In comparison to other shopping platforms, I would have to say Amazon the most user friendly. The large, white search bar is easily seen at the top of the screen over a dark navy background. If the contrast in colors is not enough, the magnifying glass that is the universal symbol for ‘search’ is seen beside the bar in orange and navy. Typically, the user can easily find the good needed with ease in less than a minute by just searching what is wanted. I searched “bluetooth apple mouse”. Normally, it is not necessary to pick a department to search, but searches can be refined – in my case, by selecting “Computer Mice”, “Computer Keyboards & Mouse Combos”, and so on. Not only is the search process simple and easy to understand, Amazon is also visually appealing. I believe being visually appealing aides in customer usability.
If I was unsure of what brand I was looking for and only searched “bluetooth mouse”, other products show up that are not Apple products. On the left hand side, Amazon shows all brands of bluetooth mice. I can then check the sub head “Brands” and select “Apple”. There are many other categories to search with to cater toward what is most important to the customer, including searching only for “Prime” items (Free shipping for the customers who pay a monthly fee), “Average Customer Review”, “Color”, and even specific categories that only apply to the item that is being searched. In my case, these specific categories include “PC Mouse Feature”, Mouse Interface”, and so on.
Users with low experience with websites can easily navigate Amazon. Items are placed in departments and have keywords attached to them are created with common sense.
References
Krug, S. (2014). Dont make me think!: Web & Mobile Usability – Revisited(3rd ed.). Retrieved June 15, 2019.