users become trained to do things a certain way without thinking about it, and removing that functionality seems off-base. I am not arguing that sign-in shouldn't be seamlessly integrated into checkout as well, I just think that it doesn't make sense to remove it as a separate function. I completely buy it. I've never looked for a sign in option at Amazon We talk about (gripe about) software coders who create UIs that serve their programmatic model rather than the user? Well, you're doing the same thing here: I know that a user is going to have to sign in to complete the transaction, so I want to know where that control is and how it operates and how to sign out. But what Amazon arguably wants to be is a Wal*Mart (god forgive me for saying so!). At such a store, by walking in the door, you are assumed to be a customer, someone who is going to buy something, even if that's just a candy bar. They don't have a guard at the door saying What's your name? Show me your credit card!, but instead they have someone saying Welcome to the store! Enjoy shopping! By assuming that if you're there, you're going to buy something -- and if not this time, the next one -- they take that Show me your ID gruffness out of the equation, saving it for the time when it is actually needed, at the purchase transaction. And in doing so, they remove/reduce the opportunities for users to get fed up with the questioning and just leave. And in contrast, today I did my monthly visit to the Science Fiction Book Club website to say Nope, don't what this month's offered books, don't send them. This site *doesn't* remember that I've been there before. So I have to go to the upper right corner to sign in -- to a link usually partially off-screen because they assume I'll have a non- portrait shaped browser window (but I do), rather than a username/ password control. And that takes me to a page where I have to choose either to Sign In or create a new account -- again, not to a username/ password control. And that takes me to a username/password control... which have my saved credentials already filled in. Talk about wanting the returning customer to feel like they are annoying you! (Actually, I fib slightly. That's the flow from a couple months ago. they've at least merged the 2nd and 3rd screens, which reduces the annoyance by a factor of 2, but they still don't put it on the front page or sign me in automatically, still making it 4 times as annoying as Amazon's method.) -- Jim Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Where is the Sign In on Amazon.com?
On Jul 7, 2009, at 3:18 AM, Jim Drew wrote: [...] by walking in the door, you are assumed to be a customer, someone who is going to buy something, even if that's just a candy bar. They don't have a guard at the door saying What's your name? Show me your credit card!, but instead they have someone saying Welcome to the store! Enjoy shopping! Perfect example. Cheers! Todd Zaki Warfel Principal Design Researcher Messagefirst | Designing Information. Beautifully. -- Contact Info Voice: (215) 825-7423 Email: t...@messagefirst.com AIM:twar...@mac.com Blog: http://toddwarfel.com Twitter:zakiwarfel -- In theory, theory and practice are the same. In practice, they are not. Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Where is the Sign In on Amazon.com?
I think also that, as UI designers, we're over-aware of patterns like signing in to see certain things upon arriving at a given site (because we've all worked on this kind of site so often, and executed this pattern). This discussion seems to indicate that our own baked-in experiences can lead us to avoid innovating. Sometimes our training can lead us to think in ways that users don't. Something to watch out for, I think. -Anne On Tue, Jul 7, 2009 at 8:56 AM, Todd Zaki Warfelli...@toddwarfel.com wrote: On Jul 7, 2009, at 3:18 AM, Jim Drew wrote: [...] by walking in the door, you are assumed to be a customer, someone who is going to buy something, even if that's just a candy bar. They don't have a guard at the door saying What's your name? Show me your credit card!, but instead they have someone saying Welcome to the store! Enjoy shopping! Perfect example. Cheers! Todd Zaki Warfel Principal Design Researcher Messagefirst | Designing Information. Beautifully. -- Contact Info Voice: (215) 825-7423 Email: t...@messagefirst.com AIM: twar...@mac.com Blog: http://toddwarfel.com Twitter: zakiwarfel -- In theory, theory and practice are the same. In practice, they are not. Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help -- Anne Hjortshoj | anne...@gmail.com | www.annehj.com | Skype: anne-hj Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Where is the Sign In on Amazon.com?
On Jul 7, 2009, at 8:56 AM, Todd Zaki Warfel wrote: On Jul 7, 2009, at 3:18 AM, Jim Drew wrote: [...] by walking in the door, you are assumed to be a customer, someone who is going to buy something, even if that's just a candy bar. They don't have a guard at the door saying What's your name? Show me your credit card!, but instead they have someone saying Welcome to the store! Enjoy shopping! Perfect example. I agree...a good example of how useful it can be to think about interaction design from a f2f standpoint. What would an ideal interaction like this happen if it were to happen in f2f...? Then, how can you design/write copy to reflect that ideal interaction? Josh Joshua Porter, Founder Bokardo Design Interface design strategy for social web applications phone: 508-954-1896 http://bokardo.com por...@bokardo.com twitter: bokardo Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Where is the Sign In on Amazon.com?
