On a transactional website it is just the same! If things don’t happen in the ORDER that people expect, and WHEN they expect it, then they will get frustrated, leave, not recommend it to their friends and not return.
Common processes, like that of a restaurant experience, form in society and are know as Social Scripts. Vgotsky (1963) suggests that they are a form of higher mental function that help us to create meaning from social interactions. And Ratner (1996) adds to social script theory and suggests that these social scripts are motivated.
Activity Theory describes expected social interactions at a finer level of detail, in a specific context and can be is used to inform artificial intelligence systems. It also notes that some aspects of the social interaction may go completely unnoticed by the people in it. For example, you may not see the chefs in a restaurant who are preparing your meal, but without them you would have no meal!
When building technology interfaces we must understand the Social Script that already exists in a particular context of use. For example, if you are building an Internet Banking website for the first time, you must understand the Social Script that already exists in a bank and all the things that contribute to a successful banking outcome. Remember, we used to do it face-to-face!
Have you experienced any ‘broken’ Social Scripts online lately?
References and example scripts of dining in other contexts are listed in this article
When explaining usability to business people I often use the restaurant analogy to describe why they should consider involving the people who use their website in its development.
In a restaurant, if things don’t happen in the ‘order’ that customers’ expect they may leave, not recommend it their friends and not return.
You’ve experienced this one! You’re at a restaurant and if the waiter forgets to offer you a drink when you sit down for dinner you get a little irritated. Then he doesn’t offer you dessert straight after your main is done and you start fuming. Finally, he doesn’t bring you the bill once you’re finished. You get really mad and hopefully tell the maitre de!