Consider the situation of your users and they’ll thank you for it.
When you walk into a Hoyts cinema theatre for the first time you can’t help but notice the small digital display on the wall, right as you enter.
Brightly lit, it shows you a map of the entire cinema, where you are located on the map and the numbers and letters of all the seats and aisles.
From seeing this you can pretty much plot your journey from where you are on the map, right to your seat.
The more established visitor would not have have paid any attention to this little screen, they’d know exactly where to go for their seat.
It was my first time visiting a Hoyts cinema since moving to Melbourne (you don’t get them in London!). And it got me thinking about how that experience relates to ‘visitors’ of our products in the digital world.
Context Is King
Visitors of your product are first time users. They might need a little help navigating their way around.
Visitors of your product are established users. How could their experience be different than first time users?
Visitors of your product might be at home. How might they consume and engage with your content since they’ll have less distractions to deal with?
Visitors of your product might be on the move. How might their experience differ if they have more distractions and less time to consume and engage with your content?
So, the next time you think about how people use your product, be like Hoyts and consider their situation.
