Usability is at the heart of Web 2.0 and at the heart of usability is 'filtering', 'drilling down', allowing consumers to reach their ideal (card) product in two to three clicks.
Citi Cards is the latest issuer to go large on filtering and the user experience, integrating a simple but effective navigational tool on its home page.
The tool, called
Find the Perfect Credit Card, allows consumers to select their status (for example, 'General Consumer' or 'College Student', followed by their preferred card features (for example, 'Rewards Cards' or 'No Annual Fee'). By doing this they can quickly drill, or filter down to the card or cards that suit them best.
So, if I'm a college student, want a card with no annual fee and a cash back facility, then my search is narrowed down to four cards in three simple clicks. It's a big step away from the traditional approach to marketing cards online, namely placing the emphasis on brand categories or card names rather than the underlying features — the features that should drive consumer choice.
It's a subtle but important shift from a product focus to the focus being on the consumer. For a growing number of issuers, allowing prospective customers to quickly pinpoint the cards that are appropriate for them – which amounts to a positive experience – is fast being seen as an effective acquisition tool.
I just wonder if issuers could take it a step further and start using '
tag clouds', which are the embodiment of Web 2.0 filtering — the tag cloud below was taken from UK-based property website
Zoomf. OK, this contains a lot more tags than would appear in a card-specific cloud, but it's arguably a lot more intuitive – and certainly a lot 'cooler' – than the tool being used by Citi Card. It's pretty much the same technology, too, just a different and more visually entertaining way to present it.
Saying that, you have to applaud Citi for enhancing the user experience, and placing the emphasis firmly on the consumer. They're on the right track.