Mona Patel “Despite the rapid development of the internet, the overall goal of designing an intuitive, easy to use website has not changed,” says Mona Patel, executive director of Human Factors International. “The challenge that exists is how to gauge customers’ emotional responses accurately so that businesses can understand and influence online decision making and increasing conversion rates.”

“In the past, building a successful interface was based on understanding users’ needs, designing for ease of use and validating through usability testing. Traditional usability testing, however, deals almost exclusively with the rational, behavioural aspects of the customer experience, such as whether people can buy a product online, access information easily or learn to navigate the site.

To attract and engage customers, online usability must now address the much broader concept of user experience, one that encompasses people making decisions and taking actions on variables that they are not consciously aware of. This includes how people are feeling; how they are reacting emotionally and how we grab their attention.”

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