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No.11 Customer Orientation and Usability (November 2, 2001)
Customer orientation is a major factor in improving usability. Although this may seem too obvious to mention, there are few websites actually putting this concept into practice.
For example, let's say you choose to animate content using Flash because you want to display it in a certain order. That's great, but most users are interested in seeing the specific content that they want to see. Internet users are always in a hurry, and simply don't take the time to read content at a leisurely pace.
In other words, the usability of a site is greatly determined by the extent to which decision-makers can prioritize the benefits to the user.
If you get too caught up in interdepartmental politics or the mindset of the provider and don't focus enough on user-friendliness, the result will be the creation of a low usability website that is stressful to users.
 Number one in customer orientation - Amazon.com
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A company that champions customer orientation and has achieved a high level of usability on its site is Amazon.com, the world's largest online bookshop. The highly usable Amazon.com has been recognized by Jakob Nielson, the authority on usability.
Amazon.com's mission is to be the world's most customer-centric company. Clearly the reason the company has been able to create such a website is precisely because the company as a whole, loudly advocates customer orientation. It isn't solely because the company is operating a website that they value the viewpoint of the user. This example bears witness to the fact that the key to all company activities is in looking at things from the customer standpoint.
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High usability equals a boring website?
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In my daily work in improving usability, I sometimes hear the comment, "If I improve my site's usability, won't the site be boring?"
A website that has truly been created from the user standpoint is "a good site," "a convenient site," or "an interesting site," but never "a boring site." Thinking that a website is boring if it doesn't have videos or special features is often just arbitrary thinking on the part of the site operator.
In order to provide not only a usable website but also high quality service, it is essential that you throw away such operator-sided thinking and thoroughly invest yourself in an attitude that is customer-oriented.
Related Links
 amazon.com
amazon.co.jp
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