Word: Sticky UX
Definition: The concept in which experiences engage users and keep them interested, resulting in increased user return rate and user rememberability.
Thought: The internet is a different animal from a brick and mortar store or a physical experience because the physicality is, in and of itself, predisposed to stickiness. Still confused? Stick with me! (See what I did there!) When you're at the pharmacy, you are likely to walk out with a purchase, full stop. However, the stakes are much lower in the digital world. If Amazon does not have what you're looking for, you're most likely not going to buy a comparable but not favorable item just because you're already on the site. Your job is to make the experience more "sticky" which in turn, makes the user, stay! Or at the very least, remember.
Question: Is it fair to compare online experiences to physical experiences? What are the benefits of digital stickiness?
Published by: hratkin in terms
Mike Donahue
January 31, 2015 at 8:18 am
While I agree with your Definition, your Thought has flaws.
1. There’s a difference in urgency between the brick and mortar and online experience that bears on our purchase. If you have a headache and the store is out of your favorite pain reliever, you’re likely settle for your second option for immediate relief. This is about necessity and convenience, and has nothing to do with stickiness.
When your headache is gone you can then go online and look for a bargain on your favorite brand because the urgency is gone. You have time to bounce from site to site finding the best deal and availability.
Stickiness in this case is about your experience with your favorite pain reliever.
2. Your thought presumes that people will settle when in brick and mortar and won’t online. Again this is also a matter of urgency. We have all walked in and out of plenty of stores in our lives without purchasing because our ideal item was not available.
In the case of brick and mortar stickiness would be seen if people didn’t find what they wanted but were willing to wait for it to be in stock and return to store to get it. That would indicate the store as made a sticky experience for their customers.
3. What your definition speaks more to is engagement in the sense of how much time and energy a person will volunteer to spend on a given activity. An experience sticks with us when it evokes a strong emotional reaction in us. Emotions are the key to a sticky experience. An example in that direction would better support you definition.
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hratkin
January 31, 2015 at 9:48 am
I appreciate your comment, Mike!
My thought about online retailers versus a brick and mortar store was less to illustrate stickiness and more to demonstrate the importance of “stickiness” online. My point was not to compare the “stickiness” of the two shopping experiences but to explain why sticky UX is, arguably, more important in the digital world.
You are right on with the connection to emotion and I agree, that would be a great example to explore!
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