User Experience - How The Economic Times website is killing it.

User experience is the key to user engagement that leads to conversion. This is a cycle that all online channels such as e-commerce websites, general websites or social media channels follow. Recently I came across a website that nearly killed my user experience and forced me to write this blog.

The Economic Times is a leading business newspaper from one of the largest media houses in India. Their mother website http://www.indiatimes.com/ currently ranks 142 on Alexa. Business section of this site is http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/ and 20% of the overall visitors visit this section. Looking at the prestigious brand online and offline, I can’t believe that they are making a mockery of user experience.  I am analyzing The Economic Times (ET) website from a product manager point of view and will analyze only the top section of homepage.

Below is the snapshot of this site’s home page on September 12, 2012.  I searched for the site on Google and as soon as clicked on ET website link, a pop up appeared on my browser showing a Shaadi.com ad. Not only this was annoying, I could not even see the content as pop up was covering almost 40% of the page. Anyways I avoided the pop-up and started looking at the content. It took me few more seconds to understand where to start as ET website has a very complex layout with no clear focus on what is important for visitors. They use blue, black, white and red font colors that reduce the readability of the site. If you notice, within “Top News” section they use normal blue, bold blue, normal red and bold red fonts for no obvious reason. If something is really important for visitors then they could have made it bold but use of two colors and bold fonts is awkward. To make things ever worse, top news has black background and white font which does not go with the color theme of the site.

(You can click on the images below and see how cluttered the site is)

ET’s user experience horror story does not end here. Site’s background shows an ad and although it makes site look like a B grade Bollywood movie poster, it is not as bad as the pop up. Site’s homepage has two prominent ads on right hand side and one on bottom of the page. I can live with one or two ads but having three is just too much. Moreover these ad units are dynamic in nature and play different animations simultaneously that distracts a lot while reading text on this site. Worst piece of advertising is Google ads on this site. If you notice on the left hand bottom they display a Google ad (In this case Zip Car Sharing) that has same font color and size as any other text on site. For a normal user it will be very difficult to find a difference between Google Ad unit and content. 

Clicking on any of these links will show you articles that are even more poorly designed and served. Overdose of social channels’ icons and ads causes a very poor engagement and user experience. I understand websites make money by displaying ads and so does ET. However, the aim of product owner should be providing best user experience and adjust the ads so that users can have a seamless experience. I wish The Economic Times site owner reads this blog and makes few changes resulting in better user experience.

Amazon's Kindle - From threat to opportunity

I remember when Apple launched iPad everyone, from tech gurus to market analysts, was wondering how Apple would sell this product in a market flooded by smartphones and laptops. But iPad caught everyone’s attention and one of Steve Jobs’ babies sold more units than anyone expected. It was pretty clear that tablets had a separate market space among other new tech gadgets. However it was not clear who will compete with iPad. Eyes were mostly on traditional software/hardware/electronics giants such as RIM, Google, Nokia, Microsoft, Samsung, Sony, etc.

Looking at today’s tablet market it is clear that iPad is still a front runner. However what is surprising is that the second most popular/sold tablet is from Amazon. Who would have thought that Amazon, an e-commerce giant, would jump into tablet market and become successful? Amazon’s Kindle is on fire and today they launched next generation Kindle. Looking at the product it is clear that Kindle is no more a rushed up and nervously made product. Amazon has made sure that the new Kindle Fire has best features at the lowest price. Moreover they have a few versions that have similar features and price range as iPad and may become a potential threat to iPad’s next generations.

Amazon did a great job in positioning first generation Kindle. It was simple, affordable and easy to carry. Those who did not want to spend too much money on iPad bought Kindle and they had a great experience using this device. It was great to see that Amazon did not go with “me too” product strategy unlike Samsung and RIM. The message was clear – Kindle was a different product for specific customer segment.

It is amazing to see how Amazon has forced its competitors to follow the path it has created. Google came up with Nexus following Kindle’s success having same features and almost same price range. Apple is planning to launch mini iPad targeting the customer segment created by Amazon. It will be interesting to see how Amazon will respond when this segment will become crowded (Remember cheaper products are easier to create and sell). Plus side is that Amazon is planning to make money by offering services on Kindle such as books and other apps rather than having thick margins on tablet itself. Apple may fight on this battleground as iTunes and Apple’s app store have a loyal customer base. But for others, the road will be full of obstacles.

Kindle is a classic example of how a threat can become an opportunity. Amazon read the trend earlier that users prefer to read books on electronic gadgets and Apple may take away Amazon’s market share. Threat of losing market share to Apple forced Amazon to come up with a product that is redefining a new market completely.  

Apple - Waiting for the right time?

Apple launched a newer version of iPad on March 7th, 2012 which is almost similar to iPad 2. New highlighted features include HD screen and a faster processor which, in my understanding, are not very distinctive features. As a current user of iPad 2, I am happy because no other new iPad user can show off his/her new iPad when I am using mine. As an Apple fan I am disappointed with yet another not-so-different product release. And as a business professional, I am curious about Apple’s strategy post Steve Jobs era.

Should we call this product a failure? No way. New iPad is still one of the best tablets in the market and with new features Apple’s new baby is challenging other companies to keep coming up with new products. Apple still dominates tablet market hands down and no other company is able to compete with Apple in this market despite serious efforts from me-too Samsung products and lower cost Amazon tablets. However, does this product launch justify the status of Apple as an innovative and strategic marketing company? My answer is, no.

Apple’s strategy of focussing on fewer products is a perfect strategy as tablet and phone market still has a great potential to consume more of these products. However looking at the past two launches of iPhone 4S and new iPad, I am a little skeptical about company’s senior leadership and their tactics to keep the ball rolling. I am not worried about their vision as they got it from Steve Jobs. But do they have any sales person like Steve Jobs in senior management who can promise and deliver a unique product to accomplish that vision? iPhone 4S went through a lot of criticism for not providing any new distinctive feature. At the launch of iPhone 4S, iPhone 4 users were happy, iPhone 4S users were happy and investors were happy but Apple fans were unhappy. Similar story was repeated during the launch of new iPad.

Nobody knows what is happening behind the screens. But one thing is clear that past two launches of Apple products do not justify company’s innovative products launch history. I am ready to give the senior leadership a benefit of doubt as Apple is still recovering from Steve Jobs’ sudden departure but this should not last long. Apple products’ biggest competitors are Apple’s own products. This is a highly profitable and comfortable position but this will not remain for long as the industry is moving at a faster rate than we can imagine. RIM and Nokia went through the same phase and now struggling to make a comeback.

It will be interesting to witness the next Apple product launch. Senior management will have enough time to recover from Steve Jobs’ shadow and to redefine the product lines. Next product launch will be a fire test for Apple and I hope they will come out as a winner.