Introduction
The customer interface is the virtual representation of a firm’s chosen value proposition
Seven design elements of the customer interface (7Cs)
- Context
- Content
- Community
- Customization
- Communication
- Connection
- Commerce
Dimensions of Context
- Function Refers to the organization and accessibility of information
- Section Breakdown
- Linking Structure
- Navigation Tools
- Speed
- Reliability
- Platform Independence
- Media Accessibility
- Aesthetics Refers to the visual characteristics of a site
- Color Scheme
- Visual Themes
Context Classifications
- Aesthetically Dominant: Emphasis is on the look-and-feel of the site.
- Functionally Dominant: Emphasis is on the display of textual information.
- Integrated: Balance of form and function.
Content: Deciding What Information to Include
- The CONTENT of a website refers to all the digital information on the site
- Dimensions of Content
– Offering Mix
– Appeal Mix
– Multimedia Mix
– Timeliness Mix
• Current Content
• Reference Content
- Dimensions of Content
- Content Classifications
- Product Dominant: Encompasses store sites that primarily sell physical goods
• Superstore
• Category Killer
• Specialty Store - Information Dominant: Encompasses store sites that focus heavily on information
- Service Dominant: Encompasses store sites that focus on the services offered, often for a fee
- Product Dominant: Encompasses store sites that primarily sell physical goods
What Makes A Community?
- Community includes a feeling of membership in a group along with a strong sense of involvement and shared common interests
- Five components determine the shape of online communities:
- Characteristics
- Member Motivation
- Member Participation
- Member Benefits
- Interaction Tools
Characteristics
The more evolved the community the more likely it is to have these six characteristics
- Cohesion: the community develops a group
identity - Effectiveness: the group has impact on members’ lives
- Help: members feel comfortable asking for and receiving help from other members
- Relationships: interaction between individuals leads to friendships
- Language: members develop a specialized language and/or abbreviations with unique meaning within the community
- Self-regulation: the group sets rules for its own interaction and develops a system for policing itself
Community Classifications
• Nonexistant– sites that have no community offer no way for users to interact with one another, on either a one-to-one basis or one to many basis
• Limited– sites that offer features such as reading and posting information, stories, or opinions
• Strong– sites that offer interactive community functions such as chat rooms and message boards
Customization: Creating an Individualized Website
- Customization refers to a site’s ability to tailor itself to each user or to be tailored by the user
- Dimensions of Customization
- Personalization: The user initiates and manages the customization process
- Tailoring: Software dynamically publishes unique versions of the site to address specific user’s interests, habits and needs more appropriately
- Commonly used customization features:
– E-mail accounts
– Content and layout configuration
– Storage
– Agents
Communication: Keeping in Touch with Users
- Communication refers to the dialogue between a site and its users
- Dimensions of Communication
– Broadcast
– Interactive - Communication Archetypes
- One-to-Many, Non-Responding User: Site messages are announcements that users receive without needing to respond.
- One-to-Many, Responding User: Site messages are invitations to users to submit their comments and responses.
- One-to-One, Non-Responding User: User receives personalized messages to address specific interests or needs without a need to respond.
- One-to-One, Responding User: User responds to personalized messages sent by the site.
Connection: Linking with Other Websites
- Connection is the degree to which a given site is able to link to other sites
- Dimensions of Connection
– Outside Links
– Framed Links
– Pop-Up Windows
– Outsourced Content
Connections Classifications
- Destination Site: Provides almost exclusively site generated content with very few links to other sites
- Hub Site: Provides a combination of site generated content and selective links to sites of related interests
- Portal Site: Consists almost exclusively
of links to a large number of other sites
Commerce: Enabling Financial Transactions
- Commerce refers to the sale of goods, products or services on the site.
- Dimensions of Commerce
- Functional tools that are the commerce enabling features of a website
•One-Click Shopping
•Credit-Card Approval •Delivery Options
•Security •Order Tracking
•Shopping Cart •Configuration Technology
•Registration
•Orders Through Affiliates
- Functional tools that are the commerce enabling features of a website
- Commerce Classifications:
Low: These websites have the ability to process transactions, but with few of the tools that enable e-commerce.
Medium: Some websites have no need for all the commerce bells and whistles and contain financial transactions as a necessary feature but not as their main purpose.
High: These websites are fully equipped with all or almost all the functional tools that enable e-commerce.