Wednesday 11 January 2017

Planning effective websites

Planning effective websites
Joshua Smith

In this blog I will be analysing 4 websites with different purposes and target audiences, the report will compare the similarities and differences in the approaches employed when using and combing common codes, conventions and interactive features in these sites. I will analyse and evaluate how successful these approaches are in ensuring the websites appeal to their intended audiences and fulfill their purpose.

The four websites that I will be analysing and comparing are:
·         www.Amazon.com
·         www.dailymail.co.uk
·         www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies
      www.riverisland.com 



The first website that I am going to analyse is www.Amazon.com. Amazon is an e commerce website that sells a large range of products to people all around the world.

General features, purposes and accessibility features

The general feature of the amazon website is for customers to buy and sell products. It offers different delivery time for all of its products all differing in price ranges. It also offers an updated feed of new or upcoming products on the homepage. There is also features in the header such as a search bar, shopping cart, your account and todays deals. This is effective because all of the main features that are most regularly used on the website so they have been made easily accessible. In the footer there is many more features such as get to know us, make money with us, amazon payment methods and let us help you. All of these sub headings for the footer all have additional headings underneath for more help. This is effective because it meets the needs of the whole target audience to allow them to contact amazon if they have any issues with the product. Also the header and the footer both are designed to fit in with the website using similar colours and similar text.
Different size text is used for different purposes. For less important information smaller text with less vibrant colours that don’t stand out compared to text that they want people to see and read they use a larger bold font that may also be in italic. This is effective for amazon because they can ensure that people will see the larger text first which is normally advertisements for products.


How has the website been designed to suit different purposes?

The website has been designed to suit the needs of many different customers who are searching for different products. Every customer is given a suggestion list for all of the products related to their recent searches this may mean that the customers are more likely to buy more of the advertised products tailored to their needs.

This is an example of related items that have been chosen as they are similar to what I have been searching for.
The website also suits the needs for people from 13 different countries with each of the homepages offering different adverts for product that may be more popular in their country. This is effective because it allows people from all over the world to view this popular site.

Also on the header there is boxes for your account, your prime, your lists and shopping cart shows that the website has been designed for different purposes as is it suited to the needs of customers.

Amazon also offers customers an option to write a review on all product to give feedback to both the seller and other customers looking at buying the product. this is effective because people can see this and it may give them an insight if they should buy the product or not.

What is the websites audience and how does the design appeal to them?

Amazons target audience is anyone who is old enough to buy products online as there is so many products available for all age ranges. The website is constantly updating to appeal to all age ranges this is sot heir is always products being advertised to suit both age and gender. On the hope page the advert is rotated every few seconds to ensure that pleasing the target audience is met. The neutral colours black and white being the two main colours makes it appeal to all of their audiences not just a selected audience.


How effective is the interactive side of the website?

The websites interactive features can be very effective to the customers. The first interactive feature is amazon prime this lets more interaction with the website by offering many features such as amazon drive which allows customers to save images, videos, and music to the cloud so these files do not use more space on their device. Another feature of amazon prime is prime video this allows users to stream the latest films and television shows, this goes along with amazon music which gives users a catalogue of 2 million songs free and on demand. The last feature of amazon prime is prime delivery which gives customers the option to get their product the next day. Amazon prime is effective because it allows many features to customers who buy it that they would not have been able to have if they did not have amazon prime.

The second interactive feature is fire for kids. This allows children access to thousands of books, videos, educational apps and games which children can read and play. This is very effective because it is giving a chance for children to be educated and have fun at the same time.


Explaining the use of codes and common codes and conventions for a specific audience and purpose

Now I will analyse the use of common codes and conventions for the target audience of both genders ages 20-35 as there is allot of advertisements that are aimed at this age range of customers that may not be suitable for other ages.

The use of language that is used on the website is also similar to the language that would be used by this age range as it is very simple and straight forward with not too much detail. This is a good use of common codes and conventions as it shows a purpose that applies to this audience who may not want allot of detail when looking at an advert, a simpler approach is used to appeal to the audience.

Another use of common codes and conventions for this audience is search options which gives other product searches which are similar to the ones that they are searching for. This is a useful feature because it allows for faster searching for products that they need. They also give suggestions that relate to products that they have bought. This is a successful use of common codes and conventions because it appeals to the market of 20-35 as they are more likely to buy more 
products.