Interesting, but I completely disagree. By removing anything that remotely signals the user to sign in is to assume that all users will live with and grasp the fact that sign in is not called sign in. Here's my issue. Fine to give the perception I am Amazon.com and I welcome you without asking you for your credentials. Not fine, in that Amazon heavily promotes their recommendation engine, but you must be signed in to get an accurate view of those recommendations or to see what you previously purchased. Because I don't shop at Amazon and the site is intensely text heavy, I keep missing the Welcome to Amazon.com your name should go here but it doesn't because it doesn't know your name yet feature, which says next to it, if you're not, click here. If you're not what? If you're not you? If you're not who? Then, if you actually do click through, the next page has a Sign In graphic. Why not say Sign In, if you're not, right? I thought in interaction design, we're not supposed to be about assumptions? We're supposed to make it clear to the user this is where you sign in. Just those two words alone save someone a world of headache when trying to figure out how to sign in. Amazon is not Wall-Mart, in the sense that it's not a physical store. When you walk into Wal-Mart, the cash registers are at the front of the store for a reason. They aren't just there to take your money when you leave, but to indicate to you on arrival that you may have to go through them at a later point in time, should you need to. If you want to talk supermarkets, I love the Whole Foods register area, where you stand in a line and the system shows you on the screen above which register is open for you at that very moment, so you don't have to scan 40 yellow lights to see which on is off at that very moment. Does Whole Foods need to display this information? No, they don't. Other supermarkets don't, but they live in the past. Clear, concise information that leads you to where you either want to go or didn't realize you needed to go, but now have information to make that choice, better serves the customer. When I forget how to log in to Amazon, I get frustrated. I should not get frustrated by this process. There should be no resistance at that point of egress. On 7/7/09 3:18 AM, Jim Drew cfmdesi...@earthlink.net wrote: On Jul 6, 2009, at 6:51 AM, eva kaniasty wrote: I don't buy the idea that users don't look for sign-in. I'd be more inclined to believe that sign-in has become a convention in itself that anyone who has used the web for any length of time is familiar with. Whether or not it conceptually makes sense to sign in first, I think users become trained to do things a certain way without thinking about it, and removing that functionality seems off-base. I am not arguing that sign-in shouldn't be seamlessly integrated into checkout as well, I just think that it doesn't make sense to remove it as a separate function. I completely buy it. I've never looked for a sign in option at Amazon We talk about (gripe about) software coders who create UIs that serve their programmatic model rather than the user? Well, you're doing the same thing here: I know that a user is going to have to sign in to complete the transaction, so I want to know where that control is and how it operates and how to sign out. But what Amazon arguably wants to be is a Wal*Mart (god forgive me for saying so!). At such a store, by walking in the door, you are assumed to be a customer, someone who is going to buy something, even if that's just a candy bar. They don't have a guard at the door saying What's your name? Show me your credit card!, but instead they have someone saying Welcome to the store! Enjoy shopping! By assuming that if you're there, you're going to buy something -- and if not this time, the next one -- they take that Show me your ID gruffness out of the equation, saving it for the time when it is actually needed, at the purchase transaction. And in doing so, they remove/reduce the opportunities for users to get fed up with the questioning and just leave. And in contrast, today I did my monthly visit to the Science Fiction Book Club website to say Nope, don't what this month's offered books, don't send them. This site *doesn't* remember that I've been there before. So I have to go to the upper right corner to sign in -- to a link usually partially off-screen because they assume I'll have a non- portrait shaped browser window (but I do), rather than a username/ password control. And that takes me to a page where I have to choose either to Sign In or create a new account -- again, not to a username/ password control. And that takes me to a username/password control... which have my saved credentials already filled in. Talk about wanting the returning customer to feel like they are annoying you! (Actually, I fib slightly. That's the flow from a couple months ago.
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Where is the Sign In on Amazon.com?
