As I was researching quality management software, I came upon a website that seemed to offer an interesting product. However, my search ended abrubtly and I quickly went back to my Google result screen to move on to the next best candidate. What happened? The site had required me to register in order to view the product’s specifications!

My first thoughts were: “Why should I give them my email address when I don’t even know if their product interests me? They want to send me spam!” I felt frustrated and angry. Talk about a first impression!

Psychology research (and common sense!) tells us that people tend to avoid repeating experiences that gave them negative feelings. In that spirit, here is a step-by-step deconstruction of my experience:

Step 1: Confused and Feeling Stupid
The link is very clear: it’s called “Product Description” and is identified as a 255kb PDF file. I click it, but it doesn’t bring me where it said it would. Did I do something wrong? Is there something I missed?

Step 2: Frustrated
After going back and re-clicking to make sure I didn’t make a mistake, I realize that the obstacle is intentional. The company purposely designed its site so my access to information would be blocked at this point. I don’t understand why, and now I’m frustrated because I can’t get what I need.

Step 3: Angry
The reason given on the registration form (”To help us better serve you”) is vague and makes the company’s motives only too clear: they want names for their mailing list. I feel that they misled me and that they are manipulating me for their own purposes. I could probably fake my name and email address just to get to the information I need, but it’s too late: Now I’m angry. Being required to register merely to obtain more information on a product is akin to being asked for ID when reading a software box in a computer store. It is inappropriate, and it is an invasion of privacy.

It is obvious that nobody bothered to think about the consequences of that decision. Only a few people in the organization may even be aware of it. Nonetheless, they are losing clients; I certainly will never go back to their website. What could they have done to avoid this?

Be absolutely clear about where you are taking the user
If the link says “product description”, the next thing the user should see is… the product description! Misdirection is a strategy widely used by con artists through spam or fraudulent websites. If you are not straightforward about where your links will lead, your visitors will feel confused and perhaps even manipulated: your credibility will be gone.

Be honest about what you want and why
Do you want visitors to sign up for your newsletter? Say so! Don’t pretend you need their information to “better serve them”. Make sure they know exactly what you will do with it and give them the option to control how it will be used.

Respect the logical sequence of events involved in a transaction
There are a number of situations that call for personal information to be provided, such as an online purchase or a hotel reservation. However, that step is expected to be at the end of the transaction, when a decision has already been made. If you do need to collect such information, make sure it is at a point that will seem logical to the user.

Recognize that the client has the power
Businesses exist because people decide to give them their money. If you make them do something they don’t want to do, or otherwise produce a negative experience, they will spend their money somewhere else. Why should that be different for online clients? If anything, they should be treated with even more respect, since your competitors are only a click away!

It is only too easy to ignore how a poorly designed website can affect a business’ bottom line; visitors are anonymous and very few actually make the effort to provide feedback. However, if my experience is any indication, businesses are losing potential clients every day because of badly designed websites. Including usability issues when you build your website doesn’t need to be complicated: it’s only a matter of seeing your own website through the eyes of your customers.