How can we respond effectively to consumer needs? How to increase satisfaction level of users of products and services?
1. Give the user what they are looking for
People are dependent on searching for information
Dopamine, a substance produced by the brain that increases the level of stimulation, target orientation and, consequently, motivation, has a great influence on many life activities of a person, e.g. thinking, mood, attention, motivation. Man has a need to constantly search for information. Dopamine makes us more eager for new information and stimulates us to take action. It is produced during the prize search phase, not when the prize is found.
- Divide information into several parts – too much information on a website can distract the recipients’ attention from what they are looking for. The information should be comprehensible, transparent and easy to find.
- Remember that the user wants to feel that he/she has many options and an access to them. Information needed for task completion should be available at one’s fingertips, along with the possibility of further search, with more details.
- Make the process of searching for information pleasant and frustrating for the user. Provide the user with information when he/she needs it. This will bring a sense of control.
2. Do not trust the memory of your users
Human memory is plastic
Users’ memories do not always correspond to their experiences, they can change without their awareness. They disappear over time or change during each successive experience. The experiences recalled may vary, depending on the stimulus that triggered the memory. With this knowledge, we can influence the memory of consumers.
- When doing research, don’t really believe what users are saying – it is better to watch them in action than to believe it word for word.
- Memory is fragile – do not demand to remember the earlier, complicated steps.
3. Make use of the Reciprocity principle
Humans are social beings
Human being has an innate desire to belong to a social group. Doing things together brings people together, creates a bond between them. In our decisions we are guided by the behavior of others (social validation).
- Remember that users may be guided by other people’s recommendations or product ratings.
- Use Reciprocity principle – if you give something to someone, they will be more inclined to give something in return – if you want a person to fill out a form, give them something before they fill it in.
4. Get to know your users better
People create mental models
How each of us perceives the reality around us and its individual elements depends on his or her mental model. Human thoughts interact with each other, and one leads to the other. They combine to create certain patterns of thought, so-called mental models, which help in interpreting information reaching our brain. The mental model allows us to understand the world and move around it. In relation to a website, a mental model can be a user’s idea of how it works and how it should be used. The mental model is based on the belief of the user, not on facts. It is a model of what the user knows about the operation of a given system, or at least seems to know. The mental model does not have to be in line with reality.
- Learn about your user’s mental model and do research to help you do this.
- Try to match the system to the mental user model – assuming that most of them are similar. For example, if you notice that users are looking for information in a place on a website where it does not really exist, try to fit it in there.
- If you cannot adjust the system to the user’s mental model anymore, try to modify his/her mental model to make it more compatible with your system. You can do this, for example, by inserting tips, hints, etc. to make the interface more comprehensible for the user.