Ames' syllabi

www.champssports.com

Champs Sports is a store that sells athletic attire. The main colors that are on the website are black and white. These are good colors to use due to the different colors from the clothes and shoes that they sell. The website uses a slideshow to show what type of shoe brands they sell such as: Nike, Adidas, Under Armour, etc. As you scroll down they show shoes that are still available to purchase in a black background and white lettering that show what kind of shoe it is.  At the bottom of the page Champs displays how the customer can stay connected to them, through social networks like: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. Champs also makes it easier for the customer to checkout faster and get exclusive deals. I know from experience because when I order shoes on line it makes it much easier to have your information saved. Their search request is very clear for a customer. It is common to see the company’s logo in the left hand corner and then again at the bottom. The font that is used for the website is a bold san-serif font. If the word is bold and big it is clear that it might be some help to a customer. Due to it being a shopping cite the “shopping cart” icon is in the top right hand corner in a light brown color. In conclusion Champs Sports does a good job to stay consistent and promote their products for customers.

By just reading the first chapter of  “Don’t Make Me Think”, my knowledge of the

different elements that mostly all eCommerce sites use has already grown

tremendously.

For my first site review, I decided to actually do some shopping for myself. I needed

a new pair of shoes, so I used one of the most popular sites to do so, which is

Eastbay. Eastbay primarily sells shoes, but is also a redistributor of clothes.

On first glance of the homepage, everything is setup very clean and modern. They

stick to a nice dark grey, almost black navigation with white text and off white

background with black text for their color scheme, and those colors remain the same

the whole way through even in the checkout process. This is a very simple color

scheme, something I would expect out of a stock template for like a Squaresapce or

Shopify sort of deal, but nonetheless it is effective because of how simple it is to the

eye.

Now onto the navigation, which is the biggest issue I have with the site. At first

glance, the navigation bar looks great. It’s split into three categories, Shop, Releases,

and Community. Now what happens next is initially I tried to just hover over top of

the Shop category, expecting that it would activate some sort of drop-down menu,

but it didn’t. This was very confusing to me, and I thought maybe the page didn’t

load properly. It wasn’t until I actually clicked on the Shop category that the drop-

down navigation appeared, and when it did, it was very cluttered. They lay out

everything right in the navigation down to specific sub categories as specific as

“Wrestling Shoes”. I guess in some ways this is a good thing because right from the

home page you are able to find exactly what you want, and even shop by your shoe

size, but it just seems like too much in a navigation for me.

Let me explain a little further. So the main navigation bar is a horizontal one right at

the top with the Shop category in it, and when you click Shop it brings down not one

but two more horizontal navigations. The first one that comes down has nine

options to click on, from Men, Women, and all the way to Sale, and Team. Depending

on which one you click, it changes the second dropped down navigation with the in

depth parts. It’s just way too much for me right off the bat I think.

So, I know roughly what kind of shoes I want, which are Nike Roshe’s. So from the

first drop down I click on “Brands”, and from there the second drop down has logos

for each of the brands.  I am able to locate the Nike swoosh very easily and go off the

homepage and into the actual process. This then goes to a huge list of Nike items,

15,627 of them to be exact. However, it does come with a vertical navigation bar to

refine your search some more, which is always a nice feature. So I limit mine to

Shoes, for Men, Shoes, Size 13.0, and Red color. From there I am still having trouble

finding them, and it’s not until the 7th row of shoes on the search in their site until I

find the type of pair I’m interested in. This was a big let down for me. I then realize

that there is a search bar in the top right corner, and I could’ve just typed in Nike

Roshe, but I didn’t figure that out until after all of these clicks and wasted time.

Once I’m finally on the specific product page, it is very easy to add to cart, which sort

of redeems the site a bit. It already remembered the size I wanted from the vertical

drop down earlier and already selected it for me. The add to cart button is in black

and gold and is very hard to miss. Once clicked, another navigation drops down

automatically from the main navigation bar, this time showing the product I just

added and asking on a big button if I would like to review cart or checkout. This

navigation was actually very nice and avoided an extra step for me, because I am

just ordering shoes and that’s it, probably like most people are on the site. So having

the ability to get to the checkout fast is a plus. I choose to pay with PayPal, an option

that redirects me to login and approve it on PayPal’s site, which is very simple to do

as well. From there all I need to do is verify my billing info and then hit the Place

Order button at the bottom.

So even though it got confusing at the beginning a little and their navigation of the

site is massive, overall I think the other positives make this an above average site to

me. Looking back on it, it’s kind of hard to do anything differently, because Eastbay’s

inventory is so massive that by default it also takes a massive navigation to

accomplish, and rather jumping from page to page refining that search they are able

to limit it to the homepage.

