Hello Shopify Folks,
I just had this very irritating experience trying to search for a customer. I typed in a name and hit enter.
Well, up pops this sidebar, and I can’t figure out why. I try it again, and… what is that thing, and what am I doing that’s causing it to pop up? Did I hit some wrong button on my keyboard? Finally I realized it was some AI saying “I can see you searched for “Waller” but didn’t find any results. You’re currently on a customer page — let me search for a customer named Waller for you.” It then proceeds to give me a bunch of non-information like “It looks like there are no customers matching “Waller” in your store.” (No sh*t Sherlock, that’s why nothing came up), and condescending no-brainer advice like “The name might be spelled differently.”
Testing it further, I noticed/remembered that Shopify gives you results on the fly as you type, so it’s not technically necessary to hit enter, but if I do – up pops the unwanted AI. So I go look for ways to turn it off, and find people mentioning here on the forums that it’s All Brand New and Integrated! so you can’t.
Hitting enter is a pretty automatic response to putting something in a search field, so the fact that this is what happens when one does that is really poor design. When I tried to re-create it, I realized it doesn’t do it every single time, but the variables are razor-thin.
If I hit “enter” fast enough on a lack-of-results, it does nothing. But if a split second passes, and the lack of results show up, then Shopify highlights the “Ask Sidekick about Waller” option, and, because it’s highlighted by default (I didn’t select it!) hitting enter puts the request in, and there’s Sidekick!
So… I’m sure I’m dating myself here, but… have we learned nothing from Clippy? The universally mocked cartoon paperclip that would pop up up unrequested in the middle of working in a Microsoft application, with its hokey chipper and unhelpful suggestions? “It looks like you’re trying to make a table! Do you want help with that?” No. FFS, Clippy! And then you’d have to click a button to get it to go away. Just like Sidekick – making it to go away takes more effort that making it show up by accident.
Look, all you have to do is have the interface NOT default to having ANY option highlighted to activate upon “enter.” Make it so these “helpful” “solutions” only pop up if the user actually deliberately selects one by clicking on it. In short, nothing should be easier to summon than it is to banish, especially when it’s so easy to accidentally summon.
Thanks for listening to my irritated rant.
May something positive come of this feedback.
-Alison