Customer-Centered Design: A New Approach to Web Usability

Inalienable Expectations of Customers

Over the past several years, customers have clarified what they want and what they expect from the web. When customers find something that works well on one website, it becomes an expectation for others. While each online store is different, we've accumulated these common insights by listening to customers:

• Customers want control over their shopping experience, starting with the ability to select their preferred method of searching for the best product. In most cases, their search begins through intuitive text links. Most people use the search box when they can't find anything familiar to click on or they have an exact product number or catalog code.

• Repeat customers want the purchasing process personalized, ...