What are the goals of Apples website? How does Apples website address the needs of a user who has just purchased their first MacBook? (Chapter 3)
The goals of Apple’s website are to make the company money, provide information regarding products and services the company provides, and to give the user a hassle free navigation experience. Apple addresses the needs of a user who just purchased their first MacBook by providing them with a way to learn how to set up and use the product. Apple makes available to you the resources needed to set up a new computer and tries to make the experience as easy as possible for the user.
What are the functional specifications of Facebooks wall? If you are not on Facebook what are the specs for the signup page? (Chapter 4: Functional Specifications, Content Requirements an Prioritizing Requirements)
The functional specifications of Facebook’s signup page are as follows:
- Provide an area for the user to insert information needed to register.
- Provide details regarding why certain information is being collected.
- Include fine print which tells the user what they are agreeing to when they sign up.
•What are four architectural approaches to information structure? Find one example of each. (Chapter 5: Information Architecture)
The four architectural approaches to information structure are hierarchical structures, matrix structures, organic structures, and sequential structures. An example of a hierarchical structure is a website like Blackboard where nodes have a parent/child relationship with other related nodes. This means that every link clicked has a place it came from until you finally would reach the beginning of your navigation experience. A Matrix structure “allows the user to move from node to node along two or more dimensions”. An example of a matrix structure would be Amazon where customers can browse through the different products available using whatever criteria is important to them. In organic structure. there is no strong sense of sections and the nodes are “connected together on a case by case basis.” This means you can freely move between any information you want but finding your way back to the start would present a challenge. An example of organic structure would be on Wikipedia. The user has access to any area they choose by clicking on the various links but this can also lead to getting lost in the vast expanse of information. Sequential structure is when the information is presented in logical order to meet the users needs. An example of sequential structure would be a website like Apple where the user has to go from one task to another in order to complete the purchase.
•What percentage of The Huffington Post index page is navigation, and what percentage is content? What about Google, Wikipedia, and Etsy? (Chapter 6)
I believe that the Huffington Post index page is 50% navigation and 50% content. This is because although the entire page is full of links to various articles, there are headlines and brief article summaries which is content. Google’s index page is 100% navigation. The user can search whatever topic they choose or there are links to the various Google applications. Wikipedias index page is also 100% navigation. Very similar to Google, the user can search for whatever information is needed and there are also links to the various applications provided by Wikipedia. Etsy’s index page is 75% navigation and 25% content. This is because the majority of the page is made up of various links for the user to navigate around the site. The 25% of content is made up of brief user reviews, a company overview, products advertisements and previews of blogs within the site.
•How does http://landor.com guide the readers eyes and focus their attention on what is important? (Chapter 7: Follow the eye )
This website guides the reader’s eyes and focuses their attention on what is important by using colour and design. When you first arrive on the page your eye is drawn to the white type which if offset against the yellow background. The eye is then drawn to the white arrow at the bottom of the page which directs your attention down and into the rest of the site. These arrows are scattered throughout the site and allow the user to progress between content or into different articles. Throughout the rest of the site the contrasting colours provide an inviting feel and guide the reader to the important information that the company is trying to portray. The interactive links throughout the page change from white to black or black to yellow when hovered over by a mouse. This draws the users attention to these links and focuses their attention on the important information that they include.