Web design help: slipperiness vs stickiness

A number of years ago the word on everyone’s lips was ‘stickiness‘. When it came to your website you wanted people to be so engaged that they stuck to your site like flies to fly paper. Last year at the Ad Age conference, the VP of Marketing for Pizza Hut, introduced the term ‘slipperiness‘ into our website vocabulary. His notion was that in his business, the ideal is to create an online experience so fast and convenient that visitors literally slip in and out of a website lightening-fast.

Two polar opposites. So, which is the right solution?

Both.

The key is to understand what action you want people to take when they go to your website. Do you want them to purchase a product, download information, get to your phone number, fill in a request form…? In the case of Pizza Hut, they want customers to purchase food items. Make the process to get to this information slippery…in other words, simple and seamless. Get your visitors to the goal as quickly and painlessly as possible. The longer you have them trying to find where to go the more frustrated they’ll become.

Your site should also contain information that supports why people should care about what it is your trying to get your visitor to do. Usually this includes information about yourself, your people, case studies, blog posts, testimonials, social media status updates, etc. Look at this information like layers of an onion that visitors can peel back at their discretion. Make it engaging and valuable (or sticky) so visitors can spend as much time as they want discovering information about you.

Is your site sticky or slippery or do you have the perfect balance?