Comments on: Amazon: screw the simplicity, stick to what sells http://www.moskalyuk.com/blog/amazon-screw-the-simplicity-stick-to-what-sells/1376 Wed, 15 Sep 2010 22:35:31 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: tk http://www.moskalyuk.com/blog/amazon-screw-the-simplicity-stick-to-what-sells/1376/comment-page-1#comment-158006 tk Fri, 23 Feb 2007 17:48:30 +0000 http://www.moskalyuk.com/blog/amazon-screw-the-simplicity-stick-to-what-sells/1376#comment-158006 Another case of massive oversimplification that gets picked up and spread around the blogosphere without any critical thinking. Amazon has invested HOW many millions of dollars on usability and design, just to have a bunch of pundits boil it down to "complexity=good, simplicity=bad". No, no, NO! Good complexity=good (Amazon), good simplicity=good (Google) Bad complexity=bad, bad simplicity=bad (endless examples of both) Giving people what they want will always lead to better sales, as will working really hard on finding out the best way to give it to them. 'Nuff said. Another case of massive oversimplification that gets picked up and spread around the blogosphere without any critical thinking. Amazon has invested HOW many millions of dollars on usability and design, just to have a bunch of pundits boil it down to “complexity=good, simplicity=bad”.

No, no, NO!

Good complexity=good (Amazon), good simplicity=good (Google)
Bad complexity=bad, bad simplicity=bad (endless examples of both)

Giving people what they want will always lead to better sales, as will working really hard on finding out the best way to give it to them. ‘Nuff said.

]]> By: LGR http://www.moskalyuk.com/blog/amazon-screw-the-simplicity-stick-to-what-sells/1376/comment-page-1#comment-157218 LGR Wed, 21 Feb 2007 15:32:06 +0000 http://www.moskalyuk.com/blog/amazon-screw-the-simplicity-stick-to-what-sells/1376#comment-157218 This does not surprise me. Look at Ebay, while the home page is not as busy, the search pages and finding anything is a total mess. It is almost painful to look at, yet they get more users and sell more all the time. I disagree that Amazon succeeds because the have suggestions. That might help but it is not the whole story. They succeed, for the same reason Ebay does....branding and marketing. This does not surprise me. Look at Ebay, while the home page is not as busy, the search pages and finding anything is a total mess. It is almost painful to look at, yet they get more users and sell more all the time. I disagree that Amazon succeeds because the have suggestions. That might help but it is not the whole story. They succeed, for the same reason Ebay does….branding and marketing.

]]> By: Webologist http://www.moskalyuk.com/blog/amazon-screw-the-simplicity-stick-to-what-sells/1376/comment-page-1#comment-157208 Webologist Wed, 21 Feb 2007 14:26:07 +0000 http://www.moskalyuk.com/blog/amazon-screw-the-simplicity-stick-to-what-sells/1376#comment-157208 Probably if more sites worked as hard as Amazon do to improve their sites performance, then more sites may look more like Amazon and less minimal. Another example is the BBC News site. It is crammed with news links etc. and is probably a better site for it. Minimal sites rely a lot on excellent navigation, and the user already knowing what they are looking for. If your site provides new information or new products, you need to do the hard sell to get people interested. Having many visitors must be a great help in improving a site too. With thousands of visits a day it would be very easy to test and optismise a site for best performance. Probably if more sites worked as hard as Amazon do to improve their sites performance, then more sites may look more like Amazon and less minimal. Another example is the BBC News site. It is crammed with news links etc. and is probably a better site for it.

Minimal sites rely a lot on excellent navigation, and the user already knowing what they are looking for. If your site provides new information or new products, you need to do the hard sell to get people interested.

Having many visitors must be a great help in improving a site too. With thousands of visits a day it would be very easy to test and optismise a site for best performance.

]]> By: Ken http://www.moskalyuk.com/blog/amazon-screw-the-simplicity-stick-to-what-sells/1376/comment-page-1#comment-157037 Ken Tue, 20 Feb 2007 19:12:26 +0000 http://www.moskalyuk.com/blog/amazon-screw-the-simplicity-stick-to-what-sells/1376#comment-157037 PDF is created April 2004 which means the data is likely 3 years old. PDF is created April 2004 which means the data is likely 3 years old.

]]> By: vinayd http://www.moskalyuk.com/blog/amazon-screw-the-simplicity-stick-to-what-sells/1376/comment-page-1#comment-157007 vinayd Tue, 20 Feb 2007 17:05:28 +0000 http://www.moskalyuk.com/blog/amazon-screw-the-simplicity-stick-to-what-sells/1376#comment-157007 <blockquote> a hodge-podge of suggestions, recommendations, related items, new additions, shakers and movers and other recently viewed items </blockquote> I don't think it's just the complex jumble that makes the difference. there are plenty of sites that go beyond the pale cramming whatever they can 'above the fold'. the industry is full of brochurists. amazon succeeds because they *have* suggestions; they have userful data for their users to interpret. tying behvavior to unique users is the killer app, not (only) the jam-packed pages.

a hodge-podge of suggestions, recommendations, related items, new additions, shakers and movers and other recently viewed items

I don’t think it’s just the complex jumble that makes the difference. there are plenty of sites that go beyond the pale cramming whatever they can ‘above the fold’. the industry is full of brochurists.

amazon succeeds because they *have* suggestions; they have userful data for their users to interpret. tying behvavior to unique users is the killer app, not (only) the jam-packed pages.

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