[Sigia-l] The A>B, B>A problem

[Todd Warfel]

Well, based on some work we've one for a very large grocer on recipes, 
shopping behaviors, and food prep, I'd have to differ with you on this. 
This extends far beyond a "restaurant." The same is true for those in a 
store, or at home.

First, I guess that's going to depend on the main variable - audience. 
However, as you'll see, even though the audiences have somewhat 
different knowledge bases and goals, their behaviors can be simplified 
and categorized.

Most avid wine collectors, connoisseurs, and wine lovers typically 
stick to either red or whites. Regardless of whether they're in a store 
or a restaurant. They'll select color/type/region&year (e.g. Red, 
Cabernet, California 1999).

Then you'll have those that pair the wine based on what they eat. So, 
you'll have reds with red meats and red sauces; whites with fish, 
cheese, desert, and white sauces. But even in these cases, they'll 
generally stick to a regular pattern (e.g. Reds>Steak, White>Seafood).

Then you have those who either don't know and go with the crowd or a 
recommendation from the server, or just know that they like a cheap 
Merlot.

Either way, if you look at their typical behavior, even for the three 
very different "personas" above, you'll find a common behavior: 
color/type/region&year.

The point being, observe first from off-line behaviors to draw 
conclusions for on-line activities. Match the on-line w/the off-line 
and you're going to be a couple of steps ahead of the game.

On Nov 5, 2004, at 11:39 AM, Peter Van Dijck wrote:

> The reason they do it by color is that people *in a restaurant* 
> usually go by color first. After all, they've just ordered a dish, 
> probably meat or fish.
>
> In an online store, circumstances are a little different. The user 
> might be looking to try one of those Californian wines. Or a wine from 
> Chile, those are supposed to be good as well.

Cheers!

Todd R. Warfel
Partner, Design and Usability Specialist
MessageFirst | making products easier to use
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