Oh, how the Ninja Turtles would be envious of what’s possible today.
I just ordered Domino’s Pizza with my sister-in-law and thought I was going through a typical transaction over the web. After the credit card payment, however, I was brought to this flash-based interface on the confirmation page:
30 Minute Guaranteeing, Dynamic Interface from Dominos.com
While we waited, there was also a “Are you a Republican/Democrat?” poll to interact with.
Usually, once I’ve purchased a product, I leave the computer or close the screen but I’m still here, waiting eagerly to see how my pizza is progressing. They’ve broken it down into 5 easy steps: order placed, prep, bake, box, delivery. And here’s also a nice touch:
Yes, bake that pie, Corine.
What a nice personal touch, adds a nice human element (kinda makes me want to go to Domino’s right now just to see if there’s really a Corine there). But now, the final touch:
Steve is on his way!
Methinks I hear the doorbell. I’m gonna go say hi to Steve and watch the VP debate. What a delightful pizza ordering experience!
Edit on 10/3/08:
Ordering pizza, or buying some other commercial product online, has now become a mundane process. As Goffman would say it, we have a transactional process of “initiation, maintenance, and leave-taking.” It’s the last phase of “leave-taking” that really interests me. In much of life, we greet people, get to know them a bit, and at the end of the day, say goodbye.
Dewey calls his form “conception, development, and fulfillment.” Many times, people will make a purchase and once they give out their credit card, the confirmation page is a just another moment in their day where they transition to another activity and mode of thinking. However, this Dominos pizza tracker took it beyond just a “leave-taking” stage. I actually stayed in Dominos land (Dominos became my environment because I had intent to stay) and we had a type of conversation. I don’t know what I exactly mean by that, but it was something very different from other transactions I’ve had before.