Too often UIs take the non-engaged user to the next action: they scan the page, don’t see what they want, so they can click on another navigation item or a banner ad callout. A good UI makes this easy to do. But what about the engaged user? The one who read every word of your advice article (or even scanned it), or filled out a contact form and is just given a short “thank you”. What is the next call to action for him?
This takes a little thought. You need to get in the user’s head, and examine each page carefully. If the user wanted to actually read (or scan) this article, what can she do when she scrolls down to the bottom? Are there clear, related calls to action for the natural next step? Or does she have to scroll all the way to the top to see where to go next?
I’ve seen in usability testing time and again where an engaged user will read or scan through the page, and then get to the bottom, and expect to be told what the next relevant step is. He doesn’t want to go back up to the top to find it. He wants it where he already is, which makes perfect sense.
Here’s a web page where we did exactly this.
You’ll see clear, flexible calls to action at the bottom of the page. They’re based on user goals, and what various user paths would be. And we also thought about what relevant items the business would want to promote to the user. Then the calls to action served both.
In usability testing and site metrics, I’ve seen users notice links at the bottom of a page more than they did the identical ones that appeared at the top of the page and above the fold, because the timing was in their favor — they were now ready to take that next step. And they were appreciative of the site guiding them to it.
But don’t just think about content based pages. Think about other instances, such as when a user fills out a contact form. The thank you page often says “Thanks for your feedback. We’ll get back to you in one business day.” But what do you really want the user to do next? If it’s an existing customer, do you want them to fill out a rating & review? Or do you want to tell them about a great new site feature they may not know about? Take them to the next step.
One final note of emphasis: That next step should be based on user needs and goals, and balanced with the business objectives. If you know the user, why she’s coming to the site, and what value she’d extract from the current page, what would be in her mind as a next step? What does the business want to promote that would be of direct relevance to her on this particular page? That’s one way to reach successful engagement.
And don’t make it overwhelming. The recommended next step could be one clear link, or as many as three to provide flexibility. And if technology can make them more personalized and relevant, all the better.
Once you’ve recommended this next step, test it with users. Refine. Work with your team to ensure the calls to action are being fully measured. Once the results are in, refine again.
And always think about what’s next.