Creating the right signs on a website
I was on a course last week (The Human Element) at a pretty classy business venue, the kind that has a very plush foyer and makes you stand up straight as you walk in.
In the toilet was a sign that bugged me all week and on Friday I worked out what it was.
How polite can a notice be when the instruction is an order and CAPITAL letters are used? I felt a bit patronised considering the location and the type of person who was there (me being one of them).
Now, this post isn’t about my sensitivities, it’s about the need to create the right message:
- For the right audience
- At the right time
- In the right language
How many sales must lost and call-to-actions ignore simply because they use the wrong words in the wrong way.
Comment by Garri September 26, 2007 @ 3:00 pm
Yep, and how many times have I visited holiday rental sites in the past few years to be told, quite emphatically, that my IP is logged and I’d better watch out, or else!
The language some of these people use on websites is quite reprimanding, not to mention downright rude.
Comment by Craig Killick September 26, 2007 @ 3:03 pm
That’s a great point actually and has prompted another post about scaring people - thanks for the inspiration Garri.
Pingback by Craig Killick Web Marketing : Blog Archive : Be big brother but keep it to yourself September 28, 2007 @ 7:06 am
[…] at Holiday Pad commented on my recent post about creating appropriate signage on your website: Yep, and how many times have I visited holiday rental sites in the past few years to be told, […]