Dan Gorgone

Truth is: I’m not sure how you can make Girl Scout Cookies better. (I could dive into a box of Caramel deLites and be lost for the rest of the day.)

However, I did notice something on their new website that could use a little optimizing.

Check out the official Girl Scout Cookie Finder website. After you’ve found the closest location and ordered a dozen boxed of Thin Mints, check out the What’s Your Favorite? poll feature:

This poll is simple enough: choose your favorite and vote. However, the poll design lacks a visual call to action, and the Submit (“Vote”) button is in the wrong spot. The first time I tried to vote, I hit the largest button at the bottom - Close - and closed the poll by mistake. Oops.

It wouldn’t take much to optimize this poll for usability, and add a splash of color. For example:

This design makes the Vote button the most obvious button to click on the screen. You select a cookie, then hit the green button (a color pulled from the image to the right). “View Results” is still there, but now it’s next to the Vote button - a common spot on most polls. The close button has been reduced to the simple “X” button, which most users understand is the way to close a window.

This is a simple fix that can improve any form, whether you’re selecting your favorite cookie or selecting options in a shopping cart. Check out your own site today and you may find a way to improve your own forms in a similar way. If you do, I’ll accept Samoas as a payment.