For Customer Experience Professionals

What Consumers Want From Automotive Web Sites In 2009

by Ron Rogowski, May 4, 2009

Forrester recently asked more than 4,500 consumers why they visit auto manufacturer sites. While most site visitors come to perform basic research activities, users expect to find less-trafficked content such as local pricing incentives and post-purchase . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Best And Worst Of Brand Building Web Sites, 2008: Motor Fuel Brands

Forrester Applies Its Web Site Brand Review Methodology To The Sites Of Four Top Motor Fuel Brands

by Ron Rogowski, December 4, 2008

The motor fuel industry features some of the most recognized brand names in the world, like BP, Chevron, Exxon, and Shell. But how good is the brand experience offered by major motor fuel Web sites? To find out, we graded the sites of four top brands . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

3M's Global Home Page Redesign: Collaboration That Delivered Business Results

by Ron Rogowski, June 1, 2009

3M recently deployed 84 regional home pages based on a single, customizable design. To create a design that would suit diverse markets, 3M established a global committee focused on supporting business and user requirements, created flexible design guidelines, . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Best And Worst Of Financial Services Brand Building Web Sites, 2009

Forrester Applies Its Web Site Brand Review Methodology To The Sites Of 16 Top Financial Services Brands

by Ron Rogowski, July 10, 2009

How good is the overall experience offered by leading financial services brands' Web sites in 2009? To find out, Forrester graded the sites of 16 top financial services brands using Forrester's Web Site Brand Review methodology. Our tests measure how . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Best And Worst Of UK Retailer Privacy Policies

Minor, Low-Cost Changes Can Boost Trust

by Ron Rogowski, January 23, 2009

Consumers worry about the privacy and security of their information when transacting online. But how well do leading companies perform at making their privacy and security policies (PSPs) known to their customers? To find out, Forrester reviewed the top . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Lessons Learned From 157 Web Site Brand Reviews

Forrester Examines Results From Version 1.0 Of Our Web Site Brand Review Methodology

by Ron Rogowski, February 27, 2009

Forrester recently updated its Web Site Brand Review Methodology to version 2.0. Before moving on, we analyzed the results of 157 Web Site Brand Reviews completed with version 1.0 between June 2005 and October 2008. This data shows that while sites fared . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Executive Q&A: Web Site Brand Reviews, 2009

by Ron Rogowski, February 24, 2009

Web Site Brand Reviews uncover two types of flaws in a Web site's brand experience: those that prevent users from accomplishing key goals and those that contradict a company's brand attributes. To get the most out of a Web Site Brand Review, customer . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Web Site Layouts That Build Brands

by Ron Rogowski, February 27, 2009

Web site layouts help companies build brands by focusing attention on the content and function users need most and creating visual continuity across channels. While many firms struggle to craft brand building layouts on their sites, we uncovered several . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Best And Worst Of Brand Building Web Sites, 2008: Mobile Carriers

Forrester Applies Its Web Site Brand Review Methodology To The Sites Of Four Top Mobile Carrier Brands

by Ron Rogowski, January 12, 2009

The mobile carrier industry features some of the most recognized brand names in the US, like AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon. But how good is the online brand experience offered by these companies? To find out, we graded the sites of four top . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Best And Worst Of Financial Services Brand Building Web Sites, 2009: Credit Card Providers

by Ron Rogowski, August 17, 2009

How good are the brand experiences offered by major credit card Web sites? To find out, we graded the sites of four top brands — American Express, Capital One, Citigroup, and Discover — on how well they communicate their Brand Image and deliver value . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Best And Worst Of Financial Services Brand Building Web Sites, 2009: Insurers

by Ron Rogowski, August 6, 2009

The fiercely competitive insurance industry features some of the most esteemed brand names in the US, like Allstate Insurance, Progressive Casualty Insurance, State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance, and USAA. But how good are the brand experiences offered . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Emotional Experience Design

Creating Online Experiences That Deeply Engage Customers

by Ron Rogowski, October 26, 2009

As consumers increasingly look to connect with companies online, lackluster Web experiences will damage many brands. But better functional design won't solve the problem. Instead, Forrester recommends that companies master the three principles of a new . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

