Jakob Nielsen discovers Amazon.com
In Jakob Nielsen’s most recent Alertbox, he discusses the benefits of providing “follow-up transactions” on a website. In other words, providing options of what to do next, after a user does something. Yes, Amazon has been in business for how many years? Also, every other online retailer for the past year or two, at least, has been following this practice. Very kind of Jakob to just now come across this and inform his reader-base who, I can only assume, do not have access to the internet.
One thing that Nielsen loves to do is provide vague or inconsistent information, and this Alertbox is no exception:
As these examples show, users typically return to a previous location to follow-up on related actions. Familiar places are easy to find and create less mental resistance than having to actively construct new, independent actions.
vs.
Although it has some limited use, global navigation is overrated. Contextual navigation offers much more value, providing direct links to elements that are highly relevant to the user’s current location (and presumably their current interest).
So while familiar places are desired and useful, a consistent navigation interface is not. I’ll let this paradox sink in a bit.
Posted
7 years, 1 month ago,
under User Experience.
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