When purchasing the product, it is very accessible as amazon have introduced the 1- click ordering. Its purpose is so when at the checkout it is fast and simple when signed into an amazon account. This had been tailored to the use of this specific audience as they do not have to fill out a delivery form every time a product is bought.


Website analysis of www.dailymail.co.uk

What are the general features and purposes of the website?

The daily mail is a British newspaper that updates its website daily with the latest news articles and breaking news stories. For most articles it gives both text and images or in some articles a video is added.

In the header of the website there is different subheadings which all contain news articles from that topic. I think that this a very effective way in which the website has been designed because it allows you to read articles from a certain topic which you may be interested in like fashion or sport.

In the footer there is the same subheadings as the header along with small text compared to the header were all text is bold and stands out. The text of the footer is smaller because the information is less important. I think that this is a good purpose because it takes up less space on the page which is used by the articles

The daily mail website uses blue as its main colour and white for the background. All headings are in the same light blue with the articles being in black font, this make the text easier to read on the white background.


How has the website been designed to suit different purposes?

With the use of social media becoming very popular the daily mail has given the option for readers to share the video to their social media page weather its Facebook, twitter, Pinterest or google plus. This also will advertise the daily mail website because when an article is shared the users of the social media website will be able to see the source of where it came.

Another way that the website has been designed to suit different purposes is wherever you are on the page you can quickly and easily reach back to the top with one click. This is a good feature as most of the articles are very long and would take longer to scroll back up than you would do pressing to ‘top’ button. 
With the target audience of the daily mail being 27+ they have added a live feed of the weather in the reader’s area. This has been designed to give users more information that may contribute to their day.

Users can also have a daily mail account which allows them to get emails from the daily mail to inform them of new articles and how to be able to share their favourite articles online.  I think that this is a good feature fit for purpose because it lets the users interact with the website and give feedback.


What is the websites audience and how does the design 
appeal to them?

The daily mails website is attracted at both male and female ages 27+ in the lower middle class. The paper appeals to this audience by giving promotional offers, prizes and contests. This will appeal to this audience because they are more likely to visit 
the website if they believe that they are going to get money off a product. This design has been created by putting large text labelled with the promotion on.

Another way that the daily mail appeals to its audience is they give the editors top video picks this shows the videos and articles that the editor has chosen. This will appeal to the target audience of 27+ as it shows the top latest articles that are breaking news or in trend meaning that this may be the first place that people visit on the website as they want to catch up on the latest stories.

The websites design is also very simple and easy to navigate around, this showing that it has been designed so that the reader has all of the articles on the front page of the website without having to search for a certain article that they would like to read. This suits the needs of their target audience because most of the time these people will be working and they want to quickly read the news so the website has all the articles on the front page for easy access.



How effective is the interactive side of the website?

The most effective interactive aspect is being able to share and comment on the articles. This gives the reader a chance to give their opinions on the article for others to read and reply to. This is effective because it lets the reader be involved with adding content to the website for others to see. This will make people more likely to return to the website so they can have their say on the articles.

When creating an account with the daily mail emails will be sent straight to you informing you of the latest competitions, promotions and exclusive offers. This is an effective interactive feature because the daily mail will be in contact with users informing them of their promotions which will attract more people to the website.
People can achieve mail points for logging onto the website and reading articles, these points can be redeemed for products such as money off or in store credit. This is an interactive feature as people can gain these points and use them to spend on their weekly shop. This will attract more people of the lower middle class in as there is a constant flow of promotional offers.


Explaining the use of common codes and conventions for a specific audience and purpose

The specific audience that I am going to choose is those from the lower middle class aged 27-50. I am going to explain the use of common codes and conventions for this audience. The first common code that I am going to analyse is the colours used on the website. The main colour being a bold blue stands out on the white background. All headings are in the same blue with the article being in black. This will suit the audience because the colouring is very simple and it is easy to see which is the heading and which is the article.

The use of language throughout the is very simple, not many large words are being used to describe things. This will suit the needs of this audience because not all of the people in this audience will understand these words. This common code has been used as the daily mail o not want their readers to be disappointed when they can’t read the content.


Website analysis of www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies


What are the general features and purposes of the website?

The general feature of the website is to educate and entertain children by providing educational games, videos and text all which have a fun element to them but at the same time teaching children.

The header consists of subheadings all leading to different pages of the website along with the logo which leads back to the homepage. The header is very simple and I think that this is effective because the website will be used by small children who do not have much knowledge with computers.

