Twenty-Four: Wireframing as an Interactivity Map
Thus far, the authors have focused on whom they wish to persuade, and now will begin to consider the actions they wish to persuade them to take as well as what is necessary to maintain their motivation to complete the sequence of actions.
They borrow the term "wireframing" from design, and then stress that they do not want users to be confused with the original use of the term and their intended use of it. (EN: Which makes it seem exceedingly gormless to have borrowed it in the first place, and doubly so because what they call a "wireframe" is actually a "process diagram," which is actually quite similar to the concept they are presenting.)
A Context for Relevance
Consider search engine technology and the way it has evolved to provide relevant answers. If you searched for "the queen of clubs" an early search engine would give you a list of pages about queens and a list of pages about clubs and pages about, and it took some time for them to develop a search engine that recognized that the phrase was a thing unto itself.
The first search engine to do so upped the ante for the industry - those who could not apply the same level of logic to return results that were as relevant could no longer compete. Many of the smaller search engines folded and the barrier to entry was raised. The same can be said of brands and consumers: the one that speaks to them in a relevant way makes the customer less likely to switch to another that fails to do so.
Relevance, however, isn't as simple as search matching logic: different things are relevant to different people at different times. More importantly, relevance is in the eye of the beholder - you can speak to what you think the customer should find relevant, but the customer will decide what actually is relevant to him.
The authors previously extolled the virtues of "trigger words" in communications as a way of demonstrating relevance to a customer - but knowing which words serve as triggers depends on the customer and his context. The triggers that work with a humanistic customer will not resound with a methodical one or vice-versa.
Building Persuasive Momentum
It's also considered that buyers at various stages of their own process will be considering different things at different times depending on how far along they are in making a decision. For that reason, it's important to map the interactions along the way.
Of particular importance is the notion of momentum: the process of buying usually involves a sequence of several steps, and the prospect is carried from one to the next by momentum. They bring a given level of enthusiasm at the onset, and each interaction either sustains or diminishes that momentum. Diminish it enough, and the customer stops moving forward - toward your brand, at least.
(EN: A particular issue the authors do not mention is that momentum is gained or lost, but is not reset at each step along the way. Salesmen in particular seem ignorant of this, and assume that if they say something offensive, they can try something different and the customer will simply forget what was said just moments ago.)
It is also important to approach the mapping process in the correct way: do not map your selling process, but the customer's buying decision process - it is the customer's decision how to proceed (and whether to proceed) at each step along the way. The steps in the selling process are obstacles, which he may consider rituals, or which he may consider to be out of order.
In Practice on the Web
The author turns to the Web as an example, as the map of a Web flow is analogous to his model of the consumer's buying process: it breaks information and decisions into chunks with logical connections between them.
The calls to action on a Web site mirror the steps that a user takes through the buying process, and are often explicitly labeled: "proceed to checkout" and "choose your delivery option" are tasks that the user must do in order to remain on track to completing their purchase.
"Points of Resolution" represent places where the user must make a decision, and the process changes depending on the results of the decision they make. If the user is not able to resolve an issue, they may be lost along the way. If they have difficulty making these resolutions, they will lack confidence in the process and the outcome.
"Decision Support" represents links that enable a customer to reference information relevant to a decision - such as answers to frequently asked questions. The presumption is that the customer will see a link, follow it, read the content, and return to the page to complete the task that had him stumped. It is, in effect, a second chance to catch a customer who was on the verge of leaving - and though the assistance did help them along (good), they did have to put additional effort into staying on the right path (bad).
The seemingly-random behavior of users on the Internet as they proceed through a flow or bail out is often entirely rational and predictable if we consider the persons and ask questions (What are they trying to do? What is keeping them on task? Why might they quit?) at each step along the way.
Persuasion Entities
Marketers use the general term "touch points" to describe any instance in which a prospect or customer might encounter the brand in any channel. Not all of these touch points are intentional (seeing another person consume the product is a touch point) and as such not all of them are or can be crafted to persuade the individual to purchase and use the brand.
When the brand intends to deliver a touch point, the experience is designed to make a positive impact on the audience, and make them more likely to consider and purchase the brand. The elements of this encounter that are under the control of the brand are persuasion entities.
And as with calls-to-action, the entities seek to persuade a person to do a specific thing. In the most general sense, it's aimed toward the eventual purchase of product, but in a more granular sense, it is about persuading the subject to take the next step. That is, an online or email advertisement isn't meant to sell a product, but to get the person seeing it to visit the web site. Once the person arrives on the web site, you must persuade them to view the product inventory, etc. At each step along the way, the subject is wondering whether they ought to continue, and you must persuade them that they should.
In order to be successful, the customer's "cognitive processes" should be mapped out throughout the interaction sequence, as they will have different concerns and motivations at each step along the way, not only in reaction to that step in isolation, but carrying with them the register of emotions and experiences along the way.