Jill Hart

Brain Logic, LLC

Is this Relationship Over?

0 comments 743 reads

Posted on 2011-03-02

Often companies realize a software application or web site they’ve developed for their customers’ is not what their customers would have designed for themselves. In many cases this realization occurs after going to production. As a result, customers are left to deal with cumbersome software or web site and unable to accomplish the tasks they need to complete. In today’s competitive marketplace customers have many options. And when the alternative solution is easier to use a loyal customer can quickly become a former customer.

Tangible and intangible impacts of poorly designed systems can be profound for companies. Trust between the customer and the company may be depleted while tarnishing of the company brand is likely to occur. This type of damage can progress gradually. Until one day the company notices the...

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Seven Ways to Accelerate Building On line Customer Trust

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Posted on 2010-12-08

I was on a hunt to find blue Birkenstock sandals for my daughter. And as the holidays drew closer time to order was running short. I had already shopped at the local shoe stores in town. Not finding them on the local expedition, I realized my best option was to purchase them on line. On Sunday night I casually clarified she didn't want the Vegan ones. When Monday arrived, I was ready to buy. I knew they’d be expensive so I wanted to shop around to see what kind of prices I could find.
Googling gave me a large volume of Birkenstock resources. At the top of the list was my favorite on line department store where I’m a regular shopper. The trust fund there is pretty large so it was a good place to begin. Plus, being a Virgo, loyalty is a fairly significant factor in the customer experience equation. Although I found the sandals she wanted, they were pricey and no discounts applied. So despite the loyalty and trust, I continued my shopping trip.
Next stop was a Birkenstock...

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Spam, Spam, Spam I am… Not

0 comments 868 reads

Posted on 2010-09-16

With the volume of emails I receive in my Inbox, easy access to the Spam button is a feature I appreciate. I can quickly remove over-achieving Spam emails that have snuck past the layers of spam filters and still managed to land in my email Inbox folder, with the click of a button. The design is efficient and intuitive.
Inbox Folder Design

So why not apply that same intuitive design to the Spam folder so I can easily select and click on email that didn’t make it past the Fort Knox of spam...

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Design with the Customer in Mind: A Matter of Positioning

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Posted on 2010-09-10

I had to drop by my favorite office supply store last week to snatch up a few ‘back to school bargains.’ Spiral bond notepads fifteen cents each, composition notebooks ten cents each, and 500 sheets of printer paper 25 cents. Great deals, easy to find in the perfect sized store whose employees were eager to please.
Within seconds of asking for help locating the replacement media reader for my Sony Cybershot, I had what I needed in hand and was heading toward the registers. The Cashier was friendly, and inquired whether I’d found everything. Of course I had found what I needed, and then some! I was using a Rebate Credit Card I’d received as a result of purchasing a printer last spring, to pay for my loot. I wondered if the alternative form a payment might complicate the transaction, however, it was seamless.
Because it was a credit card type transaction, I needed to add my signature to the LCD device next to the register...

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A Customer Experience Moment: Specifically Seeking Sandals

0 comments 971 reads

Posted on 2010-09-07

Taking a day off from work in the midst of a challenging project requires, what I refer to as, ‘vacation agility’. I’m out of the office but I carry my blackberry and check email at regular intervals during the day. I schedule conference calls early in the day and utilize the business center at the hotel so the family can sleep in. It works. Following this course of action during a recent get away to the Mid-Atlantic, I was unexpectedly able to exercise my usability research skills to gather some interesting design data.

Here’s what happened...
I headed for the hotel business center at about 7AM, stopping only to grab a cup of java from the complimentary coffee urns boasting Starbucks brews. I was lucky enough to find the corner seat vacant placing me in front of a hotel-supplied computer to check personal email and to the right an open desk area to set up my work-supplied laptop. Through my laptop I could also access all my work files via the...

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An ATM without letters...

0 comments 1,727 reads

Posted on 2010-02-27

I recently had the pleasure of birthday shopping for my two year old cousin. With my own daughters well past toddlerhood, I welcomed the excuse to meander around the toy store. What fun I had exploring some new toys as well as classics sure to fill countless hours with enjoyment. After several loops around the store, and making some tough decisions between dolls, my little ponies, and various crafts and books, I brought my final selections to the register. As the manager rang up the items, I reevaluated my choices and decided my little cousin would certainly be pleased with her birthday surprises. Mrs. Potato, I thought, would be the biggest hit!

I opted to pay for my purchases with my ATM card. Being a small non-franchised toy store, the ATM system required the clerk swipe my card into the bank device and then I would enter my PIN number on a separate handheld key pad to validate the purchase. When the clerk announced the...

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