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Busse Design Desconstructs NetGrocer.com
By Joy Busse, CEO & President - Busse Design USA
Reprinted from Internet World, February 15, 2001
Going to Netgrocer feels a little bit like going back in time. It's like some of the Web's early designs: not competitive or contemporary enough for today's Internet.
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Steering wheels belong on the left.
Companies want to be different, but they need to understand the value of the tried and true. What if automakers decided that steering wheels should be on the right side in the U.S.? It's not worth it. Netgrocer is trying to establish new UI conventions, but they'll only make users feel uncomfortable.
Tour guide needed.
The layout on the home page is cluttered with over-used typefaces and treatments. The different-sized and -shaped images create more clutter. An information hierarchy overhaul is desperately needed. Potential registrants will have trouble finding the unconventionally placed sign-in link on the page's bottom right corner. The layout of subordinate pages is much better organized and more consistent.
Usability testing anyone?
Once registered, the userês name appears in a yellow bar at the bottom right-hand corner where the sign-in link appeared previously. This yellow bar is a frame that on some browsers only displays half its content. This leaves users potentially unable to see their user names or the sign-in link.
Quality, not quantity.
Once items have been added to the shopping cart, the content of the yellow bar changes again to display a checkout link and a recalculation button. The left-hand corner of the bar displays the last product added to the cart, with a text entry field to the right, allowing users to change the quantity. Netgrocer.com should allow shoppers to enter quantity directly at the catalog level, before adding things to the shopping cart. This way, users can avoid recalculating each time they add items.
Great search tool.
Netgrocer.com's Shop Fast tool allows users to find products fast by entering several different keywords, which are then displayed as a shopping list. This simple search tool surely puts a smile on the face of everyone who has had enough of "drilling down" to get to the right product.
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