The unpredictable human factor

As internet professionals, we can easily become so immersed in our web world (with its XHTML, CSS, AJAX, UI, UX, U2 etc.) that we forget to stand back and consider the real world. I heard a story recently that, although a little sobering for web designers, helped to put things in a healthy perspective.

A company in Australia had a lousy website - it lacked clear information, and had poor navigation and visual design. Despite the poor website, the company was thriving at its core business. This company decided to engage the services of a professional web design and marketing firm to completely re-design their web presence. The web design firm did extensive research and duly produced a very slick, informative and well-designed website. The result: sales began to plummet.

It turned out that the company's original lousy website was key to its success. People who visited the site couldn't find the information they were looking for, so they ended up calling the company. The person who answered the phones was great at making sales, and was able to turn a high proportion of callers into buyers. In one case a $5,000 sale was made from somebody who just called for information. Because the new site answered all the potential customers' questions, the company received 80% fewer calls, so an enormous amount of potential business was lost.

The lesson for web designers/developers is that having a slick website may not always be in the best interests of the client. For web technology to be relevant, it needs to do so in the context of how a business operates. The human factor, unpredictable as it may be, is never irrelevant.

-Jeremy