A reflection on Amazon’s patterns, Information Architecture and flows
Amazon is a website I visit almost on a daily basis. Since it started in 1994, amazon has made great progress from an online bookstore to an electronic store and finally the largest internet based retailer that we know and take for granted today. To understand what makes amazon so successful, I am analyzing it from my point of view in 3 parts: The design patterns, Information Architecture and User flows, on this site.
- What is the task flow to make a purchase?
My primary purpose for visiting Amazon is to buy an item as quickly and easily as possible. Amazon does a great job at fulfilling that need. The flow is as simple as Amazon.com > Search > Select item from the results list > Add to cart > Proceed to checkout > Place your order
Provided, I am already logged in, if I know what I want, it hardly takes me 2 minutes to complete a cycle of visiting the site and checking out. If I’m not tempted by 5 other suggestions, that is. There are different tasks I may want to complete, like returning an item, cancelling an order or adding an item to a wishlist. Amazon makes these options highly visible and achievable without interrupting the user.
2. Is the Information Architecture on this site clear? What design patterns do they use to achieve that?
Amazon has a lot of information when you load the homepage, but they do a good job of laying out the information in a hierarchical manner that allows the users to perform different tasks, but concentrate on the primary goal of not leaving the site without a purchase. The main design patterns used here include an autosuggest search bar, that allows the user flexibility and help without being intrusive, and a Tab Navigation pattern, that allows for accessibility by allowing a user to navigate on through the use of a keyboard.
3. What are the other common design patterns that they are using, and what purpose do they serve?
A few other design patterns that stood out were the carousel navigation, that lets the user concentrate on one flagship item at a time, and enticing them with media options like photo and video.
Another recurring pattern is the use of cards, that create a grid and help guide a user’s eye in a linear manner instead of creating confusion.
All in all, Amazon does a good job of letting the user understand its purpose, thus solving a product user goal and ensuring that a user makes a purchase almost every visit, which fulfills a business goal.
