the Friday edition - the one where I lost my passport
I’ve confessed this mistake.
I even had to cancel a recent trip to the UK because I’d misplaced my passport in a move.
A somewhat expensive mistake.
One that got more and more expensive.
I’m bringing it back up because I had another trip planned and the passport hadn’t turned up.
So I did what anyone with airline points might do… I attempted to navigate the US “last minute passport” “system”.
(Spoiler - it worked despite their best effort to keep me confused.)
I don’t know who the US government sites are built for, but it’s NOT for most citizens and those seeking other government documents. That's because, on average, Americans read at the 7th/8th grade level.
Have you checked out the UX lately?
They try, they really do.
But I had to use screenshots and ChatGPT to ensure I was selecting the right form and next steps. There was even contradictory information about the forms despite the somewhat user-friendly starting point.
When I got to my appointment with 12 more pages than I needed and was still one short, it was similar controlled chaos.
Somehow it works.
But why make it so hard on users?
Have you, or someone evaluated your site lately? How are you checking for coherence and helpfulness to the job the visitor is there to do?
There are lots of tools you can use, but not much beats a live walkthrough every now and again. (We set a 3 month task)
Go do it now. Or ask a friend or family member that can channel your ideal client.
No new tools this week because Rebecca is in Mexico, but if you haven’t seen our Microsoft Clarity review, take a look.
Until next week,
Rebecca and the Advisory 9 team
P.S. - Have you taken the survey yet?
