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.
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