Off the top of my head, I would put your Persuasion Architecture this way.

Visiting a website is like taking a dump.

Unlike the bear in the woods, we humans are all driven to make use of a lavatory from time to time as we go about our daily perambulations. Some days we need to evacuate quicker than others.

Say, for instance, you chose the wrong Chinese restaurant, and discovered that the new-age, interior designer had so disguised the toilet that you could not navigate your way around to accomplish what was necessary in the few seconds you had before…explosion. Well, you can imagine your dismay.

Familiarity and ease of use can be vital under such circumstances.

And, yet, there are those occasions when we have more time on our hands, and the visit to the throne room is one of meditation and scholarship. “Bob, do you need an enema!” my mother would shout through the door, as my father did the NY Times crossword puzzle for hours.

For those visitors, your website should have fun, engaging content.

Alas, while sitting on the can, many of us take stock of our surroundings and shape our perceptions by what we see.

Am I in a god-awful, service station toilet and should sell all my stock in Mobil? Am I in the spa suite at Billagio’s text-messaging my friends to come upstairs quick and check it out. Or perhaps I’m the guest of a wealthy business acquaintance and realize — “I want what he has!” — and, subsequently, to know this person better.

The smart website, therefore, needs to be aware that different people have different agendas, which may switch at any moment, depending on their ever- mutating situation in life.

If I may continue to use my lavatory analogy…

…family members look for their toothbrush. Guests hunt for soap and hand towels. Drug addicts rifle the medicine cabinet. Lovers rummage for condoms and lubrication.

In short, people who come to the same place may want different things.

How often have we tried to decipher the hieroglyphics on a new-fangled shower knob only to be scalded in the process?

A website must anticipate all who come to visit, and not only give people what they want, but make it easy for folks to get what they want.

If they get burned, you get burned.

If they can’t find the Bounty…the safety pins…the deodorant…the People magazine…the Oxycotin…or figure out how to defecate into the Kohler San Rafael Two-piece French Curve with Ingenium flush technology, they will go somewhere else.

You cannot stop Mother Nature.

Shit happens.

josh

Great comments! I really enjoyed your Newtonian physics metaphor.

I am FAR from an expert in the whole concept of developing and applying Personas, but from a “beginner’s mind,” here are some areas I think there is a lot of confusion among those not as steeped in the methodology as you and others that “get it” better than most of us…

TYPE vs. MODE– you do a good job w/ your mother story helping articulate the difference. Not always obvious at first blush to many.

DEMOGRAPHIC vs. PERSONA– yes, I was there during the “after session” at Internet Retailer (no apologies necessary), and it was obvious that many folks who have spent TONS of time and money on DEMOGRAPHIC profiling have a hard time distinguishing that from Personas. Or perhaps more accurately, after having spent so much time and money on demongraphic research and technology, it’s a bitter pill to swallow that it’s of limited value in developing usable Personas.

“PERSONA-FICATION” vs. PERSONALIZATION– Bryan addresses this a bit in the ClickZ article you reference. While not a direct correlation to persuasion architecture, I thought the YesMail presentation at IR gave some good examples of where “personalization” as we’ve come to conveniently define it falls short in understanding the MODE a visitor is in at the time of a touch– be that online or via email.

“UI” vs. CONTENT– I like what Bryan says about the persuasion “UI” being the content rather than the navigation (my paraphrasing). My understanding of the proper application of a Persona-orientation (if you’ll forgive the Newtonian physics metaphors) is NOT in reducing sales process FRICTION found in UI, navigation, linear sales processes, etc., but to increase the GRAVITATION effect drawing the guest into a sphere of influence (persuasion) based on really understanding them (and their needs, motivations at POA) rather than just conveniently labeling them.

My thoughts and observations as a relative “newbie” to the converstation, for what their worth. That and $4.60 will get you priority mail postage…

I agree with you that ‘asking’ customers for preferences or feedback has never served to to reveal reality. That is why we profess that actual observation of customers and their behaviors is much valuable than the traditional surveys or secret shopper approaches.

I profess that you can’t outsource customer experience, the interaction with the customer is too strategic to leave it to someone to do it for you, or to tell you about it.

I look forward to Part II.

Rob Howard
CEO, Clearbrick LLC