Rich Internet technologies such as Ajax change the way the Web works, bringing exciting new possibilities to Web interfaces. But how do we give users a richer, more powerful interface without sacrificing ease of use? A common example of this challenge is product selection. Web sites that help users select products, services or content often use a variety of tools so that users find exactly the right item for their needs. Come see how we applied Ajax to this common challenge in order to create a rich interface that makes product selection easier (and more fun). We'll discuss how users expect these new interfaces to work and what usability issues occur when testing these types of Web 2.0 sites.

1. Make AJAX Work for Your Site and Your Users A Case Study on Improving Product Selection Steve Mulder Riccardo La Rosa

3. Conversion Funnel Visitors Find Product Choose Product Checkout Buy Abandon Total Visits 12,620,248 6,115,084 728,944 655,936 52% 88% 10% 5.2% Conversion Rate

4. Single-Screen Checkout

5. Conversion Funnel Visitors Find Product Choose Product Checkout Buy Abandon Total Visits 12,620,248 6,115,084 728,944 655,936 52% 88% 10% 5.2% Conversion Rate

6. Finding Stuff: The Early Years

7. Finding Stuff: Adolescence

9. AJAX to the Rescue!

10. The Experiment 1.0

12. Usability Testing

13. A/B Testing

14. A/B Testing

15. What Worked Well

16. Slowing It Down

17. First-Time vs. Regular Use

18. What We Wanted Users to Feel

19. What Users Actually Felt

20. Power Can Feel Like Complexity “ It feels like a site for wine experts.”

21. The Desire for Control

26. The Experiment 2.0

32. Applying Rich Interfaces Where They Matter Most Visitors Find Product Choose Product Checkout Buy Abandon Total Visits 12,620,248 6,115,084 728,944 655,936 52% 88% 10% 5.2% Conversion Rate

34. Thanks! Riccardo La Rosa [email_address] Steve Mulder [email_address] wine.molecular.com