Brad Paiva
ART 35
6/16/08
Design Assignment – Week 2, due 2/13
Worksheet for Web Site Design Document
TYPE the answers to these questions in this Text file. The "Web Site" is your final web site project. We will start this worksheet together in class. Please upload this completed document as an attachment in Discussions and bring it to class in both electronic form and as a printout. Title your document, Worksheet_yourname (if you are using Mac, make sure to name your document with the .rtf or .doc extension: example: DesignDoc_LastName.doc
I. Define the Goals for Web Site:
BP: The Goal is to create a website using professional methods of design which will attract potential customers.
BP: To use the information we are given and manipulate it by methods of good design.
Short-term goals:
BP: To create a well organized and well designed website using the resources and information we are given.
Long-term goals:
BP: To attract potential customers and those interested in the product to be guided to our website. Eventually, we should generate enough “hits” for the site to be declared a success.
BP: To demonstrate elements of design and organization, as well as the programs and resources provided.
BP: They will come out of interest in the product.
BP: I believe they will come back.
BP: I believe they will come back in hopes that the site has been updated and / or revised
Review your answers to Questions 1-7, rephrase them as goals + list in order of importance.
(#1 most important)
Site Goals:
1) To create a well-organized, well-designed website.
2) Attract visitors and potential customers with convenient and easy-to-use site
3) Generate enough hits to be declared a success.
II. Define the Audience for the Web Site:
A) Who are the intended audiences/users for the site? List audience categories. This can be personified to be more specific, for example, describe a typical member of that intended audience - age, sex, educational level, occupation etc. (List at least 5)
1) Age 11, M, grade school, unemployed
2) Age 34, F, college graduate, office worker
3) Age 57, F, high school graduate, homemaker
4) Age 16, F, high school student, unemployed
5) Age 20, M, college student, store cashier
B) For the 3 audiences that you believe to be the most important to target, list their most important needs and goals in order of importance. Note - this is from the user’s point of view, not the client's point of view.
1) Audience category: Elderly People
Needs/goals: (list at least 3)
a) A quick and easy to make meal for her grandchildren
b) A remedy when her or her grandchildren are ill
c) A meal when the customer does not feel like cooking
2) Audience category: College Students
Needs/goals: (list at least 3)
a) A quick and easy to make meal for the student on the go
b) A cost effective meal for those on a budget
c) A remedy after a long night of partying
3) Audience category: Working Moms
Needs/goals: (list at least 3)
a) A quick and easy to make meal for her and the kids
b) A remedy for when her or her children are ill
c) A meal when the customer does not feel like cooking
C) Create scenarios for each of your 3 primary or most important audiences (users) In paragraph form, describe a typical user in that audience category. Create a character for that user and give him or her a name, background and a task to accomplish on the site. Use a task from the list of audience needs and goals from the section (B) above. Then write a short story about how the character would use the site to complete the given task. These scenarios will be important for defining the content and functional requirements of the site. Be CREATIVE. Be thoughtful. Take the time necessary. Good work here can enable you to come up with much more innovative design.
1) Janet is a 57 year old homemaker. She and her husband have 3 grandchildren together. On the weekends, their parents drop them off at the house and they stay overnight. In the morning, Janet has to come up with a meal plan for 5 people. She can just make Cream of Wheat, and everyone is satisfied.
2) Steve is a 20 year old college student staying in a dorm. He rooms with two other students, and they constant bicker over what is theirs. Being on a budget, Steve doesn’t have many funds to spend on food. After a night of partying, Steve needs something to calm his body and put him at ease in time for class. He can just heat up a bowl of Cream of Wheat, and go on with his day.
3) Debra is a full-time office worker and single mother of 2. On weekday mornings, she must race against the clock to get her kids in school and get to work on time. Her and her kids have to eat but there is not enough time to cook. Debra can just heat up some Cream of Wheat, and everyone’s off just in the nick of time.
III. Competitive Analysis:
III. Evaluate the competition/comparable sites:
Use search engines such as google.com, yahoo.com, askjeeves.com to research the competition/comparable sites. Evaluate this 'competition' in order to help you learn more about what your own site should/should not have. Use the following criteria and add any other criteria you think would be helpful, in evaluating each site:
a. Site Design
b. Ease of Navigation
c. Layout
d. Look and Feel of the Site
e. Content
f. Download Time
g. use of advanced technology.
For each site, write down the pros and cons. Do an evaluation of at least 3 sites.
Quaker Oats seems to be their main competitor, so I was sure to check out their site first. It seems very well organized, yet I feel they are trying to cram too much information onto the homepage. The color scheme is well adjusted, and seems to appeal to kids as well as adults. There are also links to recipes and weight loss tips, which is more than expected.
now it’s worth mentioning that when I clicked on the link, I was greeted by just a tan background. I tried other browsers and had all the available plug-ins but the page would not display. Anyways, when I got the page to work, I was greeted by a strong contrast of red. Personally, I found this to be an eyesore, but the layout was well conceived. They also contained many similar links and resources as the Quaker Oats site.
My first observation was the usage of blue and white. The layout seems very sleek and sophisticated, but not in a sense that would appeal to children visiting the site. They have made good use of flash objects, especially in the bottom toolbar. There are many pictures of children and families, I assume trying to communicate with their target audience.
Note: this worksheet is adapted from a Webmonkey tutorial, which you will probably find useful to look at:
http://www.hotwired.com/webmonkey/98/28/index0a.html?tw=design
webmonkey>design>Squishy’s Crash Course in Information Architecture