The overriding goal behind State Farm’s recent homepage revamp, was, it seems, to simplify. Remove clutter and increase visibility of the key tasks of site users.
Compare the new version (top) with an older one (bottom) in the image below (the image shows the top section of each page). The company has identified three tasks that are of overriding importance: Get A Quote, Contact Us, and Manage Claims. Now these tasks were pretty clear on the older page, but there are key differences in how they are presented.
State Farm’s new home page (top) contrasts sharply with the older one (bottom)
The first difference is obvious – the three tasks occupy a huge section of the central area of the page. Another less obvious change is the reduction (or removal) of ‘supporting’ text such as what is available behind the logon, the Advanced Finder explanation, and so on.
The idea is simple – remove everything that will cause someone to pause when they are in the process of completing one of the main tasks. Weed out the dead wood. Some of this material will disappear entirely, while more will just need a little more browsing to find it. Every word, image, link on a page needs to earn its place. If it does not help people move quickly to where they want to be, it has to be moved or deleted.
This process is not easy. Internal politics, the idea that more content is better, and a company-centric view of content can all form barriers.
State Farm deserves a lot of credit for joining the growing number of companies who are catering to its site visitors by simplifying and speeding up their online visits.
This is a great example of serving the customer. Simplicity and easy navigation are key for delivering service online. As this video (http://www.upyourservice.com/video-theater/what-is-technologys-role-in-providing-superior-service) points out, technology has a role in delivering service … but it can only go so far!