Here's the good news: After years of tinkering, your Website is finally well-designed and running smoothly, you've got Flash animation, you've got the e-commerce bugs worked out, and you've got a handle on site metrics.
Now the bad news: Customers are demanding more. They are fickle in the face of a wealth of choices in what and how they buy. Traditional purchasing habits and brand loyalties are a thing of the past. They've grown accustomed to shopping and interacting with businesses over the Internet. They want personalized service and satisfying experience.
"In short, Web visitors want to be persuaded, they want their emotions engaged, and they want assurances of trust," says Susan Weinschenk, Chief of Technical Staff at Human Factors International, Inc. The Fairfield, Iowa-based company with offices in the United States, Europe, and Asia, provides consulting and training for Web and software usability.
Weinschenk collectively calls these customer expectations a PET (persuasion, emotion, trust) scan, and visitors do it every time they view a Web page. " You need one of these three reactions to inspire the next action – be it clicking for more info or making a purchase."