I've had the same problem with Amazon, and had to actually train myself to look for that other link when I have to sign in (which has been sometimes necessary, if, for example, i want to see a wish list, but am on an unfamiliar computer). I don't buy the idea that users don't look for sign-in. I'd be more inclined to believe that sign-in has become a convention in itself that anyone who has used the web for any length of time is familiar with. Whether or not it conceptually makes sense to sign in first, I think users become trained to do things a certain way without thinking about it, and removing that functionality seems off-base. I am not arguing that sign-in shouldn't be seamlessly integrated into checkout as well, I just think that it doesn't make sense to remove it as a separate function. -eva On Tue, Jun 30, 2009 at 5:11 AM, Etienne etienne.mauj...@gmail.com wrote: In fact, common users don't look for a sign inbutton, because they don't think like experts. Their main goal is to actually do something on the site (like edit their account settings for example) but they don't know if they would have to sign in before doing it, and honestly, they don't care. They look for the thing they want to do, and see if they have to sign in. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=43262 Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Where is the Sign In on Amazon.com?
Interesting. I thought I was the only one having this issue with Amazon.com. Another issue I have is with the Sign out, which again they don't have. instead Amazon prefers (Not XYZ?) Being different for different sake??? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=43262 Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
[IxDA Discuss] Where is the Sign In on Amazon.com?
I always stumble when signing in to Amazon (I may be the only one, I don't know). Does anyone have any background information on why they chose to break with convention (for signing in)? See my very small post on this -- http://www.dexodesign.com/2009/06/29/where-is-the-sign-in-on-amazon-com/ Russell Wilson Vice President of Product Design, NetQoS Blog: http://www.dexodesign.com LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/russwilson Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Where is the Sign In on Amazon.com?
I'd be willing to bet it's a direct reflection of their registration process, which (I think?) follows the more -recent- convention of don't make the user register until there's a clear benefit to doing so, i.e., until there's a clear contextual reason to do so -- buying a book, for example, or saving items to a wish list. What's the benefit of an obvious call to sign in, vs. the way Amazon currently does this? Other than the sense that having a sign-in button is a convention and something that people (or specifically, web designers) expect? -Anne On Tue, Jun 30, 2009 at 10:38 AM, Russell Wilsonruss.wil...@gmail.com wrote: I always stumble when signing in to Amazon (I may be the only one, I don't know). Does anyone have any background information on why they chose to break with convention (for signing in)? See my very small post on this -- http://www.dexodesign.com/2009/06/29/where-is-the-sign-in-on-amazon-com/ Russell Wilson Vice President of Product Design, NetQoS Blog: http://www.dexodesign.com LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/russwilson Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help -- Anne Hjortshoj | anne...@gmail.com | www.annehj.com | Skype: anne-hj Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Where is the Sign In on Amazon.com?
Maybe they have read *this* and wanted to collect their $300,000,000... The $300 Million Button http://www.uie.com/articles/three_hund_million_button (Short answer: forcing buyers to register cost sales, so that convention doesn't work for stores). Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Where is the Sign In on Amazon.com?
But I'm not talking about forcing people to register to buy... I just want an easy way to log in that doesn't break with convention and force me to think about it every time... I totally agree that you should be able to buy something without registering. Russell Wilson Vice President of Product Design, NetQoS Blog: http://www.dexodesign.com LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/russwilson On Tue, Jun 30, 2009 at 10:12 AM, Diego Moya turi...@gmail.com wrote: Maybe they have read *this* and wanted to collect their $300,000,000... The $300 Million Button http://www.uie.com/articles/three_hund_million_button (Short answer: forcing buyers to register cost sales, so that convention doesn't work for stores). Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Where is the Sign In on Amazon.com?
I'm guessing that signing in is an abstract step along the path to what the use really wants and they are attempting to bypass it. In other words, as a user I never really want to sign in - what I want is to look at past orders or see personalized recommendations. BUT, signing in is so much a part of popular convention that it is expected. Amazon's way may theoretically be better but it forces users to retrain themselves and modify their behavior/thought process for Amazon's site versus other sites. Russell Wilson Vice President of Product Design, NetQoS Blog: http://www.dexodesign.com LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/russwilson On Tue, Jun 30, 2009 at 10:12 AM, Diego Moya turi...@gmail.com wrote: Maybe they have read *this* and wanted to collect their $300,000,000... The $300 Million Button http://www.uie.com/articles/three_hund_million_button (Short answer: forcing buyers to register cost sales, so that convention doesn't work for stores). Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Where is the Sign In on Amazon.com?
