1. Day 2: American Standard
1. General Impressions:
American Standard site: A majority of the respondents liked the site, stating the
layout was nice and the colors were pleasing, although a few mentioned the color
scheme should vary more. Some common adjectives used to describe the site
were homey, warm, calming, organized and accessible. Several mentioned they
really like the search feature.
Lennox site: There were mixed results on the overall impression of the Lennox
site. While a few respondents liked the layout stating it was organized (outline
form vs. a paragraph form of displaying the information), several thought it was
“cluttered” and did not provide the content/information that the ASD site
provided. A few mentioned that they did not like the “bad air guys”, although one
did like them.
2. Free Navigation:
American Standard site: Most consumers went to Product, System Chooser
(and then Products), or the Clean Air Mobile Tour (and then Products) first. A
few went directly to the “Remodeling?” link.
Lennox site: “Energy Star Products” was the most common first area of the site
consumers navigated towards. A few went directly to the comfortsphere and Air
Quality Products links.
3. Tasks
After the first interview it was pretty obvious that we should let the participants
do free navigation and when they touched on the specific tasks, we probed them
more, otherwise if the tasks were not covered by the consumer during free
navigation, they were probed on them independently.
Learn about HVAC:
Not a topic most of the participants naturally navigated to. Most were more
interested in learning about specific products rather then general HVAC. So we
have limited insight on this task. Although when prompted to look for general
HVAC information, a few went to the “Replacing or Upgrading” link. The
content was about what they expected (good) given they were looking for general
information.
Learn about Products:
American Standard site: Overall, participants found it easy to find/navigate to.
Most like the comparison feature, although they did not like the first page once
you selected which product you wanted to view. They did not like the layout
stating it was hard to navigate, especially compared to Lennox. Once they
reached the comparison page, they like the layout and the conciseness of the
information.

2. Many used the glossary to gain an understanding of the “industry” terms. The
availability of a glossary or pop up definition needs to be more consistent from
page to page.
Lennox site: A majority found the product section easy to locate. They felt the
initial product summary page was more legible and easier to understand than the
American Standard’s first product page. Many stated they liked the having
energy efficiency ratings and ballpark pricing in the comparison charts because
those are metric consumers relate to.
Troubleshooting:
American Standard site: A majority of the respondents found the
troubleshooting section very quickly via the “Having System Problems?” link.
Several said they would normally use a search feature to locate the
troubleshooting section. Most found the content very useful and easy to
understand / relate to. Although a few mentioned the information was to “dumb-
down” to be useful.
Lennox site: All of the participants had a difficult time finding the
troubleshooting section on Lennox’s site. Most tried using the search feature and
a few looked in the Owners link under Use and Care Manuals. Once the
respondents were directed to the troubleshooting link, they found the information
lacking.
Locate Dealer/Contractor:
American Standard site: None of the respondents had a hard time locating the
“find a dealer” link and they like the layout of the dealer listings. They liked the
flexibility of changing the mile parameter. When probed on their impressions of
the Comfort Specialist logo, several stated it did not mean any thing to them. All
respondents stated their choice of dealer would be based primarily on proximity to
their home. Referrals from friends/family and awareness of the dealer were also
important.
Lennox site: A majority located the “find a dealer” link fairly quickly. Most felt
the information provided was good, but were not sure what the logos meant.
Several took the time to read about the logos so they could understand them.
4. System Chooser / Comfortsphere
Most liked the System Chooser, but several did not find it on their own. When
asked why, they stated the link blended in with the home page picture and their
eyes were directed above or below the picture. Most did not notice the link to
System Chooser with the “Full Systems” drop down menu.
Most liked the content of the System Chooser, however, they did not notice they
could adjust the efficiency and quiet parameters until prompted to do so. It was
not intuitive or noticeable that you could adjust them to choose a different system.

3. Several mentioned that once they found the system they wanted, they would like
the pictures of the components to link back to the detailed product information for
each of the components so they could learn more about each product. One
respondent stated that he could “play with this all day”.
The respondents that located the Comfortsphere liked the information/content.
They liked that it asked specific questions about their home like sq. footage and
stories. It made it feel more personal and custom. Those that did not notice it on
their own stated that it was hard to find because the color of the link blended in
with the background.
5. All-in-One Systems:
We did not receive enough feedback on this section to draw any conclusions.
6. Comfort/Clean Air:
Most respondents went to the products section and then Air Cleaners, although
some started in the “New and Knowledge” section or the “Clean Air Mobile
Tour” section. They were looking to learn about clean air. Clean air was
important to all of the respondents regardless of sex. The information content was
good but most did not find the “Breathe easier with AccuClean” link on the
product page.
Several entered the link to the “10 Tips for a Cleaner, Healthier Home” hoping to
find 10 tips, but found only a form to fill out to get a brochure for the tips. This
was somewhat frustrating or disappointing to them.
7. Brand Impressions:
If you had to buy a heating and air conditioning system based on what you
have seen today, which brand are you more likely to purchase American
Standard or Lennox?
We had mixed results on this question, with most saying American Standard,
some Lennox and some saying both equally. Those that picked one brand over
the other did so because they preferred the ease of navigation and layout of the
selected site. Those who said “Both Equally” felt both sites were easy to navigate
and had good information.
Which appears to be the Comfort or Clean Air Expert?
There were mixed results on which brand appears to be the Comfort or Clean Air
expert. Some thought ASD, some Lennox, some neither and some both. Their
opinion was based primarily on what images and text they saw on the home page.
What's your overall impression of the American Standard Web site?
Overall, most respondents liked the website. One stated that is “seems like they
want to take care of you; like they are trying to tailor a system to your needs.”

4. The homey atmosphere of the site denoted a feeling of warmth and comfort to
consumers and most felt the layout was friendly and well organized.
How would you describe American Standard’s website to a family or friend?
We did not have enough responses to draw any conclusions on this question.
8. Additional Takeaways:
• Need to make the benefits and values of buying ASD more obvious to
consumers visiting the website (i.e. energy savings, tax credits, etc).
• Nearly all of the respondents mentioned Consumer Reports as a good
resource for finding valuable product information. Consumers are
comfortable with the layout used by Consumer Reports. Consider using a
similar layout for the product comparison reports.
• The website search feature was used by a majority of the interviewees.
The most common uses were troubleshooting or to find product links.
Needs to be more robust.
• Many liked the schematics on the Lennox product section.
• Several of the links were not working correctly.