Creating the customer experience seems to be the growing trend with websites today. Internet users are demanding that websites provide them with the option to change the settings and preferences on a website. This option allows for the user to have a more beneficial and enjoyable experience. The most popular way of meeting the needs of the user is customization. Customization allows the user to customize the website to their personal preferences, and allows the users to get a better experience out of the website.
User personalization is changed and altered by the user, and includes aspects such as language, colour, webpage layout, and relative links. An example of personalization is setting a language on hotmail and having the language remembered when the user returns to the same website. The setting must be saved and recorded in order for this information to be remembered, which is often done in the form of a cookie. A cookie will record the user’s preferences and settings, by remembering the user’s computer’s IP when it returns to the site.
When a website offers the option of customizing their website, they appeal to a wider audience of users. If a user has the option to view a website that is in their language of choice, it may allow them to understand information easier and make their time on the site more efficient. In my opinion, I feel that website customization is a beneficial tool to have on a website. If I were not fluent in a language in which the website was created, I would have a hard time understanding the website’s content. By allowing for settings, such as language, it allows for a broader understanding, and a larger audience. On the other hand, I feel that if a website provides a user with too many settings, it takes away from the theme of the website. There is only so much that a user should be able to change, otherwise, they are the ones creating the website.
