[Sigia-l] Applying Information Foraging Models

[SCoon at ameritrade.com]

> Innovation in online applications is stirred by the behavior of users.

Of course, the most spectacular and lucrative example of this is Amazon.com,
which, I'm told, was once a small online bookseller.

Ziya

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True indeed... although the users of Amazon didn't quite reinvent the product themselves through unique behavioral usage -- unless you want to make the argument that by embracing the e-commerce model in it's infancy, their "unique usage" allowed Bezos and Co. to simultaneously expand offerings in a rather bold fashion, while exploring ways of introducing e-commerce through unique presentation devises such as collaborative filtering et al. That is a truth, but the user behavior that drove it seems to be more akin to a pure engagement in new economy supply and demand.

Now Amazon's UX design staff (and Strategy team) is another story all together. They've been able to recognize user behavior and the *resulting patterns in shopping experiences* as a tool to iteratively design a richer, more immersive, sales-driven, interactive shopping experience that now dominates the market. The site is like friggin' quicksand. If Bloomingdales were as immersive, the divorce rate would be closer to 80%.

OK, I'm searching Amazon for a jackhammer now...

/*spcoon*/