The two previous chapters have given you tools to identify and hopefully fix the pain points of your current product, as well as to identify and innovate around your core tasks. These two methods are also essential for creating user experience innovation for the first impression that the users get from your website, device, or system.
The example I used in Chapter 9 on pain points was a TV remote control, which most end users will learn to use no matter how many pain points it has or how little the design is focused on the core tasks. That’s because the need for watching TV is too strong. They may not buy a TV from the same manufacturer next time, but they will learn to operate at least the core functions eventually.
But what if you are designing a new website for which your market feedback tells you that users never come back after visiting the site the first time? What if you design a train ticket machine, but you notice that all the commuters queue up at the counter instead of using your machine? What if you design a calendar feature for your social website and find out that no one is using it?
First impressions—like when you meet another person (Figure 10-1)—will depend on a number of factors. They will depend on the look of your product, the screen layout (if any), the location, the attitude, and so on. If you are designing a device, first impressions will also depend on the so-called out-of-the-box experience: how the packaging looks, how easy it is to open, how many steps it takes to get the device working, and so on.
Also, the purchase experience (e.g., in a shop) and the way you choose to market your product is essential for first impressions. The first impression is very much about the expectations that the users have of your product, and hence on your brand, the product promise, and how you choose to market your product.