The footer is also very simple but without the more vibrant colours, instead black and white is used as this area may be for the parents who may want to get into contact for a complaint. I think that this is effective because the children are less likely to click in this are and take them to a page which they don’t want to see.

The body of the page is also very colourful which also suits the needs of the children because they like to see many colours. It is also very simple to navigate around the page with all icons being very large with not much text mainly pictures or animations.

How has the website been designed to suit different purposes?

The website has been designed to suit the needs of small children and their parents with the main colours being vibrant yellow, blue and purple which stand out on the 
page and fit in with each other well. It has been designed in this way so the children don’t lose interest in the website and keep on playing.

Another way in which the website has been designed to suit different purposes is that it is very easy to navigate around, all of the boxes are equally spaced. This ensures that the children visiting the website can understand and learn how to use the website effectively while having fun and staying interested.

Another way in which the website has been designed to suit different purposes is when your mouse hovers over a box it automatically changes the boarder from yellow to red. This is an indication for the children for what they are clicking on and where the mouse is. This is a good design because it shows where the mouse is and what you are going to click on.


What is the websites audience and how does the design appeal to them?

The website of cbeebies is small children of both genders aged 6 and under and the design of the website has been suited to keep this audience interested in many different ways. The first way in which the design appeals to this market is the clip art which is used in the website. All of the characters that are present on the website are the characters that are on the cbeebies programs on television. This appeals to this audience because they are seeing their favourite characters which will keep them entertained while using the website.

Another what that cbeebies website appeals to its audience is with the games features on the website. There is many games available to the children that are fun and educational. This gives the children further chance of doing well in their early years of school as they are getting extra education outside of school through these games. This appeals to both the children and the parents because the children are having fun while the parents know that they are being educated.

The colour scheme of the website also appeals to the children because bold and bright colours are used which attracts the children into reading the content and enjoying the pictures. This has been designed in this was to keep the children going back to the website to see the variations in colour.

The age range 6 and under is not the only audience that the website has. The parents will have to open the website for their children and use it with them to show the child where everything is and how to use it, because of this the website has a parents section which include articles that may give parenting tips or day out ideas to do with the family. This appeals to the parents because advice is given for the parents on what may be the best way to bring their children up.


How effective is the interactive side of the website?

The interactive side of the website is extremely effective in keeping the target market entertained this being the likes of games, radio station, shows, watch and sing and topics. All these giving some sort of interaction for the child and parents.
the shows that are streamed on the website all include the children when asking questions about what they think should happen with the characters or what colour the wall should be etc. I think that this is important because it gives the children a chance to be a part of the show even though they aren’t in it.

Another way that the website interacts with users is by having an account which gives newsletters trough the parents email and the option to be able to ‘love’ articles which they may have enjoyed. I think that this is a good interactive feature because it lets the children show if they enjoyed the article.   

Also they games are very interaction in that they inform and educate the children without being in a school environment, this can help the child’s educational development. This is effective because it shows the child new information.


Explaining the use of common codes and conventions for a specific audience and purpose


The audience that I will analyse is children of both genders aged 6 and under. The use of common codes and conventions of this website are very simple and not over advanced to suit the needs of this audience.

The first common code and convention that I will be analysing is the animation used within the website. these animations are all very bright and friendly this has suited the audiences purpose of visiting the website to see their favourite characters who interact with them asking questions.

Another common code and convention is the main colours of the website. these colours are bold vibrant colours that stand out. For the most important things a more vibrant colour will be used to attract the attention to this place. The colours will be changing as your mouse hovers over certain boxes and animations. This suits the purpose of this audience because this suits their needs when seeing bright bold colours.

The text used within the website shows a normal font for the articles title which is always in white so it stands out in front of the image. When the text has been changed to a more fun or funky font is on the header which is always visible on the screen. This suits the purpose of this audience because it ensures that to children are more likely to be able to read it.



Website analysis of www.riverisland.com

General features, purposes and accessibility features

River island is a shop that sells clothes of the latest fashion and trends. It sells it clothes in both online and in store. Its purpose is to provide both fashionable and affordable clothes to its customers.

In the header of the website there is a large logo along with all areas of departments which are women, men, girls, boys, sale and inspiration. These are all in bold capital letters that stand out. This feature is effective because it shows the departments clearly and they are also in their own place which is easier to see. There is also a search bar which allows customers to search for a particular product or product type such as jackets or jeans. This is a good feature because it allows easy searching of products within the website. The header also has your account, wishlist and your cart with the amount of money that the products add up to. This is a useful feature because it allows you to keep a track of how much all of the products in your cart cost. The colour of the background is black which stands out behind the white text.

