Why Won’t You Help Me?

Great example of the Bystander Effect (source: carbonsmart)

A couple of teenagers start a fight in the hallway at school. We’ve all been in this situation, whether we were a part of the fight or we were witness to it. How many people do you think will intervene and break up the fight? Very few. More often than not, others willl group around and witness the fight unfold before their eyes. We’ve all been there at some point in our life.

The Bystander Effect refers to the phenomenon in which the likelihood of someone acting upon an emergency situation will decrease if the number of people around the situation is larger.

(Source: psychology.about.com)

Videos are posted all over the Internet about experiments and even real-life situations caught on camera where people simply ignore distress calls. At first, you probably would laugh at the situation but in reality it is pretty sad how we are hardwired to react a certain way based on our surroundings.

Why do we ignore? Put simply, it’s a matter of trying to fit in with the crowd. If everybody else is just watching and not doing anything, therefore, I should act like them to fit in with the social norm.

A study on the bystander effect, Markey (2000) tested how it played a role in getting help online through a chat service. Markey had three primary goals:

1. Would gender determine the response time in receiving help?
2. Does the amount of people needing help affect the response time?
3. By asking help from a specific individual, would it decrease the response time?

The results validated the bystander effect by proving all three questions. Gender did not have a distinctive effect on response time. The larger the number of people in the chat room increased the response time per person. By asking someone specific for help, the response time was rapidly reduced (as if nobody else were in the chat room).

Only 5 to 10 percent of the population engages in behavior contrary to the social norm. Because we want to fit into these groups and maintain our membership with them, we conform our actions to the norm.

The bystander effect is a great way to show the power of social validation. We tend to do what we think is best to fit in with the crowd, regardless of the situation.

Online Shopping

Shopping online is becoming more popular each and every day. It’s more convenient, cost less, and with websites becoming more focused on usability, it is much easier! The real challenge is the actual shopping itself.

Questions start to come into play, such as:

• What do I buy?
• What color?
• Which model?
• Will my friends like me if I wear this shirt?

Online shopping is a great example of how powerful social validation can be. Websites that allow user feedback or shopping statistics can provide a great experience for both the business as well as potential customers. It is used as a tool to reinforce their purchase.

People look to others to decide what they should do. This is especially true when they are uncertain about whether or what action to take.

(Source: Neuro Web Design (2009), Dr. Susan Weinschenk)

Make It All About The User

So what are some ways to enhance the user experience for online shoppers? Here are just a few that come to my mind and should be relatively easy to implement:

• Product ratings
  These are typically a 5-star scale, ranging from 1- Not Good to 5- Highly Recommend. They are straight to the point and are based on the collective average.
• Product reviews
  Whether they are from professionals or from actual customers, product reviews can provide a more qualitative analysis of a product. Users will listen more to those who appear to be in a similar lifestyle as them. Therefore, product reviews that relate more closely to the user’s use of the product will have a better effect.
• Similar products
  When looking at products on a site, it can be beneficial to see a list of similar products. In a store environment, you would expect similar products to be grouped and placed in the same location. Why not mimic that for the web? By doing so, you allow your users to seamlessly flow between similar products without having to backtrack or go through the search process all over again.

Hey Which Game Would You Buy?

Highly rated game and was highly well sold worldwide (source: RockStar)

Let’s take video games for example. I personally go out and buy the latest and greatest video games on the market. I have my sources online that I go to daily and read up about the upcoming games. This is my strategy for figuring out whether my investments will be worth it in the end. After all, spending $60 per game adds up rather quickly. So when these games get reviewed (most get a review within a few days of its release date), I’ll read it and decide whether the game is going to provide me with an amazing experience. I am putting my trust on my sources. If my sources unanimously say that a game is amazing (i.e. Grand Theft Auto 4), then I will go out and buy that game. About 9 times out of 10 my sources are correct. I like those odds. In today’s economy, every dollar counts and I want to ensure that I am making a great purchase – every time.

