Week 2 Analysis: Site Launch Feedback

For my web design class, I had to choose one of three fictitious companies to design a website for. Today's assignment was to watch a video where the instructor reviews sites from former students so we could see some of the common issues and some of the good choices these students made.  This assignment is designed not only to show us what not to do, but also to show us some of the smart design choices others have made to avoid the pitfalls.

 

What I noticed most about the reviewed sites was how clean the home pages were.  I prefer a more minimalist approach to website home pages rather than having a lot of stuff to slog through on a home page. 

The three main issues that seemed to come up the most were page balance, consistency throughout the site, and proper page names.  Balance was an issue on almost all the sites, with different image sizes and type alignments being the biggest culprits.  Consistency throughout the entire site will help with the page balance.  By using the same alignments, font sizes and colors, same kind of headings and subheadings on every page, it will help to balance the pages.  Consistency is the key to a cohesive site.  Naming each page correctly is also important.  There can't be any confusion for a potential customer as to what they are going to find on each page.  The page titles must be clear and concise, letting the customer know exactly where to find the information they're looking for.

I need to spend a little more time researching my colors.  I will use the colors reflected within the logo, but I need to figure out how and when to use them effectively without making the site look like a rainbow or a circus.  I got some helpful ideas from the sites that were reviewed, but I probably need to look at some other sites to see how they use color, as well.

As I watched the video, I liked some of the things the designers did better than what I had in mind.  These ideas will actually solve an issue I had but hadn't yet decided the best way to handle them.  Instead of creating a "Testimonial" page, I think the idea of feeding them in throughout the site is a stronger way to present them.  I've also decided to put the contact information on the heading so it will be on every page.  All No-Owie really has for contact information is a phone number and email address, which doesn't need an entire page to get across.  Besides, having the information repeated on every page helps to it to stick in peoples' minds.  By doing these two things, it will tighten up the site and cut down on the number of buttons, thus making it easier for older viewers who might not be comfortable with computers to navigate.

Seeing these sites and seeing what the instructor pointed out as problems helped me to get a clearer picture of what I need to do with my site.  This was a very helpful assignment.