13th October, 2010
The user is not a moron
Posted by Navin Harish - 2 Comments
Sometime the client or the client services people suggest things which are, for the lack of a better word, stupid. Now this is not because they are idiots, it because they think the customer is an idiot.
Making things simpler for your users in helping them, assuming they are morons who can’t tell their arse from a hole in the ground is an insult for which they won’t forgive you.
I remember a conversation I had with a client servicing person who was handling a particularly difficult client. We made a banner ad and a landing page.
“Navin, can you change the button in the banner to say ‘Click here to know more’ instead of ‘Click here’”
“Why”
“Click here for what, it sounds incomplete, why would someone click on it?”
“Anyone who surfs the internet knows clicking a banner will take him to a page with more details, as it is the button is not required, why do you want to make it even bigger?”
“I understand what you are saying, but we need to have more information”
“In that case why don’t we have the button with test ‘Click here to know how XXX will give complete nutrition to your kid and help him avoid skipping school due to illness”
He got offended but eventually we ran the banners with only “Click here”
The worst mistake you can make is assuming your customers are stupid. This image is a result of that assumption. This is an ad for Toothpaste, there is a person wearing a white gown. It is obvious that this is a doctor and since it is for a dental product, it must be a dentist. Was it really necessary to write “Dental Expert”?
“Dental Expert! Oh really, I thought she was a baker”
Making things simpler for your users in helping them, assuming they are morons who can’t tell their arse from a hole in the ground is an insult for which they won’t forgive you.