My strategy not only works for games, but it works for other big purchases, like a TV, surround sound, car, etc. People rely on others’ opinions in order to make an informed decision.

Your Opinion Matters

Amazon’s products have two very valuable pieces of information on their website: user ratings and similar products. As an online shopper, I find this very helpful when making a decision in buying a product. Most of the time, I’ll focus on why a product is necessarily bad rather than why it is good. It could be the functionality, the photo of the product was misleading, or the materials were below expectations. I like to do my research beforehand when buying stuff online. I’ll check professional reviews, read the product description on the manufacturer’s website, etc. I’ll know beforehand why it appears to be awesome. By reading what users rated and said about the product, I can filter out and find information that I want to know: reasons why I should not buy this product. Of course it is up to me to determine the validity of this information.

How many times have we gone to the iTunes Store with the intention of buying just one or two songs and ended up downloading entire albums? Sounds good to Apple, but not so helpful on the wallet. Happens to me all the time. Not only is iTunes addicting to media lovers, but Apple now uses meta information in which it uses to suggest similar media (music, apps, videos, etc.) that pertain to your collection. This information organizes their media by tags, such as most downloaded, highest rated, similar genres, etc. Having this information at your fingertips is helpful – or hurtful, depending on which way you look at it.

Related Articles

• 6 Things Video Games Can Teach Us About Web Usability
• Don’t Blink! You’ve Got 50ms to Impress Me
• Hierarchy of Consumer Needs for a Product

Time to Speak Out!

Social validation is hard at work in many ways. Ever feel pressured to buy something because everybody else has one? Did you grow up trying to be like one of the popular kids in school?

This topic doesn’t end here today. I open it up to you guys. Got any stories about how social validation has helped or hurt you in a given situation?

1. Users Have No Patience

Regardless of what the product is, users will get frustrated easily if they have to wait a long time for a response to an action. Nobody likes a loading screen in a video game. While loading screens can be minimized in multiple ways, it is hard to eliminate them altogether since they use disc-based media. Developers try to keep the user entertained by playing background music, customizing the loading icon/progress bar, or displaying information such as history or facts during the load time. EA Sports FIFA 09′s loading screen has the user play against the goalie in a practice environment while the game loads.

For Web usability, this means that new pages must display within 1 second for users to feel like they’re navigating freely; any slower and they feel held back by the computer and don’t click as readily.

Jakob Nielsen – Alertbox, October 5, 2009

On the web, loading screens are most associated with Flash. Flash applications almost always have loading screens. If something takes more than 1 second to react, most users will get frustrated and leave. Even the simplest of things such as a hover element should not have a delay. Bandwidth is becoming less of an issue these days and websites should be able to make the user feel as if they are in total control.

2. It’s All About the Experience

Even the elderly could not resist the Nintendo Wii (source: BBC)

Why do people play video games? Simple: They want to have fun and enjoy the action, however that is defined. Modern games increasingly try to engage the user by making the games contain a strong storyline and mirror elements you would find in the cinema, such as recent popular games like Grand Theft Auto 4 and Uncharted 2. Since these games are attempting to be more realistic, it is no surprise that the video game industry is overtaking the movie industry. Instead of watching great movies, you get to feel like you are in one, with full control of the characters. The creative interaction is the key rather than just eye candy. The Nintendo Wii became popular among traditional and non-traditional gamers due to its unique interaction, even though its graphics were inferior to other gaming consoles.

On the web, the experience is what keeps users coming back. E-commerce websites are particularly focused on the experience because they want potential customers to feel like they are shopping safely and securely. Users browse the web for information. It is how the website presents this information and, more importantly, how it gets the user to that information that makes the experience worthwhile. Amazon and eBay have been pioneers in the e-commerce world and their strong returning customer base proves that they know what they are doing.

