the incidental user
DESCRIPTION
The incidental user. Customers as incidental users of IT in service encounters Ohad Inbar & Noam Tractinsky Ben-Gurion University [email protected] www.incidentaluser.org This research was supported by Deutsche Telekom Labs in BGU. The trigger ( Lumenis One). The role of human service. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
The incidental userCustomers as incidental users of IT in service encounters
Ohad Inbar & Noam Tractinsky
Ben-Gurion University
[email protected] www.incidentaluser.org
This research was supported by Deutsche Telekom Labs in BGU
The trigger (Lumenis One)
The role of human serviceThe traditional way of doing businessAdditional issues:
◦ Has the potential to inspire trust◦ Could be used to reduce uncertainty◦ Could assist in resolving complex issues
together – to cooperate
◦ And moreCan be achieved by sharing
information with the customer
Then you get to a point-of-sale… and what you get to see is the back
of a monitor…
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeresig/28017657/www.ifoapplestore.com
The “Incidental User”
Definition: “A person who, usually in the context of receiving service, is involved in the exchange of information with a computerized system, and who is not the principal user of the system”
Inbar, O., Tractinsky, N. 2009. The incidental user. Interactions, 16
What do incidental users want? Incidental users have interest in the
information presented, gathered or processed by the system, but are limited in their ability to interact with the system, to control its operations or to verify the correctness of the data that the system processes
Customer experience & IU“The clues that make up a customer
experience are everywhere, and they’re easily discerned. Anything that can be perceived or sensed — or recognized by its absence — is an experience clue. Each clue carries a message, suggesting something to the customer”
(Leonard L. Berry et al., 2002)
Active vs. passive usageBuying movie tickets – the self-service
approachThe customer is the active user of the
IT system – in this case choosing movie & seats
Active vs. passive usage (cont.)Box-office – the human service
approachThe customer is a passive userInformation is not shared with the
customer
Active vs. passive usage (cont.)Box-office – the human service
approachSharing information with the customer
can increase transparency and reduce uncertainty
SupermarketCustomer’s goals:
◦ Where the prices recorded correctly?
◦ Did I get the discounts I was promised?
◦ What is my total bill so far?
Very limited information is presented in this case
SupermarketA dedicated customer monitor is a
step in the right direction But customer’s control is still very
limited (font size, rate of change etc.)
McDonald’sImproving the
customer user experience
FedExThe basic service: deliver packages
FedExTracking system makes the service
more transparent to the customer(But requires more active interaction)
Interaction McDonald’s: Additional output, same inputFedEx: Additional output and input
In-car information systemsPassengers as
incidental users◦ Maybach passenger
compartment
◦ NY taxi Passenger Information Monitor (PIM): GPS, infotainment
Aspects of incidental usageInteraction and
ControlInterestFamiliarity/knowledgeCooperationThe setting
SummaryThe phenomenon of customers being
“incidental users” when receiving service
The need to improve customer satisfaction by reducing uncertainty – more information, more control
HCI is also about services, and about “passive” users of IT
Future researchExploring the boundaries of this
phenomenonUnderstanding the characteristics of
IUPractical issues:
◦ How much information to present?◦ How to present that information?