why are web sites so poorly designed!

There is an irony there, but on the other hand there isn't as many of the supposed choices are for things I don't want and didn't ask for, so is that really a choice?

When so many shops are closing down or offering a very limited selection of stock and tell you to go to thier online store how much choice do we really have.

I don't really have the time or inclination to research every item I want to buy, how do I know that the reviewers are real anyway? I can read all the reviews and technical information in the world but it often dosen't tell me the things I want to know, in the case of pillows do they feel nice? I found out about the deficits of website descriptions when buying new furniture, very few places gave the measurements for the seat size for chairs and sofa.s. They gave the overall size of the object, but not the bit you sit on and I'm not surprised either as when I did eventually find it the seat was more of a shelf than something to relax in.

TheCatWoman said:

WHy does anyone need a choice of 200, especially when many of the are sponsered ads for things you  don't want?

Do you see the irony of complaining of a lack of choice then saying there is too much?

Marketplaces like Amazon are good places if you are prepared to make the effort to look at the reviews, do some additional online research for other peoples opinions and finally make an educated guess.

If you want them to curate a shortlist for you then I suspect you would be suspicious of the offerings, suspecting them of pushing the ones they made most margin from etc.

TheCatWoman said:

I wonder if the internet would discombobulate if a site actually returned the search results that it was asked for?

I don't think it would ever happen as the places you search (ie the search engines) all make money from website owners paying to have their entry listed above a competitor when a search is performed.

There is a whole job role for this (search engine optimiser) although I suspect this will soon be overtaken by AI fighting all the other AIs for higher rankings.

Of course it is all down to money as anything free (ie the internet) has to be paid for somehow, and it is typically the sellers that pay the search engines / marketplace sites and then pass the cost onto the customer in higher prices.

There really is no such thing as a free lunch.

Actually going into Argos is as bad as online shopping, I got my pillows EVENTUALLYI After a lot of faffinf around trying to pay for them, no I don't want anything else, no I don't want nectar points, no I don't want to give you my email address, yes I would like to go to the checkout, yes I am sure I ready to pay and yes I really do want to use a debit card and not paypal, or a phone or one of half a dozen different payment options with interested amounts stated.

I try and not use amazon for everything, I also like to feel things like pillows before I buy them, I looked on the website of the shop I usually get them from.

Trying to sell me memory foam pillows dosen't work as any sort of bait for me, having a massive latex allergy I would be too afraid to go to sleep in case I didn't wake up again.

WHy does anyone need a choice of 200, especially when many of the are sponsered ads for things you  don't want?

I wonder if the internet would discombobulate if a site actually returned the search results that it was asked for?

A choice of perhaps 3 or 4.....or 5 or 6.....seems optimal to me, personally.   So can I achieve my panacea these days......= nope.

Iain said:

Darn, I just can't win LOL

And there is the rub!

Unknown said:

Who needs a choice of 200 pillows? Overkill!

0 pillows = problem

200 pillows = problem

Darn, I just can't win LOL

Who needs a choice of 200 pillows? Overkill!

what site are you using? Looking at Amazon and searching for Feather Pillow gives 200 hits just for the feather variety, never mind adding down as an option:

I only shopped online during Covid - yet living alone in a council flat and waiting for it to be delivered is a real pain, which is why I very rarely shop online and only pay bills online 

Even using online search engines when looking for something is a pain, even when using the “correct” search terms and “keywords” - I’ve even used “assistant” and versions of AI and “search bots” in desperation and still no joy, even when using voice commands - within the history of the internet and all the advances made since the 80’s they still can’t even get that basic thing right and it’s so frustrating - it’s no wonder they brought in QR codes on mobile phones and displayed them on their websites and even on videos, otherwise you would be there for days 

I agree and this is why, for the most part, i don't do online shopping. Filtering through everything and waiting for it all to load up often takes ages. I am disliking actual shops more and more, find shopping as a pastime odd, but have more difficulty buying online. I need to see things in the flesh.

Sometimes it's poor web design, sometimes it;s a marketting technique known as "bait and switch", where your attentiion is engaged by a legitimate bargain, but the process is designed to make the less good item simply easier to buy...