If you click the personalized recommendations link it takes you to sign in. Why not make the sign in text a link instead? I have no idea who did this or what their thinking was. My only guess would be they might have information that more of their audience behaves like I do... that is, I never sign in until I'm ready to check out. I've never even noticed or thought about a sign in link on Amazon until you pointed it out. I always browse first, then sign in only when I think I actually need something, and the point I do that is always at the start of the checkout process. But it's speculation. Someone from Amazon would need to chime in. -- Andrei Herasimchuk Chief Design Officer, Involution Studios innovating the digital world e. and...@involutionstudios.com c. +1 408 306 6422 Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Where is the Sign In on Amazon.com?
I'm always signed in (at the most basic level of recognition) on Amazon, so I had to check to see what the experience looks like if you've signed out. There is an explicit sign-in link, though the linked part of the sentence mentions personalized recommendations rather than sign in. It's at top center rather than top right, which is a little unconventional, but it's still noticeable--and the way it's phrased (Sign in to get personalized recommendations) calls out the main benefit of signing in if you're just browsing: the recommendations. Otherwise, unless you're checking order status, it seems to me that there's no obvious benefit to signing in until you check out, so there's no particular need for a sign-in link. If you are checking something to do with an order, payment, refund, etc., clicking Your Account instead of Sign In seems natural enough. The sign-in area on the main account page is clearly set off from the rest of the page. In general, I like the fact that you aren't prompted to sign in until you need to. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=43262 Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Where is the Sign In on Amazon.com?
Is the problem you're seeing (and I totally get) because Amazon spells out Sign In prior to and apart from the actions? On Tue, Jun 30, 2009 at 11:40 AM, Russell Wilsonruss.wil...@gmail.com wrote: I'm guessing that signing in is an abstract step along the path to what the use really wants and they are attempting to bypass it. In other words, as a user I never really want to sign in - what I want is to look at past orders or see personalized recommendations. BUT, signing in is so much a part of popular convention that it is expected. Amazon's way may theoretically be better but it forces users to retrain themselves and modify their behavior/thought process for Amazon's site versus other sites. Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Where is the Sign In on Amazon.com?
Essentially yes. My first thought always is to want to click sign in. When I can't I look to see if I'm already signed in. When I realize I'm not, I look for a sign in link... and when I don't find that I click any of the links in order to sign in... Maybe I'm crazy... :-) Russell Wilson Vice President of Product Design, NetQoS Blog: http://www.dexodesign.com LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/russwilson On Tue, Jun 30, 2009 at 10:58 AM, Scott McDaniel sc...@scottopic.comwrote: Is the problem you're seeing (and I totally get) because Amazon spells out Sign In prior to and apart from the actions? On Tue, Jun 30, 2009 at 11:40 AM, Russell Wilsonruss.wil...@gmail.com wrote: I'm guessing that signing in is an abstract step along the path to what the use really wants and they are attempting to bypass it. In other words, as a user I never really want to sign in - what I want is to look at past orders or see personalized recommendations. BUT, signing in is so much a part of popular convention that it is expected. Amazon's way may theoretically be better but it forces users to retrain themselves and modify their behavior/thought process for Amazon's site versus other sites. Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Where is the Sign In on Amazon.com?
It's Your Account link. The landing page shows all possible options upfront (including Sign In box). I think its clever, never had problems with that. Oleh Kovalchuke Interaction Design is design of time http://www.tangospring.com/IxDtopicWhatIsInteractionDesign.htm On Tue, Jun 30, 2009 at 9:38 AM, Russell Wilson russ.wil...@gmail.comwrote: I always stumble when signing in to Amazon (I may be the only one, I don't know). Does anyone have any background information on why they chose to break with convention (for signing in)? See my very small post on this -- http://www.dexodesign.com/2009/06/29/where-is-the-sign-in-on-amazon-com/ Russell Wilson Vice President of Product Design, NetQoS Blog: http://www.dexodesign.com LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/russwilson Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Where is the Sign In on Amazon.com?
I think a big part of the problem is: Hello. Sign in to get personalized recommendationshttp://www.amazon.com/gp/yourstore/ref=pd_irl_gw?ie=UTF8signIn=1. New customer? Start herehttp://www.amazon.com/gp/flex/sign-out.html/ref=pd_irl_gw_r?ie=UTF8path=%2Fgp%2FyourstoresignIn=1useRedirectOnSuccess=1action=sign-out . The linking seems off (I expect Sign in to be a link) Russell Wilson Vice President of Product Design, NetQoS Blog: http://www.dexodesign.com LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/russwilson On Tue, Jun 30, 2009 at 11:08 AM, Oleh Kovalchuke tangospr...@gmail.comwrote: It's Your Account link. The landing page shows all possible options upfront (including Sign In box). I think its clever, never had problems with that. Oleh Kovalchuke Interaction Design is design of time http://www.tangospring.com/IxDtopicWhatIsInteractionDesign.htm On Tue, Jun 30, 2009 at 9:38 AM, Russell Wilson russ.wil...@gmail.comwrote: I always stumble when signing in to Amazon (I may be the only one, I don't know). Does anyone have any background information on why they chose to break with convention (for signing in)? See my very small post on this -- http://www.dexodesign.com/2009/06/29/where-is-the-sign-in-on-amazon-com/ Russell Wilson Vice President of Product Design, NetQoS Blog: http://www.dexodesign.com LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/russwilson Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Where is the Sign In on Amazon.com?
