the customer experience

good

Clear, concise wording: Customers don't want to read long paragraphs of text on e-commerce sites. Get to the point.

Quick page download: Under 10 seconds on a 28.8 modem, as tested through a public ISP like AOL or Mindspring -- not the internal corporate network.

Appropriate page width: Most customers view the Web at 800 x 600 resolution, and some still are at 640 x 480. Choose a resolution and fit your pages inside that width. (Vertical scrolling is OK.)

Simple page design: Where appropriate, use simple page design focused on moving customers toward completion of their goal. Don't clutter the page with dozens of features and links that most customers don't want.

Few, and small, supporting graphics: Decorative graphics can help create an aesthetic "feel" to the site that supports the brand image. But use these sparingly. If customers have to spend valuable time downloading lots of unnecessary graphics, your brand image suffers.

Large graphics only when good for the customer: Large graphics should be provided only when relevant to the customer's goal. For example, if customers click to zoom in on a product picture, the large graphic is appropriate. But never include large graphics just to make your site look good.

Jargon-free language: Use wording that customers understand. For example, on a travel site, don't refer to the "equipment" -- call it the "plane." On retail sites, give clear product names, not abbreviations. A good search: Include a prominent search function, but only if it gives accurate and concise search results.

Easy navigation: The site structure should be based on what the customer wants, not how the company is organized. For example, a site selling books and music should make it easy to buy both products in the same buying process. The company may be organized into two different divisions (in two different buildings?) for books and music, but to the customer, they're just two kinds of products on the same site.

& bad

Error messages: For example, typing in the credit card expiration date as "10/02" generates an error on some sites, which want the date as "10-02". Instead, the site should interpret both dates as right, and not tell the customers they did something wrong.

Long instructional text: Customers don't want to read how to use the site, they just want to use the site. Give the value; don't talk about it.

Excessive technology: For example, don't require unnecessary plug-ins or include irrelevant Java applets.

Fatal errors: Don't delete the customer's order. Don't allow servers to give a database error in the middle of the buying process.

Distracting screen elements: Don't include text tickers or irrelevant animated graphics. You want your customers to move through the buying process, not be mesmerized or distracted or stopped by it.

Irrelevant or flashy features: Don't design your e-commerce site just to make your company look good. Instead, serve the customer with simple, clear design.

Typographical errors: Misspellings, grammatical errors and other textual errors not only make your site harder to understand -- they also make your company look unprofessional.

Excessive or inaccurate search results: If your search function makes customers wade through thousands of results, it would be better if you didn't offer search at all.

Basic Web errors: For example, don't allow any of your links to return a Page Not Found error.