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I'm researching the concept of copying experiences and design for a lecture I'm about to give. Why are we copying, what are the right and wrong considerations we take, and how does it effect the user behavior.

I'm looking for STORIES and INSIGHTS on this subject. Do you know a good reference? (or have some of your own)

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The question needs clarification. I got lost after "why are we copying". Perhaps you can provide a story or an example of your own? – Jung Lee Mar 25 '12 at 0:16
The question doesn't need clarification. It's simply not answerable because each story is a valid answer. – dnbrv Mar 25 '12 at 3:55
Hi Eyal. This question isn't a good fit for a Question & Answer site because - as dnbrv mentions - requesting lists of examples means that isn't there is correct answer to this question. The question has been closed to give you an opportunity to revise it to make it more answerable and then we can re-open it for you. – JonW♦ Mar 25 '12 at 7:39

closed as not constructive by dnbrv, JonW♦ Mar 25 '12 at 7:37

As it currently stands, this question is not a good fit for our Q&A format. We expect answers to be supported by facts, references, or specific expertise, but this question will likely solicit debate, arguments, polling, or extended discussion. If you feel that this question can be improved and possibly reopened, see the FAQ for guidance.

1 Answer

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I think the best reference you can make is Target's failed attempt to try and copy Amazon's customer review process. To contextualize the presentation about it :

Spool examines why this system works so effectively for Amazon but tends to fail for Target. Amazon and Target.com both sold a few million copies of the popular book “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows”. Yet, if you look at this book’s Amazon page, there are over 3,000 reviews for the book, where the Target.com book page only has 9 reviews. It is obvious that Amazon users are much more likely to post review than the typical Target user. In fact, if you look at the quality of Amazon reviews vs. Target reviews, the Amazon reviews are also much more useful. Amazon reviews are often well written, detailed, and provide a lot of useful pro and con information about the product. Target reviews are typically shorter and contain less useful information than their Amazon counterparts. The fact that Target gets less review for each item also makes the reviews less useful. People are more likely to write a poor review of a product if they have a bad experience than write good reviews when they have a good experience. Thus, Target.com has a lot of alarm clock that are rated very low as not a lot of people are revved up to write a review of that new alarm clock they just bought. Amazon, on the other hand, typically gets a very large amount of reviews for its products. Since products on Amazon tend to get a large number of reviews, there is more likely to be high quality reviews of the a product on Amazon. A product with only 9 reviews on Target is not going to have the same reliability of information for a user to decide to buy or not buy a product.

Also go through these links to get some more inputs:

  1. Myth #20: If it works for Amazon, it will work for you
  2. 10 Reasons Not to Copy Amazon
  3. CopyCat design
  4. Should You Copy a Famous Site's Design?
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