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When trying to use Roku's Billing (much touted lately; also: mandatory!) i notice placing the order dialog has some surreal moments. To wit, it repeats dementedly "Purchase" word 4 times in a screen of less than 10 words:
Reminds me this scene from "Being John Malkovich": https://youtu.be/HPeattKV74A?t=28
I doubt that was intentional UX choice, almost certainly remained from "let's type something and will improve it later". Moreover, there is an issue in the way product name is used in the dialog. Say my in-app product is named "Raga - Remove Ads" (without the quotes, naturally). What the dialog currently will show is:
Roku* - can you put forth a request to fix ("improve") this dialog? The two issues as outlined.
Reminds me this scene from "Being John Malkovich": https://youtu.be/HPeattKV74A?t=28
I doubt that was intentional UX choice, almost certainly remained from "let's type something and will improve it later". Moreover, there is an issue in the way product name is used in the dialog. Say my in-app product is named "Raga - Remove Ads" (without the quotes, naturally). What the dialog currently will show is:
Select 'Purchase' to purchase Raga - Remove Ads for $9.99It should instead separate the product name from the other text, typically with some kind of quote marks, like so (sans the color - color used here to make it abundantly clear what's missing in the original):
Select 'Purchase' to purchase "Raga - Remove Ads" for $9.99
Select 'Purchase' to purchase 'Raga - Remove Ads' for $9.99
Select 'Purchase' to purchase ] for $9.99
Roku* - can you put forth a request to fix ("improve") this dialog? The two issues as outlined.
Good griffin - and if i thought previous dialog was lacking, wait to see this one:
Looks fine at first sight? Well... think as a buyer. What am i paying these $1.99 for ?!
It doesn't say what the product is - neither before - nor after the PIN screen. Nowhere in doOrder(), to users in PIN mode. If you thought the PIN screen is shown after the "Purchase. Purchase purchase? Purchase!" screen, then you - just like me - would be wrong! And there is no way to know which of the two screens they'll see.
Here is what the theory says (TFM in two places, roChannelStore and sgChannelStore😞
... but the practice is a lapse of judgement in UX/usability. One, it is a security/scam concern because the RokuCo screen (that's supposed to inspire trust) does not connect the 2 things: "Product" and "Money" in 1 place. Yes, i can tell whatever i want on another screen (promise the world!) and then charge them for completely different in-app product, can't i? And then poor user try to explain calling CSR "well, it charged me $5..." - "what was that for, ma'am?" - "well... ughhhhhh...."
Risks for gullible people aside, the serious problem is with the bigger % of the users - those who do not trust just any blackish screen asking for money. These actually need to be shown the 2 together: here, you are buying "Product A" for "Price B", that okay sir? Cue "online shopping cart", well known experience. Or even the "Purchase. Purchase purchase? Purchase!" screen above. It does connect the two properties. Why doesn't PIN screen mention the product name?
And RokuCo wonders why the number of purchases on Roku platform is tiny? Well, there is your problem... the experience has a whiff of seedy. It should be seamless, it should be polished! We are talking about sales here, people - about money. One slip and user abandons the transaction.
Looks fine at first sight? Well... think as a buyer. What am i paying these $1.99 for ?!
It doesn't say what the product is - neither before - nor after the PIN screen. Nowhere in doOrder(), to users in PIN mode. If you thought the PIN screen is shown after the "Purchase. Purchase purchase? Purchase!" screen, then you - just like me - would be wrong! And there is no way to know which of the two screens they'll see.
Here is what the theory says (TFM in two places, roChannelStore and sgChannelStore😞
Most of the purchase flow, screens and messaging associated with the financial transaction are handled by the firmware outside of control or monitoring by BrightScript code. The BrightScript code merely initiates the purchase and receives a final result. This will engender trust with users and give them confidence that they are dealing with the Roku Channel Store.
... but the practice is a lapse of judgement in UX/usability. One, it is a security/scam concern because the RokuCo screen (that's supposed to inspire trust) does not connect the 2 things: "Product" and "Money" in 1 place. Yes, i can tell whatever i want on another screen (promise the world!) and then charge them for completely different in-app product, can't i? And then poor user try to explain calling CSR "well, it charged me $5..." - "what was that for, ma'am?" - "well... ughhhhhh...."
Risks for gullible people aside, the serious problem is with the bigger % of the users - those who do not trust just any blackish screen asking for money. These actually need to be shown the 2 together: here, you are buying "Product A" for "Price B", that okay sir? Cue "online shopping cart", well known experience. Or even the "Purchase. Purchase purchase? Purchase!" screen above. It does connect the two properties. Why doesn't PIN screen mention the product name?
And RokuCo wonders why the number of purchases on Roku platform is tiny? Well, there is your problem... the experience has a whiff of seedy. It should be seamless, it should be polished! We are talking about sales here, people - about money. One slip and user abandons the transaction.
