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The Get Help function
provides users with content that provides answers
to questions they may have about purchasing
items on-line. The objective is to provide users
with “self-service” assistance—that
is, users can get answers or solve problems
without having to contact the merchant.
Data
below is from 75 leading e-commerce sites, collected
in May, 2002. [sites
examined] |
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Frequency of Get Help
84% of sites in the sample had a self-service
Get Help function; the remaining 16% of sites provided
a non-self-service option for users to obtain help,
such as a 1-800 number on the page or a “Contact
Us” link. |
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Location of Get Help |
| Location of the Get Help function
was plotted on an 800 by 600 pixel grid.[details] |
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| The location of the Get Help function
corresponds quite closely to the results of a study
conducted by Michael Bernard, who examined where users
expect to find common e-commerce functions. |
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Labeling of Get Help
The Get Help function was most commonly
labeled “Customer Service” (41%) or “Help”
(41%), but other variations of this wording also occurred.
Nearly all sites used noun syntax (either a single
noun or a noun with a non-possessive modifier). A
single site used the imperative label “Ask Us.”
[view
frequencies of exact labels] |
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Icon Use for Get Help
22% of sites providing Get Help used
an icon to help identify this function on the page.
All except one used a question mark icon.
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