The two websites I chose to identify
the problems for visitors are:
Penny Juice and Spot Metering.
WWW.PENNYJUICE.COM
1) It is a
very poorly designed website. I would be surprised if they get any sales from
it. The Home Page doesn't explain at all what the Website is all about.
It should have more content explaining what they are trying to sell.
Improvement: They should put on their
Home Page more information about the company and the product they are trying to
sell. Offering more information would make consumers interested and willing to
navigate further.
2) Very
confusing. Too much going on at the same time.
The HTML version is already too much, when you click on the FLASH version you
can barely stay on the page. Contrast may be a good thing to catch consumer's attention
but they went way overboard with all the flashy colors, it hurts the eyes.
I also don't like the font they chose and how the text is so close together,
there are no spaces between paragraphs.
When I look at their pages, I don't even feel like reading them.
Improvement: They should definitely reduce
the amount of colors, use more elegant and subtle colors. Choose a better font
and give more space between paragraphs to make it easier to read and less
confusing.
3) There
aren't many links, very hard to navigate.
Improvement: They should add links to
the Home Page and all other pages so we can navigate better between them and
find what we need.
WWW.SPOTMETERING.COM
1) It is
also a very poorly designed website. It is not visually appealing at all.
It is very busy, with very poor choice of colors and fonts. The flash feature
on top of the Home Page is totally unnecessary and disturbing. The links on top
are also really unattractive.
The mixed bright
colors fonts against the black background and the way they mix all kinds of
different font types and sizes is really annoying. You don't feel like reading
anything at all.
For photographers that normally have good eyes for pictures and colors they
will probably get shocked and run away from that site in an instant.
Improvement: I would start designing
that website from zero and choose everything different. I would start looking
for a nicer Page Layout that is clear and professional. I would change the background,
font colors and types and remove all those flash features.
2) The whole
page is very confusing, not user friendly at all. In this website they used way
too much content on the Home Page having to scroll down for a long time to find
something. It's important to have content but also organize that content in a way that doesn't get confusing for
consumers so they don't get lost and frustrated.
Improvement: I would organize the
content of this website in a more structured way so users can find the
information they need in a easy and logical way.
3) The way
this website was designed does not promote credibility. The branding is very
weak and doesn't give users the trust they need to use that product. I don't
think I would trust to buy a product from a site like that. When the website
doesn't look appealing and professional you wonder if the business is serious
and professional as well.
Improvement: After working on the
aesthetics of the website I would concentrate on branding that product in a more
professional and appealing way so consumers feel like they need to have that
product.
The two websites I chose to identify what
they have done right are:
Toyota and Apple
WWW.TOYOTA.COM
This company is a no
brainer. They probably have the best team working on their website to make it
have all the good qualities a website need to be successful.
Aesthetic and branding are awesome: great pictures, great colors. The contrast
is just right to catch consumer's attention without being flashy. This website
is very effective because it uses aesthetic and branding just right to appeal
the target audience.
This website is definitely user friendly. Links are clear and the content is
very organized.
Buying a car is a big decision and this website has all the qualities to show consumers
that they are very professional and you can trust the company as well as their
product.
WWW.APPLE.COM
Just like Toyota Apple also has a great team behind their website design to
make it just right. Aesthetic is simple but very elegant, neutral colors and
beautiful pictures to makes consumers want to have their product. This website also
uses aesthetic and branding in the perfect way to attract its audience.
Website is user friendly, links are clear, content is well distributed within
its links making it very easy to find what you are looking for.
Although
Toyota keeps their Social Media very active through Facebook, YouTube, Twitter,
Google+ and Instagram, I couldn't find where Apple keeps up with Social Media.
I found a Newsroom where they post News about their products and other events
but no Social Media. They probably don't feel the need to keep up with Social
Media since their product is so well established around the world.
How does design, aesthetics and
branding impact your reaction to the websites?
The visual
impact is the first impression consumers get from your website, so it has to be
visually appealing. It needs to have professional and good looking pictures that
are relevant to the website as well as nice backgrounds, fonts and colors. Then
it needs structure. A website needs to be easy to understand and navigate. If
the content is not presented in a logic and organized way, consumers will get lost, frustrated and they will leave.
And of course it needs interesting and relevant content.
What makes consumers want to visit, stay and come back later to your website is
the product and/or information you have to offer. On your website you need to
offer something consumers want, need and/or are interested at.
All those features mentioned above are crucial to the success of your website.
If you fail to offer that, most likely you will have a hard time keeping your online business.
