Oct. 1, 1999 Issue of CIO Web Business Magazine
COMPANY
Art.com Inc., Lake Forest, Ill.
DESIGNER
In house, with user
testing assistance from Human Factors International Inc.
REASON FOR REDESIGN
To expand product line
and make the shopping process more explicit
WHAT'S NEW
Uniform navigation, better
delineation between searching and browsing
Art.com Inc.
(http://www.art.com/)
Human Factors International Inc.
(http://www.humanfactors.com/)
HEN ONLINE ART SHOP ART.COM DECIDED to broaden its
selection from 9,000 items to 100,000 items, Vice President and CIO Don
Fosen knew the company had to make it easier for shoppers to find the
perfect print. Usability tests helped the company understand that online
shoppers fall into two categories: searchers, who come to a virtual store
knowing exactly what they want, and browsers, who want to surf until they
find what suits them. The site's redesign in March 1999 aimed to develop
clear navigation paths for each. In response to user research showing that shoppers often want a second opinion on art before they buy it, Art.com also added a My Gallery feature that lets shoppers select and store links to art images; that way, they can store images they like and share them with friends or family before purchasing them. The redesign stubbed out navigation areas for features that were added later in the year, such as auctions and gifts. Even with these improvements, the site is still a work in progress. In time for the holiday shopping season, Art.com plans to unveil another redesign this month featuring a wizard that walks customers through selecting, framing and buying art.
