- What are the goals of Apple’s website? How does Apple’s website address the needs of a user who has just purchased their first MacBook? (Chapter 3)
Apple’s website, being a website with large amounts of information displayed in a clean and simple format, represents all that Apple is. By thinking about the goals of any company and specifically analyzing Apple’s website, it’s safe to assume that making money as a company is a primary goal. Their website advertises their newest products, giving information on everything the user will gain by purchasing one of their items. In addition, Apple focuses heavily on brand identity. Apple focuses on having a very forward thinking mindset, by always having the newest technology, but creating it in a way that feels very simple for everyone to use.
If a user were to purchase their first MacBook on Apple’s website, their needs can be extremely different than another user looking to purchase a Macbook. Apple works to please many different users by advertising their simple design, user friendly nature, and customizable features. By constantly having a simple design, users who are uncomfortable with technology and users who can adapt very quickly to technology can both use this item. Apple simplified the information that is displayed and places it in a hierarchical format. This means that the farther the user scrolls down the main page dedicated to MacBooks, the user learns more specific information about their MacBooks.
- What are the functional specifications of Facebook’s wall? If you are not on Facebook what are the specs for the signup page? (Chapter 4: Functional Specifications, Content Requirements and Prioritizing Requirements)
Functional specifications are used to help in the process of designing and developing a product. In the case of websites, it helps programmers understand how something needs to be designed to reach an end goal. Facebook, when one has an account with them, has a wall that is what the user sees immediately upon entering Facebook. This wall is a place where the user sees all information posted in chronological order by people they follow or pages they like. Some functional specifications that would have to be involved in programming that is having the newest posts go to the top of the page.
Facebook has a relatively open platform in the sense that many different forms of content can be uploaded. Users can post articles from other websites, or upload videos, photos, or just blocks of information. The content is all represented on the wall, the biggest organization method that I mentioned before, being time it was uploaded. So the only content requirements are that there is something being posted and since the user is the one uploading it, the programmers simply have to create the space and ability to upload it.
Facebook also has to consider prioritizing their needs. They want users to participate in sharing information on their platform to keep growing but they also rely on advertisements and large shareholders to financially maintain the company. So a specific example would be that Facebook needs to reach an agreement where enough advertisements are placed on the platform to please their shareholders and financial needs but don’t place too many where it bothers the users, possibly deterring them from using the site.
- What are four architectural approaches to information structure? Find one example of each. (Chapter 5: Information Architecture)
The first form of information structure is hierarchical structure which generally gives different nodes relationships with each other where once an initial topic is selected, more specific topics become available or are connected to the current page. An example for this form of structure is Robert Morris University’s website. Upon entering the site, there are broad nodes available that once you select one them, you begin to funnel down into more specific nodes of information.
Another form of information structure is the matrix structure that allows users to sort through information or travel between different nodes using different categories. This means that users with different needs can search through the same content to find what they are looking for. The New York Times uses this as one of the forms of organization on their website. Users are able to determine which category they want to be looking in, when the article was written, or search for keywords in an article. Overall they use a hierarchical structure and matrix structure.
Organic structures don’t have a definitive pattern. A lot of websites that use them are vague with their topics or maybe just beginning to explore a topic. A website that somewhat uses an organic structure is Wikipedia. Overall there isn’t a form of organization besides searching for a topic. Within the different pages, other pages are connected to it through in page links or recommended pages based off of the topic you are reading.
Last, the sequential structure is a form similar to reading a book, where the user just goes through a one-line path of information. After one page is reached, you simply move on to the next page. A good example for this form of organization is the Boat Pennsylvania Course, where the user goes through online training to obtain their boating license. Once the user starts the process, they simply go through the series of pages to learn the information and ultimately, if they pass, obtain their boating license.
- What percentage of The Huffington Post index page is navigation, and what percentage is content? What about Google, Wikipedia, and Etsy? (Chapter 6)
The Huffington Post displays their top stories as well as breaks down different categories of stories. Due to the fact that their main page is heavily dedicated to their newest stories, and the navigation is only set up by showing the different categories of stories, I would say that the navigation only takes up 20% of the page and the content takes up 80% of the page.
Google’s landing page is simply the google logo and forms of moving to other google pages. I would have to say, since no content is displayed on google.com, that it is 100% navigation on the page. As soon as the user searches for something on google, then the content begins to grow to more like 60% of the page. But the navigation aspect of being able to travel between pages is still the main focus.
Wikipedia is also dominantly focused on navigation as it has such a wide variety of pages that it allows the user to find what they want to. If the page begins where the user selects the language they want to read, then the navigation takes up 90% of the page and the content only takes up 10%. When the user searches something, the ratios switch dramatically. On these pages, the content takes up 95% of the page and the navigation is only 5% as the main form of navigation is to search for an article or begin clicking on random articles and then go to related articles.
Etsy, being an e-commerce website, focuses on helping users find items they want to purchase. As soon as the user opens the website, they view a mix of options to search for specific items, or items that are extremely popular on the website at the time. The navigation takes up roughly 30% of the page and the content takes up the other 70% of it.
- How does http://landor.com guide the readers’ eyes and focus their attention on what is important? (Chapter 7: Follow the eye )
The visual aspects of a website can help with the success of the website. By leading the eye to certain elements of the website, it helps persuade people to go through certain parts of the website. With the Landor website, the eye is immediately drawn to the statement on the landing page. It describes the purpose/main goal of the company. Landor uses strong contrast in size and color to draw the user into their site. Within their navigation menu, their main topics are very bold while specific projects are placed in small text. It’s a successful website for someone visiting it for the first time as well as someone who has see it before. The bolded topics help give users a general overview of what Landor does. The eye is immediately drawn to the large typography with the high black and white contrast. In addition, Landor is depending heavily on imagery and simple colors of the website to draw the user in to something that looks interesting to them, with the hope that they will dive deeper and look at their work.