Insider jargon is terminology from the corporation’s point-of-view. When you use jargon, you risk losing your user – who may not have any idea what you’re referring to.

An example of this might be a travel site that requires the user to know airport codes for departure and destination points in order to book a flight. While (marginally) acceptable on an application designed for travel agents, such jargon is completely inappropriate for a casual user of a self-service application, and will guarantee the frustration of users (which hopefully is not your goal).

The solution is simple: Always use common language and terminology.

Many designers and developers attempt to compress the time it takes to complete a transaction by overloading screens with too many steps or required user actions. The result may be a screen where the user is forced to fill out a number of fields, go to separate screens to check information, come back to the same screen, and only then continue to the next screen. This problem can be found on many sites where there are lengthy, complex online applications (e.g., for mortgages or insurance).

Keep in mind that it is faster for an average user to step through several simple, easy-to-understand screens than to struggle to comprehend and complete one long, complex screen.

The solution is to break up lengthy processes or screens of information into separate, easy to understand “chunks” of related information (a good example of this is Amazon.com’s checkout process). Don’t worry about the total number of “clicks” to complete a transaction.

The use of unlabeled icons in a self-service system is so rarely successful that we never recommend it.

Sometimes unlabeled icons will appear in small groups – either as indicators of different sections, or as indicators of special actions outside the normal "flow." But the user is always forced to discover first what the icon means, then contemplate what it will do if selected: two unnecessary cognitive steps.

We recommend always using text labels with icons and pictures.

Sometimes action buttons (the logical “next step” buttons in transactions) are located too far away from corresponding prompts or related information. An example of this is when ‘Yes/No” buttons are located far below the original screen question. Another problem occurs when action buttons are located outside the main content area of the screen, relegated to a “navigation-only” area. This only serves to slow down the self-service transaction by making the user search for the right button.

While it’s difficult to generalize about screen placement, we find that action buttons need to relate closely to screen content; for greatest usability, locate them so they appear to correspond to prompts or data.

Forcing users to make selections from long menus introduces the likelihood of errors into a self-service transaction.

Although the Web has its share of long scrolling home pages, the worst offenders for scrolling menus may be wireless Web services. Granted, designing for small screens is no cakewalk, and it’s made even worse by the fact that there are seemingly an infinite number of screen sizes and configurations for delivery.

It’s best, however, to minimize the use of long scrolling menus wherever possible for self-service. Rethink the information architecture of the service and even the functionality being offered. Do you really need all those functions on your main menu? More is not always better.

Problems arise in self-service applications when screen prompts are either non-existent or unclear. Granted, people tend to skim rather than completely read every sentence. But a short, succinct prompt can make the difference between a system being usable and being unusable.

So… use prompts liberally for self-service transactions, and make sure they’re well written. Your bonus will be that if all screen instructions are clear, you can probably do away with the need for a separate “Help” section.

Brand identity does not always translate directly to interactive media. I see organizations and agencies frequently dominating the screen with visual brand identity, and forgetting that a self-service application is all about a dialogue with the user.

An example of this is a graphic used on a Website to carry over brand identity from print media, but which has an ambiguous purpose. Or a palette that works beautifully in a magazine ad is so dark as to be unusable on a self-service kiosk.

Solution: Keep the brand interaction (the dialogue with the user) the main focus in your self-service application. Visual brand identity should play a supporting – not a dominating - role in the user interface.

Steering clear of these Seven Deadly Sins will make your self-service application easier to use. By ensuring your customers can easily complete transactions, you’ll keep them in your self-service channel and away from dependence on live support.