We talked last time in Funneling the Sales Process - Designing An Experience about grand designs, customer experience designs. But more mundane matters of usability basics and usability hygiene dominate our everyday work. To achieve grand designs, companies need a vision of good customer experience a decent budget and so grand designs do not form our everyday, work-a-day concerns (mores the pity). More likely, improvements through Usability at the Checkout - Funnel to get Sales are likely to be on the agenda.

So, what exactly are the usability basics? And what exactly is usability hygiene? Well, hygiene describes it well. Hygiene is the stuff you should do everyday, as a matter of course, and that you shouldn't need to have to be told about. Cleaning teeth, washing and bathing are examples from the everyday world. You do it everyday, or you should.

hygiene is the stuff you shouldn't need to have to be told about...

As retailers, your objective is to convert your prospect to a customer. This equates to prospects on the web being able to get from A (the store front) to B (the checkout) without being impeded, tripped up or unpleasantly surprised. Just like in a shop. You wouldn't expect to get impeded in Ikea, or tripped up in Tescos.So, usability hygiene on the web is:

Just some basics, back to earth from our grand designs. But they will make you money, if you apply them. And whats the difference between grand designs and usability hygiene? Surprise! Grand designs create pleasant surprises, bad usability hygiene creates unpleasant ones.