[IxDA Discuss] Use of "Your" or "My" in Personalized Web Application Design

[Stewart Dean]

Hi Patrick,
 
First think I'd ask youself is if you need personalisation at all. I've killed off many a 'my' section in my time through new builds and redesigns due to the effort involved in creating them and their inability, in most cases, to deliver on the idea behind them.  Personalisation requires a lot of work in behalf of the user, especially when you use concepts such as collabroative filtering. 
 
It is very very difficult to own users and very few sites can have users using a section so much as it feels like it's theirs and not just a rearranged display of the suppliers content.  
 
In the majority of cases 'Your', in my view,  is the right term.  It's an honest declaration that a service is being provided for a person. 
 
My indicates a personal space that is of a users own creation. it is more personal but for most sites overly personal to the point of being condisending. 
 
I've debated this before.  Asking users appears to show a liking for 'my' over 'your', but I'm weiry of asking about things like this directly and in isolation. 
 
Stewart Dean
> Date: Tue, 13 Feb 2007 09:44:35 -0500> From: tragichipster at gmail.com> To: discuss at ixda.org> Subject: [IxDA Discuss] Use of "Your" or "My" in Personalized Web Application Design> > Howdy ya'll,> > So does anyone have strong feelings--or better yet, research--about> whether its better to use "Your" or "My" to describe personalized> stuff in web application design? I'm working with a client who has> made extensive use of "Your" and I have this gut sense that "My" would> be better... more personal, more of a dialog between company and user,> more common and familiar... But before I recommed such a change, I was> wondering about others' thoughts and whether there was any research> done on the topic (and whether I should actually make such a> recommendation). ;-)> > Thanks!> > Patrick> ________________________________________________________________> Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)!> To post to this list ....... discuss at ixda.org> List Guidelines ............ http://listguide.ixda.org/> List Help .................. http://listhelp.ixda.org/> (Un)Subscription Options ... http://subscription-options.ixda.org/> Announcements List ......... http://subscribe-announce.ixda.org/> Questions .................. lists at ixda.org> Home ....................... http://ixda.org/> Resource Library ........... http://resources.ixda.org