How Social Media Can Improve The Automotive Customer Experience

by Ron Rogowski, July 31, 2009

A recent Forrester survey of 4,500 online consumers showed that people want auto manufacturers to engage them with social media. For auto manufacturers, a good social media strategy can help strengthen relationships with consumers while providing cost-effective . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Design Sites To Work In A High-Resolution World

The Decline Of 1024 x 768 And What To Do About It

by Ron Rogowski, November 20, 2009

The proliferation of high-resolution screens that well surpass 1024 x 768 adds a new layer of complexity to site design. Not only is there no standard resolution to design for, but higher-resolution screens pose usability challenges for sites that were . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Best And Worst Of Financial Services Brand Building Web Sites, 2009: Investment Firms

by Ron Rogowski, August 7, 2009

How good is the brand experience offered by major investment Web sites? To find out, we graded the sites of four top brands — Charles Schwab, Edward Jones, Fidelity Investments, and Vanguard — on how well they communicate their Brand Image and deliver . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Best And Worst Of Financial Services Brand Building Web Sites, 2009: Banks

by Ron Rogowski, August 14, 2009

The banking industry features some of the most recognizable brand names in the US, like Bank of America, SunTrust Bank, U.S. Bank, and Wells Fargo. But how good are the brand experiences offered by major banks' Web sites? To find out, we graded the sites . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Why Shell's Global Web Standards Work

Communication, Support, And Transparency Protect Shell's Global Brand

by Ron Rogowski, August 15, 2007

Companies strive to create and enforce a single set of global Web standards that ensures an appropriately branded experience for their customers worldwide. While most companies fail, Shell succeeds in this effort because it supports a well-documented . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Web Site Imagery That Builds Brands

by Ron Rogowski, August 27, 2008

Brand-building Web site imagery helps target users accomplish their goals while reinforcing key brand attributes. While many firms struggle to incorporate brand-building imagery on their sites, we uncovered several companies that successfully employ design . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Molecular Brings Brand Personas To Life

Build Better Brand Experiences By Correlating Brand Attributes With Design Personas

by Ron Rogowski, September 8, 2008

Customer experience professionals struggle to create Web sites that support key brand attributes because their organizations often lack a shared definition of the brand. To fill the brand experience void, interactive agency Molecular has developed brand . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Best And Worst Of Brand Building Web Sites, 2008

Forrester Applies Its Updated Web Site Brand Review Methodology To The Sites Of 20 Top Brands

by Ron Rogowski, October 10, 2008

How good is the overall experience offered by leading brands' Web sites in 2008? To find out, we graded the sites of 20 top brands using Forrester's updated Web Site Brand Review methodology. Our tests measure how well top sites cater to user needs (Brand . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Web Site Typography That Builds Brands

by Ron Rogowski, October 29, 2008

How firms present their text-based content to consumers on Web sites makes a statement about brand. To successfully build brand, Web site typography needs to be legible and to consistently reinforce key brand attributes in a manner consistent with other . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Best And Worst Of Brand Building Web Sites, 2008: Oral Care Brands

by Ron Rogowski, November 14, 2008

The oral care industry features some of the most recognized brand names in the US, like Aquafresh, Colgate, Crest, and Oral-B. But how good is the brand experience offered by major oral care brands' Web sites? To find out, we graded the sites of four . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Best And Worst Of Brand Building Web Sites, 2007: Consumer Electronics

Forrester Applies Its Web Site Brand Review Methodology To The Sites Of Five Top Consumer Electronics Brands

by Ron Rogowski, November 30, 2007

The consumer electronics industry features some of the most recognized brand names in the world, like LG, Panasonic, Philips, Samsung, and Sony. But how good is the brand experience offered by major consumer electronics Web sites? To find out, we graded . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Best And Worst Of Brand-Building Web Sites, 2007

Forrester Applies Its Web Site Brand Review Methodology To The Sites Of 20 Top Brands

by Ron Rogowski, September 13, 2007

How good is the overall experience offered by top brands' Web sites today? To find out, we graded the sites of 20 of the world's top brands on how well they cater to user needs (Brand Action) and how well they infuse their Brand Image into the Web experience. . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Integrate RIAs Into User Experiences

Boost Value With Seamless Transitions To And From RIAs

by Ron Rogowski, February 26, 2008

Rich Internet applications (RIAs) can significantly enhance online customer experiences and provide compelling ROI. But many firms miss out on the benefits that RIAs can provide because they don't include them within users' flow and fail to link them . . .