Becoming the ‘broke college student’ in life is like a right of passage. It is a cliché that we all are a part of, at some point, whether we’d like to admit it or not. As college students we are inclined to find the cheapest price on the market for any book, movie, or latest app. Like second nature, we gravitate towards Amazon.com. Amazon is the largest internet-based retailer in the United States. Amazon.com offers a wide variety of products including books, movies, phone cases, toiletries, beauty products, groceries, pet products and more at prices that college students can afford. Because so many people visit this site it is so important that Amazon.com is easy for users to navigate. As I searched for the movie Interstellar in the search box at the top of the page, Amazon provided a drop-down menu to choose what category I was interested in searching; I chose Movies & TV. This action was extremely easy for me to navigate. After all of my options appeared on the screen, I noticed a filter feature on the left-hand side where I was able to choose options such as the format preferred, the release date, and genre of movie. This section was optional to use if wanting to narrow the search. When I decided what movie to choose, I was directed toward a page where I was easily able to add the product to my cart. Also on this same screen, I was given suggestions of movies similar to Interstellar that I may enjoy. Although a virtually seamless web design, Amazon could improve on their site in a couple different ways. It is nice to have suggested items when you visit the site, but what if amazon provided alerts? Become notified when your new favorite book has reached the site, that way you can be the first to know and order as soon as possible. Another easy fix would be the sign out button. It is not that easy to find, after a few seconds of hunting around the user becomes frustrated. It should be a simple step that you don’t need to think about, perhaps locate the sign out option at the top right of your page like most sites, and not in a drop-down menu. After reading Don’t Make Me Think and The Principles of Beautiful Web Design I quickly realized that Amazon.com was a user friendly site that was easy to navigate for people who know what they’re looking for. The logo was at the top of the homepage and at the top of every page increasing Amazon’s brand recognition. The search bar and drop down menus were located at the top of the page leaving most of the space on the webpage to content; content is king. If you make an account for this site, you can view your current account and are also able to view your shopping history, make a wish list of items you may want in the future, and save and compare prices of items with the cost of what Amazon offers. Now that I am educated and know what makes up a good website, I will continue to use Amazon.com because it was quick and easy to narrow my search and find exactly what I was looking for.

For review 1 I chose (Newegg) website. Many of the sites specialized in display products. The company is specialized display products in a simple and uncluttered to facilitate the search process to the customer. This is what I found at this site, I saw the site design is simple and easy. I found what I’m looking for quickly.

Designer put the logo on the left clearly and crossing of the form name and is in the form of eggs. And search method was easy because everything is on the left of a horizontal form arranged in the form of categories and what the customer wants. The content of the site is clean messy, there are pictures of the products are clearly everything shown in the pictures (Price, Model, Discount, product information… Etc.). The customer can determine if this product that you do not want either.

Footer there all the information needed by the customer of the information and communication service and create a new account and social communication sites for the company and also the official sponsors for them, everything are neatly written and understandable.

I think the white space at the site does not affect them, on the contrary, serve a positive for the page smoothly and not chaos at the site and facilitate the vision of the product well. Colors on the page are ok, quiet colors, reminded me a little bit of pop art colors,  orange color with blue. The designer used Helvetica font well, clearly, has not been used is the concept of line and it is excellent to facilitate to the customer, that is good choice.

In general, the website is not unique, looks like a lot of sites the rapid purchase like Amazon and eBay. But it’s good, simple, clean and uncomplicated. The customer can search for what he/she wants well.

Let me paint you a picture. It’s the “middle” of winter after a couple weeks of a strange, spring-like warm front and because of said warm front, you are now sick, unable to leave your bed and you are wishing you had the money to justify purchasing a $11.95 one-time-use bath bomb that you keep seeing all over the internet. But, wait! You remember that more money is coming soon via loan refunds and your birthday! Let us spend this money now while you are in a fever-induced haze before you can realize it is a bad idea. Perfect.

