Consistently Recognized
In user experience, Jakob Nielsen’s heuristic, “consistency and standards”, speaks to the need for uniformity in how language, visuals, and interactions are designed within a product. It is necessary to prevent users from becoming confused or uncertain and, I think, it contributes to the success of another one of Nielsen’s heuristics “recognition rather than recall”.
In this post I have chosen to evaluate two different websites that, while featuring similar products, differ in their success and execution of the “consistency and standards” heuristic. The first we will look at is the Carver skateboards website.
While I love the products this company sells, it has often been frustrating to me that some of the links under the “Shop” drop-down menu takes users into what appears to be a very different website. The header navigation changes completely and leaves users wondering if there will be a way back to the home page. There is a way back, but the information portion of the site and the shopping portion of the site feel like two very different sites. It becomes increasingly confusing as customers attempt to go deeper into learning more specifics about the company’s products.
The next website also sells skateboard products, but handles the overall information finding and shopping experience in a more consistent way. The company is called Loaded skateboards.
This site maintains a consistent header navigation at the top letting users feel like they are in the same site throughout the entire experience. It is much easier, and requires less problem solving, for users to find what they are looking for. The site allows users to shop for specific products through individual product pages. These pages include content, specifications, photos, and videos related to the product being viewed along with the option to begin the purchase process for buying that product.
Both sites have a very similar problem to solve for their users, but the Loaded skateboards site executes much more successfully in creating a cohesive and unified experience.
