"Back" to Target

When I get lost at the Target website, I just hit the “Back” button until I arrive at the place where I am no longer confused. More often than not, I have landed back on the home page of the website. To me, there is something comforting about the Target home page. It could be that my personal familiarity and satisfaction with the website inspires positive emotion. Emotion/attitude is one of the four dimensions of customer interface that contribute to the customer experience (Roberts, p.265). In my case, Target has succeeded in this aspect of the customer experience.

When it comes to the navigational structure on a website, one important rule is that the visitor should always be able to navigate the site without instructions by following familiar web conventions or simple logic (Roberts, p. 259). One example suggests use of the corporate logo as a link to the home page.

The upper left corner of all pages that I reviewed on the Target website displays a target sign, which is their logo. All a visitor has to do is click on the target and they are immediately taken to the home page. I honestly had never clicked on the target before because as noted, I just use the “back” button. Apparently, there is no need for any specific directions telling the customers to click on the target logo for the home page because it is assumed that this action would be logical and common to internet users.

The Target website appears to be designed so that customers can easily select a department that will provide them with the products they are interested in researching or purchasing. Every page that I looked at provided the department categories in the same location across the top of the page. The consistency eliminates confusion. The main ad on the home page today shows a picture of two girls on a bike who seem like they are happy and having fun. Websites should be developed and designed to be responsive to the need for information and the attitude with which the visitor enters the site (Roberts, p. 254). Target seems to be right on target with maintaining an effective website.