3. Progressive Enhancement is Good

This generation of video games are now available with HD audio and video. If you own a system capable of high definition like Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, you can take advantage of high quality graphics and sound. Not only can games look more crisp and realistic with vibrant colors, they can also produce uncompressed multiple channel audio that makes you feel like you are in the game – literally! For those who don’t have an HDTV or a modern surround sound system these systems will simply downgrade those features and play the game as normal. The games will always function the same and sound the same – it’ll just be in a lower resolution and with only 2 channels of audio. No harm done to them. Progressive enhancement in action.

Websites are starting to show progressive enhancement as well with the use of CSS. Web designers try to reward users who browse with modern browsers (i.e. Firefox and Safari) with a beneficial experience that users of IE cannot have, without detracting from the functionality. Designers are using RGBa values, which allow them to include an added alpha channel to the element. This is a powerful tool to have in your designer toolbox because it allows you flexibility and control in overlaying graphic elements and to incorporate opacity variances into the design.

CSS Document
.element {
     color: #fff;
     color: rgba(255,255,255,.5) /* for modern browsers */
}

The example above declares a standard CSS rule for the text color. Older browsers who do not support CSS 3 will only recognize the first line and ignore the rest. The more modern browsers, however, will read the second rule and therefore ignore the first rule. The same concept applies to the CSS 3 border radius property and the CSS 3 opacity property (alpha channel on the entire box element). Andy Clarke uses transitioning properties on his website that are only functional in Safari. These properties, which make the DVD and disc animate on hover, can provide some unique design interactions. Taking these concepts and applying them into websites gives users a unique experience and at the same time doesn’t take away the essence of the design entirely for those who use, well… IE.

4. Minimize Learning Curve by Including Tutorials

Instruction booklets are becoming less used these days for video games. Developers are now putting tutorials into the game and having the user learn as they progress. Most typical games will have the first level or so of the game be the learning grounds for the rest of the game. This is becoming a de facto standard in the industry. During this time, users will be prompted with basic controls and developers will design the level to make sure the the controls are used properly before permitting users to continue the game. These learning tools help minimize frustration and also get the user prepared. What better way to learn than to actually try. Reading instructions is not as effective.

Websites need to be careful about introducing new objects or applications to the user. If you suspect a user will have to think about how to use a particular part of your website, you will have a problem. Users will need assistance with it – whether it is simple instructions or a video tutorial.

5. Keep the Interface as Simple as Possible

In-game menu. Better watch your back! (source: Game Trailers)

Interfaces are extremely important in grabbing the user’s attention. Video games are coming up with some creative ways of designing their interface. While being creative, they still function the same and are easy to navigate. Nobody wants to be confused about where they are or how to get out of the location they are in. Navigation should be carefully thought out. Dead Space uses an intuitive in-game menu where your menu pops up in front of you while you are playing the game. There is no interruption from action as you still have control of your character. Madden NFL 10 uses a simple menu system that zooms to different parts of the stadium in the background based on the navigation section you have chosen.

Websites must remain simple to use, or users will get frustrated and leave. The UI needs to make sense and be engaging at all times. Breadcrumbs are important for sites that are large, preventing users from feeling lost.

The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak.

Hans Hofmann

6. Don’t Rely on Graphics Alone

Great graphics, but unusable controls, make this game hard to recommend

Those who remember Grand Theft Auto 3 can agree that it was not the most beautiful looking game around at the time of it’s launch. That said, they will also agree that it was the best game to play at the time and it was a huge hit. Graphics can’t do it alone. The experience also needs to be great. GTA3 was impressive because it had an engaging storyline, incredible controls, and was a blast to play. A game with pure eye candy and no functionality will not last long in this industry.

On the web, functionality needs to be priority over design. Once a site functions properly, then you can apply the interface to it. Just like a chair, it needs to function before it looks great, otherwise it is useless. Plan out your websites carefully and make sure that you are considering all aspects exhaustively. Just like video games, a website can be popular if it functions and is enjoyable but will be useless if it’s just eye candy.

So, what are your thoughts on video games and web usability? Do you have any other comparisons? We’d like to hear from you!