Archive December 2009
TV Licensing (www.tvlicensing.co.uk) site review
Everyone hates paying their TV license. There’s no escaping it, and it’s annoying to think we’re being made to fund the likes of Eastenders and other such guff. So how do they go about achieving this feat online?
I am writing this whilst on the train, so here we have…
A (short) review of www.tvlicensing.co.uk
As mentioned already, the thought of being made to pay for the privilege of watching colour television in our own homes is all sorts of shit – especially when the fee goes towards paying for programs you probably don’t even watch. Does the site support the shit-ness? Does it make you want to part with your money? Or is it like every other quango site? Read on and find out!
1Usability, 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… 