The problem I have found with many websites is that when they make changes they take the “big bang” approach which means completely revamping the site in one go.
Once I visited the site eastmidlandstrains.co.uk and I found that they had completely changed it. The site did look so much better and was much more intuitive, however the main problem I had with the site in the past was logging in; I had to enter my journey details and click search which opened a whole new window. There was a link in the new window to go into your account, however it wasn’t located in an obvious place.
The good news is it is easier now to log in! Which makes my life easier; however though the website had changed for the better I was overwhelmed by it. Perhaps this was due to me using the old site for such a long time that I knew where everything was and now I was out of my comfort zone.
Another example is Facebook, they completely changed it! I got so annoyed that I joined various groups as an act of petition to bring the old Facebook back! I eventually accepted it and got used to it.
What I have discovered through working in Change Management in the past and from my own personal experience is that people do tend to get quite comfortable if they are used to working with something for a long period of time even if it is poorly designed.
I found that having a phased approach to put change forward is the best way to go.
Research shows that people tend to go through a 4 stage cycle:
• Denial – People may feel challenged and apprehensive about the change
• Resistance – As people gain more information about changes made, they may experience a loss of confidence in their ability to perform against the demands made
• Exploration – Gradually people confront their difficulties by e.g. Trial and Error
• Confidence – Over time people become more responsive, decisive and assertive
One process I carried out when working in Change Management was to carry out post-implementation feedback. This involved contacting end users to determine:
• How they were finding the changes
• What they wanted further improved
• What difficulties they were experiencing with the change
I believe introducing this process can be very beneficial as it gives a clear insight into what the end user wants which in return helps to better cater for their needs. Though it is important to design a website where it helps us smaller businesses in terms of e.g. SEO etc it is always important to remember the user experience.
Have you implemented major changes in your organisation, and if so how did it go?
