Usability, loyalty and ‘Cognitive Lock In’
On the train into work this morning, I read this article at humanfactors.com (via @userfocus on Twitter) about ‘Cognitive Lock-In’, and how it can help create web loyalty among your visitors.
What is ‘Cognitive Lock-In’? Unfortunately for all involved, it’s not an intellectual’s drinking session…the synopsis is thus:
Cognitive lock-in represents consumers whose shopping habits bring them back to a site enough to return again and again – they have “locked-in” to the ease of use of that site and make repeated purchases over time.
I certainly buy the concept in principle: make a site easy to learn & use, and people will keep coming back. But it’s based on research from 1997-1998.
The report openly accepts that this was in the early Internet days, but that it represents a significant psychological finding that remains true today. I’m rather torn with this, though – and here’s why:
- I agree that fundamental psychological principles can hold fast and can stand the test of time, providing valuable insight regardless of how long ago the studies were carried out…
- …but people used the Internet very differently back in 1997, and I can only begin to imagine how we’ll be using it in 2020.
My question is: given how rapidly Internet use has evolved over the years (taking into account the pace of technology evolution, new tech adoption rates, Internet connection speeds, and the introduction of Internet-enabled devices), are these findings really still relevant?
Answers on a postcard, ‘cos I’m not convinced… 
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.
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I would subscribe to the cognitive lock-in theory. I don’t think the advance in technology does anything more than simply allowing you to take even more advantage of what you know already.
There are ways of building customer loyalty above and beyond merely the technical. Despite the internet being a virtual world, it is very much about human relationships and the whole social media revolution proves this.
Somethings are certainly more than just about ease and comfort, but that is definitely one part of the whole loyalty jigsaw as discussed in my post:
http://www.vincentroman.com/blog/customer-loyalty-how-to-generate-it/
Thanks!
Hey Vince – thanks for the comment
I subscribe to it too – as I say, the principles of making a site easy to use and memorable are what I would consider fundamentals of design.
I suppose what I am also trying to get at is not just that technology has moved on (and I do accept that evolved tech is really just an enabler) – but also that the way people use the Internet these days is different to 10 years ago.
Buying goods online was seen as new and innovative, and social applications weren’t in the mainstream consciousness – and certainly not the every-day activity as they are now.
Today’s mass-market consumption of the Internet is, for me, what makes me question this research a little: their research audience back in 1997 may have not been particularly representative of the web-user population today.
I like your article, by they way: I read that earlier.
George,
What you say is true but if you look at the Big Guns, the likes of Apple, Amazon and co how much has their modus operandi changed? Very little.
In terms of audience, the number of people online is MUCH larger but the width and breadth of types of users is just as varied. Before the IT crowd was much more concentrated, and now it is everything from a pre-teen to grandma.
The basics of online shopping remain the same. People still look at items, chuck them in a cart and then check out. The way they find out about items might be much more different, I suppose the next questions though is, to what extent are 100′s of shops looking the same, a la zen cart, osCommerce or anything, actually a benefit or a hindrance to engendering loyalty form said customers. I suppose this is where the trends speak for themselves, as I am not quite a typical user
Vincent -
I suppose the giveaway in the article is the sentence “Subsequent research by Murray and Häubl (2007) supports the original findings.”
Well we all know research is shit
look where it got us on weapons of mass destruction !!!
As I said to you earlier, I do think you can still use a study that is 10 years old, even in relation to the internet. People’s habits tend not to change so much, even over a long period of time. Although what you can actually do on the Internet has obviously come on in leaps and bounds in the mean-time, people themselves tend to be a bit slower to respond. Most like the security of the familiar, and will keep going back to the same place when they’ve had a good experience. This is particularly true of technology with the older generation, as many are still somewhat wary of the process. It’s one of the principles of marketing actually, Relationship Marketing. Focus on the long-term relationship, rather than a single transaction (to the benefit of both parties), to get the maximum customer value. Obviously not all companies subscribe to this, as exemplified by your useability reviews!