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.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.
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.
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.