Welcome to lushusa.com! The home page appears relatively straightforward and aesthetically pleasing. We see two, black and white header menus at the top of the screen with a multitude of links to be traversed. The topmost bar includes LUSH’s icon and homepage link and nodules to the LUSH blog, their Charity Pot, “Our Story” that explains how they differ from other bath-and-body-esque franchises, the search bar, an aptly named nodule called “Shops” with the location icon, log-in, and what appears to be a handbag icon that I would assume to be the equivalent of the shopping cart without further investigation. On the second menu bar there is a list of all of the categories of products, including “new”, bath, shower, hair, face, body, gifts, makeup, perfume, space, videos, sale and Valentine’s Day. Below the menus are a couple of thick, colorful banners that showcase new products and holiday specials. Since we are looking for the magnificent, peppermint “Intergalactic” bath bomb, for the sniffles, I hovered my cursor over the “bath” nodule from which a panel fell, giving us the options of clicking on “bath bombs”, “bubble bars”, “luxury bath melts”, and “fun”. Simple enough. I clicked on “bath bombs” and was greeted to a similar set up as the homepage, with a large banner beneath the menus, stating that we are in the right place. Scrolling down the page, we are greeted by a fairly minimalistic layout, though anything more than the pictures of the bright and colorful bath bombs would simply be busy and hard to look at. There it is! Without even clicking on the “Intergalactic” bath bomb, we are given the option to “buy now” right below the image and quantity/price information. Since we know what we want, let’s click it! Now remember that little handbag icon mentioned earlier? Well, after deciding we want to buy it immediately, we are sent back to the top of our page where a small window has opened below the icon stating that the “Intergalactic” bath bomb is now in our cart and that we can view the cart or check out. By clicking on “checkout” we are taken to a new page that allows you to sign in, sign up or guest checkout without the use of an account. From here you just enter your information, quick and easy!

I have to say, that based on “Don’t Make Me Think”, that lushusa.com recognizes the “Facts of Life” and answers to them all. In no way are you required to read more than a short message throughout the entirety of the website unless you are very interested in LUSH’s background, charitable deeds, or you like to read the descriptions of the products you are purchasing and when they want to get a message across, it’s in big, bold letters that will catch your eye even if you choose not to click “read the article”. On this site, the reasonable options are the typically the best options as most people who find themselves on LUSH’s specialty cosmetics have a vague idea of what they are searching for and easily be accessed when being able to narrow down your searches by use and then specific products.

All in all, I believe that LUSH has a strong and easy to use website. It gives you a simple path to follow that does not allow you to get completely lost on it with defined pages and menus.

 

Chelsea Hepfl

I decided to do my first website review on the site ThinkGeek.com because I have been on their site many times because of their unqiue products based on movies and tv shows, their site from what I remember has always been very easy and fun to browse.

On their homepage I noticed that they have 3 lines of option bars to choose from. One helpfully shows categories of products and interests to choose from. Underneath these two drop down menus, is a full line of specific categories that would be helpful for people looking for new stock, buying a present, or celebrating a holiday. Lastly, the bar underneath that is a line of logos from various brands; Doctor Who, Star Wars, DC Comics and more. I found this part particularly helpful and eye appealing, it is one of the first things the eye comes to on the site and are the brands that people shop for the most.

For my item I chose to go into the Doctor Who section. I really liked their way of listing items, and the size of the thumbnails were perfect for getting an idea of what the product was, while not too big and not straining the eyes. One change I would make would be to shift the listing of the items further to the left and centering it to make it more comfortable to browse.

I found a comic book featuring the 9th doctor that I wanted and clicked on the link and had no trouble of finding the “Buy Now” button, because it was a different color and size than the rest of the text on the page. I liked this a lot about ThinkGeek and I think it makes the buying process easier. However, when I got to the cart page and clicked ‘continue shopping’ it sent me to a general book search page and not the original Doctor Who page I was on. I would have liked it to take me back to the original page I was coming from incase I wanted to purchase more things from the same brand.

Overall, I think the ThinkGeek site is good aesthetically and avoids making assumptions on gender in their design. The site has a good balance of color between black, grey, and green, and uses other colors to bring attention to other details that are important. The site also functions very well in design for people that are not familiar with their products, as it as helpful links and pictures to guide the shopping process forward.

The website I chose is nastygal.com. I do a lot of shopping online but have not used this site yet. When I first arrive at the homepage the first thing I think is that is looks pretty. The aesthetic is clean and modern, with just the right amount of color here and there to direct your attention to the most important places. Most of the screen is taken up by an image of a model wearing their clothes. The image’s background is a simple yet pleasing light pink-to-purple gradient.

 

Their logo is at the top left corner, and to its right are buttons to take you to pages for “new”, “clothes”, “shoes”, “accessories”, etc. When you hover over each link, a drop down menu appears with more specific categories. There is also a search bar at the top right. I am going to look for shoes, so I type “heels” into the search box.

 

I am immediately shown a list of many different heeled shoes. For each product there is a visually pleasing photograph, an item description in a clean, sans-serif font, and then the price. They also give you options to refine your search, and you can narrow the results by color, price, size, and more.

 

Upon scrolling down the page and hovering over one photo, I find that the image switches to show you a different view of the product. I click on a pair of shoes I like and it takes me to another page.

