Week 4 Post 1: Evaluate Different Websites & Their Design

Two websites with potential problems for its visitors:


 1)  http://www.roverp6cars.com/

 My first attempt to load this page resulted in an error using the Chrome browser
FAILED_DOCUMENT_REQUEST.  Upon refreshing and using an alternate browser, Safari, the landing page loaded successfully. 

 My first impression was that the home page is quite busy and aesthetically confusing.  I could not discern the hierarchy of the site structure.  There is a good amount of images on the homepage, however, I did not know if the images were hyperlinked to subpages.  While the navigation sidebar is helpful with all the offerings available to the visitor, it requires scrolling and an acute eye to carefully read each link.  While this aligns with the consistency measure, it is difficult to read because the menu images are the same.  To mitigate this, I think a nested submenu navigation bar would be useful.  For example, categorizing the links into "About", "Parts", "Contact Us", etc.  Organizing the vast amount of links would help the visitor navigate all that is being offered by the site, whether it is technical information or shopping for parts online. 

It took awhile visiting the page to know that the site has a shopping online portion.  When I clicked on the link, it opened a new tab to http://shop.roverp6cars.com/.   While not required, I think it is best practice to have the entire domain under HTTPS for security and peace of mind for the consumers and protection of their personal data.  Also, switching a site to HTTPS will benefit the site in its Google ranking.

 MGBD Parts & Services Facebook page is updated frequently and has a good sized community.  Finding the links to their social media is difficult to locate on such a busy page.  Visiting the different pages, there seems to be a lack of repetition of header and footer content.  I would suggest making the social media links available on each page so that visitors can further connect with the company.

 2) http://gatesnfences.com/ (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

In terms of layout, the landing page is a long, busy page with lots of product images and text.  I didn't know quite where to begin.  The use of typography needs to be changed.  The span class = "text" has a font size of 7pt. which makes it difficult on any device to read.  The body text size should increase as well.  This font size may have been chosen due to the amount of content presented on the homepage.  This can be improved by revisiting the site design and emphasizing the content hierarchy and "depth of content."

 The lecture also mentions "Ease of Use".  Certain parts of the website target audiences that understand the industry quite well.  When I went to Openers-Operators -->Ramset, I was overwhelmed with the specifications.  However, the Garden Gates and Driveway Gates pages were less detailed and lacking in information.  I would suggest revisiting these categories and creating a site map for visitors.

 This website offers online purchasing and also lacks the HTTPS function in the domain.  As with the previously reviewed website, I suggest securing the site under the SSL certificate.  

Two websites with well designed sites for its visitors:


1) https://www.headhunterhairstyling.com/

Upon entering their site, I get a clear sense of the company and the services they offer.  The simple and sleek design invokes the sense of a well though out concept, thus increases my confidence (credibility) in the company.  The navigation bar is organized in a way that I can quickly find what I need in services.  The price menu is helpful so the visitor can appropriately set their expectations.

 The site has a clean design which lends itself to ability to navigate easily.  The content is well thought out, introducing the stylists and providing that connection to potential clients.  

The social media links allow the visitor to quickly connect to their brand.  They are positioned where they are easily noticeable and are consistent in the page footer on each of the webpages.  Linking to Yelp! is extremely helpful to see customers' reviews.  The fact the site shortcuts to Yelp! demonstrates to me transparency and principles of customer satisfaction.  
2) https://www.apple.com/

 Apple's website is a great demonstration of branding.  It is one of the most recognized brands in the world, so their website must be attractive to their customers.   The homepage utilizes striking images and grabs visitors immediately.  The contrast of light (font color) and dark (background) makes it easy to view the content.  

 The layout of the homepage is simple and the design aligns with their brand - modern and fun.  The content is readable and the images provoke the user to want to learn more and continuing clicking and navigate their site.  

 Another component Apple has integrated is that the site goes into responsive mode "Responsive design is the practice of designing a website so it looks and works properly on a range of different devices — particularly mobile phones and tablets as well as desktops and laptops."  (Smith, 2018, para. 1) . This is very important as the iPhone is such a popular Apple product.  It is imperative that customers be able to see the site properly on Apple's devices.   

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