Enhancing users’ experiences of self-service technology : A design-oriented case study

Abstract: Self-service technologies (SSTs) have grown rapidly and aim to help customers self-serve. Self-service can be facilitated through help centers, which offers information and support. As the demand for on-going support continues to rise, it is important with continuous research of how to assist help centers to match the affordances of current technology to customers’ needs while providing a good User Experience (UX). Therefore, this study investigates how UX design can be used to improve help centers as a tool for self-service for different stakeholders. This study was in collaboration with Nasdaq, where the users’ needs, expectations and concerns when looking for help to use Nasdaq’s products were identified. In an evaluation, the main features of help center’s that influenced users experience and encouraged their use of the technology were measured by a theoretical lens of a revised version of a Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). The results of this study declare that the major significance in establishing a successful help center lies in ensuring easy accessibility to information through a search function and a well-organized side navigation. Additionally, incorporating a training and getting started page with a combination of videos and text are crucial for advanced products.