 

The page for these shoes is nice to look at and very easy to understand. Most of the screen is taken up by an image of the product. To the right, there is the name of the shoe followed by buttons with each available size. The unavailable ones are gray, and it is very clear that these sizes are not in stock. I select my size and a large black “add to tote” button appears. I click on it and then on the “view tote/checkout” button that appears.

 

I am brought to a page with my “tote” items on it as well as suggestions for other things to buy. The checkout process looks like it will be easy (there is a big black “checkout” button to the right), although I don’t know for sure because I can’t afford $110 shoes.

 

Overall, nastygal.com is exactly what I look for when shopping online (except for the prices, that is). I love their clothes and their aesthetic. It is clear that they know who their typical shopper is. It is very well constructed and does not make the user think at all. A part of “Don’t Make Me Think” focuses on how people don’t really read websites, they scan them. This website is designed for that- there are very few words, and you don’t need to sift through information to find what you’re looking for. They make it easy to glance at the screen and immediately know what to click next. I think pretty much anybody could use this website, even those who are not used to using computers or the internet.

For my review, I will be looking at the positive and negative aspects of a site. The site that I chose to do my review on is Walmart. Upon first going onto the site, I see that it is a pretty clean and minimalistic site.  There isn’t a lot of clutter or things to get you distracted along the sides.  There are advertisements that have a click scroll at the top of the page under the menu bar.  These ads  show things that they think are popular like healthy foods,  hygienic products, and popular holiday products.  For right now,  they have Valentines day gifts on there.   Under this they have the sponsored links and then links to every department.  I am going to see how well their check out is compared to other sites that we talked about in class that had a good checkout system like Amazon.  I chose to look at clothing to see the color and style options they might have.  Once I got into the clothing,  sidebar menus popped up that showed me categories of clothing, sizes, and price ranges.  Also, something surprising came up.  At the top of the sidebar, there is an option already for delivery.  This included whether to send to store or house.  After you choose ad to cart, it sends you to a page to make sure your item is correct while also showing you things customers also bought.  Once you go through that step, you can’t go any further without making an account.  Even though you can’t go any further,  I can already tell that this is similar to Amazon in many ways.  Like Amazon,  the goal of Walmart’s site is to sell their products.  Walmart also differs from Amazon because Walmart has stores that customers can go to and buy the products too so their site has to reflect that aspect of their store.  Walmart is, like Amazon,  a matrix structure because in the book it says that a matrix is a structure that can get to any point from any point.  I think that this site is very user friendly and is even friendly to elderly people too because Mostly all of the writing is big and in colors that are very easy and appealing to the eyes.  All in all, I think that Walmart has a very good site that is user friendly and has many good features.

Recently, I had been asked to look up possibilities for lavaliere microphones and one of the stores I was suggested to look up was Best Buy. So I went onto Best Buy’s website and searched for lavalieres. The search bar was immediately in my sight. When I searched, it gave me a few pages of options, but on the left side, there were different categories that allowed me to search for what I was looking for without going through the whole tab. An example would be a price range or a specific brand or wireless. It also shows next to the tab how many items are in that brand. When I added what I was looking at to the cart and went to check out, it gave me three shipping choices with the price and date of arrival by them. You would then click checkout to continue to log in to your best buy account and choose your payment method.

After reading the beginning section of “Don’t Make Me Think”, it helped me pick out the smallest details on Best Buy’s website. When I first went on, the search bar was visible and it stood out to where I needed to find it. A search bar should always be at the top of the page because it is what a viewer will be looking for most of the time when they go to a web site. I liked the order of the tabs on the side to reduce your search. I think the order it is in from what’s on sale to brand then price I think are some of the first things that come to mind if someone wants to look for specific details on a product. It was a little strange though that the page would always refresh when you checked off one box. To improve that, I think you should be allowed to check the boxes off first that you want to check out and click search. In other words, it’s an advanced search. The cart was up in the right hand corner to keep it visible while I continued to look at other items, but there was a notification by the cart to show that you have one item prepared to check out. When I was done, I just had to click on the cart. Finally, I liked how the choices for shipping were listed and it had the answers to some simple questions someone would be thinking as soon as they go to review their order. It had when you would receive it by and how much it costs. I did find it a little odd though that it had the name of the shipping type below that information. Most web sites would have the type of shipping first in bigger font, following the information. I still think it worked though, but others might disagree.

 

In conclusion, I think Best Buy’s website is well structured with the search. Not only do they give you the tools to help you find what you are looking for easier, but it is organized into what most customers would want to know first. With someone in media like me, it makes a good site to search options for on equipment and any other media material needed.