The iQ Clinic: Go Fast Numbers

— Published January 1st, 2005  |  by David Moore

Our Advice:

The Reach Services system works as described in the question, with each entry given a unique number. A box on every page allows users to enter the “Go Fast Service Number” to be taken straight to the page they require.

Users are urged encouraged to “Make a note of the Go Fast number for future access.”

To us, this system does not work well, the main reason being that people find it hard to remember an attribute that’s arbitrarily given to content. For example, ‘5207’ is the number for the content on tax relief for donations to charity, but there’s no reason it’s not any other four-digit number, as far as the user is concerned.

The lack of a connection between the identifier and the content it indentifies makes the system much less useful than offering an effective search. It takes about as long (and much more organisation) for someone to enter into the Go Fast box the number they’ve made a note of, as it does to enter into the search box a couple of words that actually describe what they’re looking for.

We’ve not see this system used elsewhere, and this mention of AERTEL is telling. With Teletext services (such as AERTEL) the page number was a factor of the limited technology. The only input the system could understand was numeric data from the remote control (although later versions also incorporated colour-coded quick links). Hyperlinks and searching are much easier to use and understand.

If the aim of the Go Fast Number is to provide a quick way for users to return to pages they’ve visited before, there are some better options:

• provide an automated list of pages visited by the individual user (although such a list might include pages they hadn’t really wanted to visit in their search for the content they did want)
• allow users to store their own set of useful pages. Similar to Amazon’s Wishlist system, users could add pages to their list, and return to the list when they wanted without having to scribble down any numbers
• offer users a list of their previous searches (as the project management tool Basecamp does). Since we're often looking for the same thing more than once, this offers a useful way of personalising access to the content.

So overall, we’re not sure the Go Fast Number approach adds much to the site’s usability, and it’s not one we recommend.

Got a problem?

And remember, if you're struggling with a web issue — be it accessibility, usability, content, strategy or politics — send us a brief outline of the problem, and we'll choose one and provide some suggestions and pointers in next month's issue. Think of us as your digital agony aunts, and send your questions to theclinic@iqcontent.com.