Moving WebWord: Star Wars and Web Site Usability

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Star Wars and Web Site Usability

In my last Moving WebWord article, I said that everyone loves free stuff. This is not quite true. I had some folks write me to say that they don't like free stuff and they never request free samples or goodies.

Perhaps this time around I'll get it right. It seems that everyone loves Star Wars. Well, maybe everyone doesn't love it, but they like it or at least respect it. In any event, no one can deny that Star Wars is part of our culture and contemporary sci-fi mythology.

Q: What does this have to do with Web site usability?
A: Everything!

I'm going to through six usability lessons in this article, so hold on. Also, at the end, I have some information that might of interest to you.

The Star Wars phenomenon is an indication that the general public, at least in the United States, is in love with science fiction. This is especially true when science fiction is combined with a strong fantasy component. Star Wars, like Star Trek, has made us think that technology is a way of life. More importantly, the best science fiction has made us believe that technology should be easy to use. Except for the occasional problems with the Millenium Falcon, which are mainly for comic relief, our favorite sci-fi entertainment is training us to believe that technology is easy to use. (If you ask Alan Cooper about this, he'll tell you that technology really should be easy to use.)

Lesson 1: By emphasizing factors such as plot and characters, Star Wars makes technology seem easy. I'd argue that the main reason the technology fades into the background of Star Wars is because it is so usable, not because it is so much better than ours (although it is arguably much, much better).

Next, in my opinion George Lucas is a new media warrior. He keeps improving on his ability to capture our imagination. The Web has given him a new vehicle to expand and promote the Star Wars empire (no pun intended). His release of the Teaser Trailer and the Episode I Trailer onto the Web is wizardry. This move is both strategic and user-driven in several ways. Most importantly, users can get something that they can't get anywhere else (except in the theater)--the Web is better than reality (or at least other media channels). I know several people that have seen the trailer again and again, at their own convenience at home. The downloads empower users: You can view them when, where, and however you want.

Lesson 2: Empower your users. Go beyond their expectations. Make their experience better than reality.

But Lucas has done more than simply empower users. With the Star Wars Web presence, he is building on an ultra strong "old media" brand. He has a gaggle of images, icons, characters, and environments to build on. He's got great "eye candy", commercial tie-ins, and more. In short, the Star Wars brand is perhaps more powerful than any other science fiction brand. Lucas has extended Star Wars reach, from movies and books to the Web. It is a wise one-two punch marketing punch.

Lesson 3: If you've got brand recognition offline, you can use it to improve your positioning on the Web. And, vice versa. Remember, even when you can't improve sales directly via the Web, you can use your site to sell more offline.

As time goes on, the notion of selling online and offline will become meaningless. Your Web site is your image; it is literally your business. So, in relation to the present article, I'd argue that the Official Star Wars Web Site is Star Wars; it is not merely a site promoting or discussing Star Wars. It would be blatantly wrong to think that the Official Star Wars site is merely a marketing device. Relating back to the trailers I mentioned earlier in the article, you can actually experience a piece of Star Wars (through various Web sites). This approach isn't just to get you to see the movie or to buy Star Wars goodies. Lucas and his crew want to own your thinking. There are more movies; there is even more loyalty to gain. Also, like many others before, he wants to own a piece of history.

Lesson 4: Star Wars is more than a movie. The Official Star Wars Web site is more than a Web site. Lucas is using every tool possible to change our culture, our thinking, and our lifestyle. He is reaching to fill the void: We all want adventure and excitement. He is filling the void. Pause to reflect on this. How is your Web site and your business working to fill the void?

Caveat: Not everyone associated with Star Wars is capitalizing on it. For example, Hasbro's Star Wars site is difficult to use. It also lacks the excitement found on many other Star Wars sites.

Exactly why does it fail? The answer: It has poor usability and it does properly not tap into the Star Wars mythology.

Let's quickly consider some details. The Hasbro Star Wars site uses three frames. On my low resolution monitor (currently set at 640x480 for testing purposes), this makes things much too tight. The main window is very small and interacting with the content is tedious. I asked three of my trusted colleagues to briefly test out the site, and they all pointed out that they hated the animated GIF in the lower left frame. They are correct, it assaults the visual system. They pointed out other problems but I'll skip them for the sake of brevity. In brief, they gave the site very low marks.

Lesson 5: Even Star Wars can suck if it isn't done correctly--the best ideas can be crushed by poor usability and by losing focus. Ouch, but true! Users want the Star Wars myth, and they want it done right. (Nothing is worse than myths done wrong.) While we can pick on Hasbro, other Star Wars sites (official and unofficial) fail too.

But let's not be negative. There are sites that really capture the true nature of Star Wars. For example, TheForce.net is an excellent unofficial Star Wars site. It feeds users great information virtually every day. I've visited quite a lot and I often find really interesting information (note: watch out for spoilers). Just a few days ago I found out through TheForce.net that Popular Mechanics will be printing a special collectors issue due on May 11th, about Star Wars. Without a site like TheForce.net, I probably would have missed this interesting issue. I was also impressed with a simple yet effective "trick" they use on TheForce.net site--check out the trivia page to see how they hide answers from you. Very cool. Please remember that while I really like TheForce.net, there are other great sites too, such as The Star Wars Link Engine. Find one that you like.

Lesson 6: Once again, if you treat your users right, they will reward you with return visits. To improve usability, offer great content (not hard with Star Wars!) and a great interactive experience. Also, simple "tricks" can be easy to employ and they can add enormous value.

That's it for the usability lessons you can learn. There are more, but they aren't as important as the ones I've covered. If you don't agree, let me know (but please be sure your comments are usability-oriented).

Related Information

Cool Books

The Star Wars Encyclopedia

Star Wars: Incredible Cross-Sections

Star Wars: The Visual Dictionary

Catching the Movie Onscreen

Episode I will be opening in the U.S. and Canada on May 19, 1999. I'm told that the running time is just over 2 hours.

The Official Star Wars Web Site

http://www.starwars.com/

Note: If I get more interesting information, I'll add it to this page.

Please feel free to recommend this article to a friend or colleague.

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