Hello. Sign in to get personalized recommendationshttp://www.amazon.com/gp/yourstore/ref=pd_irl_gw?ie=UTF8signIn=1. Yes, that looks like noise (they might have quantified the impact in A/B tests, I assume foolishly). New customer? Start herehttp://www.amazon.com/gp/flex/sign-out.html/ref=pd_irl_gw_r?ie=UTF8path=%2Fgp%2FyourstoresignIn=1useRedirectOnSuccess=1action=sign-out . This could have been grouped with My Account link. Oleh Kovalchuke Interaction Design is design of time http://www.tangospring.com/IxDtopicWhatIsInteractionDesign.htm On Tue, Jun 30, 2009 at 11:12 AM, Russell Wilson russ.wil...@gmail.comwrote: I think a big part of the problem is: Hello. Sign in to get personalized recommendationshttp://www.amazon.com/gp/yourstore/ref=pd_irl_gw?ie=UTF8signIn=1. New customer? Start herehttp://www.amazon.com/gp/flex/sign-out.html/ref=pd_irl_gw_r?ie=UTF8path=%2Fgp%2FyourstoresignIn=1useRedirectOnSuccess=1action=sign-out . The linking seems off (I expect Sign in to be a link) Russell Wilson Vice President of Product Design, NetQoS Blog: http://www.dexodesign.com LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/russwilson On Tue, Jun 30, 2009 at 11:08 AM, Oleh Kovalchuke tangospr...@gmail.com wrote: It's Your Account link. The landing page shows all possible options upfront (including Sign In box). I think its clever, never had problems with that. Oleh Kovalchuke Interaction Design is design of time http://www.tangospring.com/IxDtopicWhatIsInteractionDesign.htm On Tue, Jun 30, 2009 at 9:38 AM, Russell Wilson russ.wil...@gmail.comwrote: I always stumble when signing in to Amazon (I may be the only one, I don't know). Does anyone have any background information on why they chose to break with convention (for signing in)? See my very small post on this -- http://www.dexodesign.com/2009/06/29/where-is-the-sign-in-on-amazon-com/ Russell Wilson Vice President of Product Design, NetQoS Blog: http://www.dexodesign.com LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/russwilson Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Where is the Sign In on Amazon.com?
I agree. The key problem for me is that Amazon is the only site where I have to click on My Account before signing in rather than after. Until I got used to that, I would look around the page for a sign in link, confused about whether or not I was authenticated. Another problem I had, which came with knowing how cookies work, is that I wasn't sure whether changes to my shopping would be saved if I didn't hunt down that login form. (Of course Amazon wanted me to edit my cart without logging in at all, but took me a while to realize that. In addition, I expect and intend that websites will forget me when I close my browser.) I guess you have to think a certain way for this to be a problem, and it probably doesn't ultimately drive any customers away. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=43262 Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Where is the Sign In on Amazon.com?
In fact, common users don't look for a sign inbutton, because they don't think like experts. Their main goal is to actually do something on the site (like edit their account settings for example) but they don't know if they would have to sign in before doing it, and honestly, they don't care. They look for the thing they want to do, and see if they have to sign in. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=43262 Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
Re: [IxDA Discuss] Where is the Sign In on Amazon.com?
I agree with you Russell. I find this very annoying and I am a frequent Amazon shopper. I know better, but I still find my self having to take note of where and how to log in because it is not intuitive. I agree with Medina, they are not setting proper expectations. People scan websites, and read link text more than regular page text. When I scan the header I read Personalized Recommendations which I visualize as a list of recommended products, not a login screen. As far as the reference to Spools 3 million dollar change, I agree that users shouldn't be forced to login, but that can be solved by simply not requiring it. Making the login hard to spot and not immediately recognizable only makes it harder for current customers to log in. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=43262 Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .. http://www.ixda.org/help
