Parse This
I’ve decided to conduct an experiment. I’m unsubscribing from every email newsletter or update that I ever signed up for. I’ve raised the relevance bar to its highest position: if it’s not something that I read regularly, it goes. It’s been quite a liberating experience and I’m planning on applying the same strict standard to any future impulse I may have to hit the subscribe button again.
It’s also been interesting to note the differences between the various unsubscribe processes. The best of them offer a link in the email coded with the recipient email address so that no logging-in or other steps are required. Click the link, then a confirm button (”Are you suurrrre you want to unsubscribe…?”), and then you’re free! Some sites make it a little bit harder to figure out how to cast off the yoke of subscription. For example, UrbanBaby — a site which, although it’s a favorite site of many urban parents I know, has never invested much effort in improving user experience — provides that helpful unsubcribe link in the email, but clicking it gets you this tongue-twister:
[ ] Unsubscribe me from UrbanBaby Daily email(s). Keep me registered to post on the UrbanBaby Message Boards, Caregiver Job Board and Classifieds, and occasionally receive special offers, promotions, coupons, and free samples from UrbanBaby and its sponsors.
[ ] Unsubscribe me from UrbanBaby Daily email(s). Keep me registered to post on the UrbanBaby Message Boards, Caregiver Job Board and Classifieds. I do not want to occasionally receive special offers, promotions, coupons, and free samples from UrbanBaby and its sponsors.
I’m still working on that second cup of coffee, but it took my a couple of reads to parse this one. The only difference between the two options is the words “I do not want” imbedded in the middle of the sentence! And why even bring up registration? Especially because the option to un-register isn’t even offered. Come to think of it I don’t think I’ve ever un-registered from a site. Is that something I should be doing??
As a concerned Urban Baby user, I would like to offer the site 5 minutes of free usability consulting:
We’re sorry you have decided to unsubscribe from UrbanBaby emails. Please confirm your unsubscribe options below:
[ ] Unsubscribe me from UrbanBaby Daily emails only.
[ ] Unsubscribe me from all UrbanBaby emails, including special offers, promotions, coupons, and free samples from UrbanBaby and its sponsors.
Better?
May 14th, 2006 at 1:38 am
Perhaps they are thinking that if the confuse the user enough, they will abandon their decision to unsubscribe altogether. To that end, they should have gone for all or nothing!
[ ] Unsubscribe UrbanBaby everyday the emails. The UrbanBaby telegram country which it will carry, in order to arrange in the for pathogenetic one board it is register to be defended, it classifies, with being temporary from the UrbanBaby and it support person the phone and the free sample the proposal which is special, promotion, kiwi it receives.
[ ] Ununsubscribe.