Blog Post #8: Maybe Its Just Me

www.5safepoints.com

As long as a website does at least one thing that this website doesn't, it is a success as far as I'm concerned. This is some sort of Virginia DMV website that is just as annoying and stressful to deal with as going to the DMV itself. The whole site just seems like its a portfolio of the worst web page designs possible. The large amount of information is structured in a way that it even further more impedes the usability. For some reason the main scroll bar goes into an infinite spae of nothingness far after the content is gone. If you don't take my word for it, the site speaks for itself.

Blog Post #7: Get To The Point

jerryfergusonphotography

Jerry Ferguson is a very talented photographer and has an interesting portfolio site. It speaks on the issue of importance and hierarchy of information. Like any other portfolio is has work that shows the style and talent of the artist, in this this case photographer. However on this particular site right on the homepage is the full pricing information with customizable packages and various hourly rates. The site has a particular sense of professionalism that I feel is a great aspect for this type of commerce. Also there is a page specifically dedicated to pricing which has very well organized packages and pricing. This ensures the user of what they are paying for and the quality of the work. I found this concept of a portfolio, e-commerce hybrid a particularly good idea. On the other hand the design of the website lacks certain individuality and the ability to stand out. It is a good example of what a site is exactly intended for and how information can be arranged according to.

Blog Post #6: Mobile Compatability

www.mshopper.com

The need for mobile compatibility with the web has been, and continues to be a step in a new direction. Technology has given the ability of creating a cross platform presence whether it be commercial or otherwise. This is a site that offers a packaged e-commerce solution, an out of the box way for companies to sell via mobile device. As a designer I hate the idea of treating any type of design as a commodity, it requires a solution that is unique to the company itself. Regardless, this site shows the ever increasing popularity of mobile accessibility to the internet. When designing a website one can no longer think specifically for use on a computer but design in a sense of longevity and versatility. Other than that this particular website is structured like many other e-commerce sites. I find it funny that this is an e-commerce site that sells e-commerce sites, gotta love the business world.

Blog Post #5: Simplicity

www.naturxan.com

The effectiveness and overall impact of a website does not have to be simple, however how the user interacts with your site does. You can say a lot in web design without saying too much. For example
I show the site naturxan.com. Naturxan appears to be some chemical compound that I have never heard of and I'm pretty sure no one has. So the company has the problem with getting this information on the product out there and accessible to the public. Speaking in web terms it is a lot of information that needs to be designed in a way that encourages efficiency and a simple interface. It is information architecture at its finest and I believe this site does a good job of it. The very simple and friendly look of the site gives way to the very well navigated menu bar. When the user hovers over the menu, a further drop down menu appears to give access to even further specific information. By utilizing this simple drop down menu, the large amount of information was emphasized and not on the navigation of the site. It seems that the concept of simplicity in design transcends accross numerous different mediums.

Blog Post #4: To Intro Or Not...

intro:http://www.delada.lt/intro.swf
site: www.delada.lt

With an ever decreasing attention span amongst the web demographic, it brings up the interesting question of to have an intro page or not. What exactly does the intro do for the site? Well for this example it completely ruined the design of the site. The long drawn out and completely irrelevant intro page ultimately ends up at a page that does not let you into the site. The intro page is separate from the actual site. I mean who wants to sit through something like that and then actually spend the time to look through the site? Imagine if you used the site on a daily basis and had to watch that every time you entered the site. On the other hand I have seen Intro pages that utilize technology that ultimately benefit the overall design of the site. It is a double edged sword and one has to understand that the average user does not want to invest that much effort upon viewing your website. You have to show the meat and potatoes of the site right away to keep the attention. The funny thing is that someone spent a very long time doing the animation for the intro.... o well.

Blog Post #3: Audience

www.mtv.co.uk

This post is about the importance of knowing your audience and how in turn it can affect your design. For this I use the example of MTV's US and UK sites. The structure of information remains extremely similar throughout both sites, however it is the nature of the content that changes. This shows the importance of creating a visual experience that promotes effectiveness and logic. The design of this site is structured enough that it does not matter what the content is, but how it can readily be adapted to a completely different demographic. Knowing this, at the top of the site there is a disclaimer that tells the US user the "better experience" on the US site. Such a design could easily be a disaster in the since that it has loosely structured information and is unable to be updated and adapted as necessary. It is always interesting to see how a site with so much information is structured and how the efficiency and usability of the site gets affected for better or for worse.

Blog Post #2: Visual Content

www.eltesoro.com.co/es

I'm not sure whether El Tesoro is a web based business or it is even a business at all. I am drawn to the site because of its Visual Dynamic, and the structure of the website. The sideshow on the front page gets the users attention informs them of an overall feel of the company. It is an example of proper arrangement of information and utilization of space. This site uses modern web and browser technology to achieve a cohesive design. Also nothing of this site seems "out of the box" and has a distinct personality which in turn benefits the company. The site also has very well placed advertisement and links to other sites. It is a great example of the necessity of usability and knowledge of such, when designing for the web.