Blog Week 3 Post 1

    The most painful of websites for me as a visitor to scroll through would have to be Atari - Best Electronics Ca (Atari - Best Electronics Home (best-electronics-ca.com)) and the MGBD Parts and Services (MGBD Parts (roverp6cars.com)). Let's first analyze what went wrong for the Atari website. This was the most painful one to visit. As a visitor, just with it being open on my screen for like a second, I already wanted it off of it. It was full of contrasted colors that made reading the page even more difficult. The whole page just felt up in your face. That feeling when you have a lot of people surrounding you trying to sell you something at once. It was very hard to grasp the concept of the business. Even after reading a couple lines I still wasn't able to tell what exactly they were selling or what an “Atari” was. There was no Hierarchy, since you don't even know where to start and it seems like too much information for the first page. On the other hand MGBD Parts and Services was a little less painful but not by much. First of all, their website was not a secure one because my computer was already double asking me if I was sure I wanted to open the tab. That was a red flag for me instantly. Their website did have a taskbar which would help a visitor locate something specific that they are looking for, except their contrast of colors and picture of the car does not mix well since it can make it hard to read the labels. The alignment is also not straight. Both with the task bars and the flow of the website. It was also hard to see what was a link or just a picture, so I had to move my mouse over it to check. Unlike the Atari website, MGBD Parts had many pictures but were organized very randomly. Both of these websites do not seem like they were professionally done. Both of the websites look like they belong to a business, which probably has the goal to bring in new potential clients. With websites like these, they are hurting their businesses because they have made it difficult for visitors. Especially, when our focus span is very short which causes us to lose interest very fast. I personally think the Atari website needs to be rebuilt completely. There was nothing that could be salvaged except their logo. They need to downsize their information on the first page and create task bars to help categorize their information and make it easier for a visitor to navigate. They need to add some pictures throughout their whole website that will be consistent with what they are selling. They need to realign their website and keep a consistent color and text size. MGBD Parts can be fixed. They could create a logo, which could be used repeatedly throughout their different pages. They need to rearrange their website's homepage and minimize the amount of car photos they have. The text size and color needs to be consistent throughout the whole page.

    The two websites I have chosen that are very well done would be Apple's website (http://apple.com) and Toyotas website (New Cars, Trucks, SUVs & Hybrids | Toyota Official Site ) Both websites look professionally done. Apple is a very commonly used website, and when visiting it, it is almost always visually appealing. They have the taskbar up top instead of the side in a way that works. The logo is on the top left corner which helps you come back to the homepage and is used repeatedly when browsing their webpages. Their newest product is almost always displayed front and center in a hierarchy way because people are almost always visiting their website to get their newest products. Their texts and fonts are not overbearing and compliment each other.Their pictures are always the center of attention with just enough information and with links very close by for you to find more information quickly. It is not overcrowded and definitely screams luxury within every page. Their use of design, aesthetics, and brands makes you want to spend more time browsing and spend more money. Toyota's website is another well put together site. Their logo is also put on the top left which helps you come back to the home page. Their linkbar works as a guide on where you need to go. They welcome you with a high quality picture of one of their newest and most popular car. Within this picture it has an info box just in case you want information on that car exactly. You are also able to put in your zip code on the top right which allows you to have more of a customizable experience. They coordinate with consistency in fonts and colors which are not just used randomly. You can tell it is professionally done and they have invested in making it inviting to every visitor and not overwhelming. The use of design, aesthetic, and branding makes it easy to manage and find what you are looking for. I don't think I would browse as much as Apple's website but maybe I'd look around at cars that get my attention.

This week's lecture has taught me how important every little detail matters and should have a purpose when being placed on a webpage. On homepages less is more. The homepage should be uncluttered and should have a task bar that works as a guide to help visitors find what they are looking for. Repetition of logos that can work to reinforce your brand and also guiding back to the homepage is a must have on all webpages. Proximity is something I saw used a lot on the Apple webpage, when it came to their display of products which I hadn't really noticed before. How they are different but put in the same area because they are in a category of devices. These websites have helped me see how important it is to make the experience stress free and enjoyable. The result could possibly be that  more people are likely to browse it longer and eventually spend more. Which causes growth in a business.

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The names of the people's blog I posted will be continued onto my original list, and will continue to add onto there.