Saturday, February 19, 2011

Is iTunes in Need of a New Design?

     After a recent consumer survey, the annual Customer Experience Index seems to suggest that iTunes ratings are rather low for the number of people that use its account.  The Index rates a firm based on regular users' opinions on three principles: whether the service meets customer needs, the ease of working with the firm in general, and whether or not the customer enjoyed the interactions with the company.  Amazon and eBay did surprisingly well, ranking in the top 20 spots.  Apple's iTunes service, on the other hand, ended at number 46 of 133 companies.
     What surprised me the most, I think, was the popularity of iTunes.  This system allowed Apple to spread music easily and thoroughly.  ITunes received a lot of feedback as being confusing, overwhelming, and often less than elegant.  The iTunes service doesn't seem to live up to the same sleek design as other Apple products.  A majority of the participants surveyed are casual users, not incredibly technical geniuses. Despite the advanced capabilities of Apple products, shouldn't the firm also be sure to use designs, layouts, and language that is easily understood by casual users?  I think Apple needs to focus on making changes to their services in order to make the general public comfortable with maneuvering through their websites and services.  Do you think Apple should make these changes?  Or are they trying to find their angel customers, and weed out the "devil customers" by using language and designs that are not easily understood?

http://www.businessweek.com/the_thread/brandnewday/archives/2010/01/consumers_dont.html

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