Customer e-learning

Customers in business to business relationships are increasingly being informed about products by company web sites rather than print materials. The first research question is whether design guidelines for business to business product informati~on web sites should be developed from learning theory and instructional design concepts. The second research question is whether creators and users of web sites have similar web site perceptions and preferences. A literature review was combined with the results of a study of web site creators and users to develop design pidelines for product information web sites. This research found that creators and users of product information web sites perceive web site users as motivated to learn but that their primary objective is quick reference. Suggestions for design include considerations of time sensitivity, the need for interactive sites that adapt to user needs, collaboration facilities and multimedia. Keywords: e-learning, communities of practice, corporate web site, B2B