etailology

In a moment of convenience induced shame, I drove through Tim Horton’s this morning instead of drinking my own.  Truth is, I wanted a bagel with Peanut Butter.  Motoring away, I opened my bagel to find it un-peanut-buttered.  Instead, there was a little tub of peanut butter in the bag. I drove back through and asked for a bit more attention.   I was told that the “can’t spread peanut butter because of allergy concerns.”

So we’ve finally reached the level of restaurants being afraid to make peanut butter sandwiches.

While this is a good lesson in how our lawsuit-a-feared culture has gone overboard, it’s also a convenient lesson in how to match user behavior with product delivery. I don’t know about you, but I’m no good at spreading peanut butter while driving, so why would I want it from a drivethrough?

Understanding common customer behaviors and expectations are key.  I would not commonly spread peanut butter while driving, and I expect a restaurant to be able to spread peanut butter for me!  (I know, I’m demanding, ain’t I)

Which brings us to a nice little post over at Functioning Form where they talk about a mismatch between common consumer behaviors and site design.  It details a poorly designed form on JetBlue.com which I have noticed often but never blogged about.

Enjoy.