In the footer we see a white background with black text which is the opposite to the header also the size of the text is considerably smaller than the text in the header this is because the information is less important to most customers. We also see all of the social media websites that river island is on with links to all of these pages. There is also a how can we help section this is the section for customer service if they have any question they will be answer here. This feature is helpful because it lets you have contact with the service team.

The main body of the website is in black and white background with the text being in black and white also this adds variations in the colours of the text and backgrounds with the images of the clothes in front.

How has the website been designed to suit different purposes?

The website has been designed to suit different purposes for all of its audiences. When buying a product people can see the item when magnified so they can see all aspects of the product. This may be helpful for people who have eye problems and can’t see things properly so this feature ensures that they will be able to.
Another way that the website has been designed to suit purposes is that it gives suggestions to products which would go with the products that you have already bought. This has been designed to suit the purpose of shoppers who want to know what to buy with their clothes.


What is the websites audience and how does the design appeal to them?

The website has many different audiences from many age ranges and both 
genders. Women from ages 17-35 is river islands main target market advertising mostly for this audience. The same age range for the men and boys and girls ages 3-16. The websites design appeals to all of these audiences in their different sections of the website.

The women’s section appeals to them as they give suggestion son what to wear in different situations such as formal, casual or sport. This appeals to them because it shows suggestion on what to wear and when to wear it.
In the girl’s section some of the text that is used is a more childish font that will appeal more to the child than just a normal font that doesn’t stand out. This is effective because it becomes more interesting for the child when searching for products.


How effective is the interactive side of the website?

The website offers the latest fashion news to be sent by email so you can keep up to date with the latest trends. This is an effective interaction feature because it allows the customer to be in contact with river island to up and coming clothes that will be in their line which will be fashionable.
Another interactive feature is being able to share items that are on the website to social media sites such as Facebook, twitter or Pinterest. This gives customers a chance to interact with the website and a chance to show others clothes that they like or have recently bought which is effective because people will see this on social media and look on the website.
The website also offers a size guide is customers are not sure what size to choose. This is effective because it shows what size will be tailored to your needs.


Explaining the use of common codes and conventions for a specific audience and purpose

The specific audience that I am going to analyse is the audience of men aged 17-35.
The first common code and convention that I will analyse is the use of language used to advertise the products. The language used is very professional which will appeal to the men as they will want a professional service when buying these fashionable products. This suits a purpose as the image that river island wants to have is a professional business that sells high grade products.
 The use of colours in the website will also suit the male audience as they are very simple as it is mainly just black and white. The use of this common code ad convention is effective to this marked because men enjoy this colour scheme more than they do more vibrant colours.




Conclusion

Now I am going to do a conclusion on both amazon and river island as they are similar websites.

Both amazon and river island are ecommerce websites selling online. They both offer similar codes and conventions on their websites such as a shopping cart showing the amount of products or how much the product add up to. This is effective for both websites as customers can keep a track of the money they are spending and the amount of product that they are buying. This is a strength for both amazon and river island.

Although amazon offers same day delivery and river island does not they both offer next day delivery on most of their products which is a strength for these two online shops because people can save money as they do not have to go to the shops and they can have it at their house the next day.

Also both websites have a very simple design that does not use many colours and only has one or two main colours that are bold and make the content of the products easily visible and stand out. This is very effective because it allows the customers to clearly see where the products are and their cost. This interactive feature is a strength for both websites.

Amazons interactive features such as amazon prime and all of its components are much more effective compared to the interactive features of river islands website as it allows the customer allot more access to things such as free next day delivery, music, books, streaming of movies and programs, unlimited photo storage and early access on some products. This is effective because customers are getting all of these features that aren’t available on the river island website. this is a strength for amazon and a weakness for river island.

River island gives their customers a chance to share the product that they have recently bought from the website to social media websites. This will give river island free advertisement as people are sharing the river island page online. This is effective because more people will see river islands products when they are on social media. Amazon do not have this feature even though both websites have the same purpose. This is a strength for river island and a weakness for amazon.

Both websites have the same purpose and offer more similar features such as the search bar which allows users to search for a product while getting suggestions based on the letters that have been used. This is a effective feature because customers may no know the full name of a product so suggestions are made available. This is a strength for both websites.