Usability failure for Apple.com, and the power of brands.
Inflammatory headlines aside, I’m focussing on the Account section of the Apple.com/uk site. This is a slightly biased rant, because I’m the one being put through this pain.
Here’re the issues I have with this part of the site:
- Let’s face it: the opening page for the account section of the site is, comparatively speaking, shite. It looks neglected, and doesn’t inspire confidence in the account-handling process (despite the Apple brand-wagon looming over me like an omnipresent God, urging me that it can do no wrong)
- It’s managed to bugger up my details (more on this later)
- It has shoddy form rules/logic that get in the way of me trying to update those incorrect details
These three things would, for a lesser brand, probably destroy confidence (and therefore conversion)…but because it’s Apple, it gets away with it. Even a cynical so-and-so like me stuck with the inconsistencies and annoyances just to have the pleasure of lining their pockets yet again. Weird, isn’t it? More on that later, too.
Read on to find out exactly what’s pissed me off!
The Account screen
I’m clearly opening myself to criticism from Apple fans here, but let’s be honest – the page you see when you want to log in is just crap – click here to see it.
What’s all that about? Bad margins & spacing, horrible bold blue links (which, I appreciate, are web convention – but they’ve not been used anywhere else in the site), and the teeny-tiniest Login link you’ve ever seen.
Why? Why does this page look like a poor hungry orphan compared to the rest of the site which, to it’s credit, is pretty much a poem of great usability and presentation? It looks neglected and lost.
I’m almost in tears. It’s a tragedy.
Changing account information:
Once I’ve logged in, I want to edit my details. This part of the site has also been beaten with the ugly stick, as all the form fields are out of alignment and shoddily arranged. Plus who gives a damn about adding a ‘Suffix’ to your name?
I click ‘Change account information’, and am dropped into the page containing my billing & shipping info, along with xxxx’d out card details.
So I change my Billing Address, and then look at the Shipping Address section. It’s tagged with a green text and a star *, saying “If different“. Now, we’re not stupid and can work out they’re asking if it’s different from the Shipping Address – but plenty of web users are stupid. Also, a star * usually denotes a required field, so I can almost hear them crying “If different from what? Do I need to enter it? It looks like it’s required…”
Because all my old shipping details (a work address) were still in there, I delete them all – leaving the fields blank. This also feels strange. Why not just have a check-box next to a function that says “Make my delivery address the same as my billing address“?
Changing card details:
There’s possible confusion around the card details section too. The details I had in there were out of date, but…should I just delete the xxxx’d out details here and enter my full card details? What if you want to add a card & cardholder that doesn’t live at that address? You can’t, it seems.
Next to the ‘Security code’ box, there’s a “What’s this?” link. Useful no? Well yes…but not when it opens the content in a new tab, and then resizes your entire browser to be 620×680. Thanks, Apple.
Postcode angst:
After changing all the information, deleting the delivery address, and changing my card details…I click ‘Continue’ – only to be told I’ve entered my postcode wrong. Admittedly, the site does tell you the format in which to enter your postcode, but let’s be honest: it should be able to figure out spaces and capitalisation on its own. Plenty of other sites do!
Password grief:
I correct the postcode, and hit ‘Continue’ again…only to be greeted with an error: you need to enter your password. This in itself is confusing because:
a) I’ve already entered my password to be here in the first place.
b) The layout of the password fields implies that you only need to fill them out if you’re changing them.
So I enter my password, and hit ‘Continue’…and all seems ok! Hurrah!
But no. Just to add even more annoyance to already simmering pot of bubbling scummy anguish, I go back into the Account section just to make sure the details are right (because I’m about to buy something): the billing and delivery details are now showing a mix of information – my old, new AND WORK ADDRESSES.
Daauauuurgrrghhhh I fucking give up. I’ll buy the thing from John Lewis where I can be served by a pretty female sales assistant.
Rant over.
The power of brands? You forgot that bit. Come back!
Oh yeah: Power of brands. It goes to prove that if you’ve a strong brand, people will go through hell & high water to buy from you, even if your journey is complete cat-shit. I’ve seen it time and time again in usability studies, and to be honest I probably would stick out the pain of the above journey if Apple were selling some gadget I absolutely had to have directly from them.
However, if you’re a new/weak brand – beware. Don’t give your users the opportunity to go to a pretty sales assistant in some other store
Right, rant REALLY over.
George
George Rosier runs this blog. It's somewhere he can vent his spleen about web design, usability, SEO, and other such nonsense that will no doubt mean nothing in 5 years' time.