IDEO (http://www.ideo.com/)
What does it look like?
The site seems quite busy at first and the layout is left aligned and it would be preferable centred. After the home page though it becomes much more organised there after and the colour scheme becomes simplistic with grey and white throughout. The rest of the site has a blog like feel to it with sequenced information about the company. The only use of colour is with the images which helps to make them stand out and adds interest to the page.
What does it look like?
The site seems quite busy at first and the layout is left aligned and it would be preferable centred. After the home page though it becomes much more organised there after and the colour scheme becomes simplistic with grey and white throughout. The rest of the site has a blog like feel to it with sequenced information about the company. The only use of colour is with the images which helps to make them stand out and adds interest to the page.
How easy is it to use?the main page navigation is clear and simple to use and it is also highlighted with a colour change. The rest of the sites navigation is also simple as on each page at the bottom there is a navigational box highlighting the key areas of each section.
The only page which lacked ease of use I felt was the focus main page as the mass of images were confusing on first sight and there was no indication they were buttons other than a small hand so this could have been improved.
How relevant is the content of the site?
The content is relevant as it outlines the company showing its work, the ideas behind it and company news in a very detailed way. There is a lot of information and some areas could have been cut down, as it can seem quite intimidating to the user.
How clearly is the content organised?
The content is organised into sections under key areas. And within each page navigational content is organised at the bottom and top of the page. And the information is in the centre of the page sectioned with the main information at the top and related issues sectioned in three underneath.
How clearly is the content organised?
The content is organised into sections under key areas. And within each page navigational content is organised at the bottom and top of the page. And the information is in the centre of the page sectioned with the main information at the top and related issues sectioned in three underneath.
Apple (http://store.apple.com/us)
What does it look like?
Clean and simple from the start, which is what you expect as most people already have an idea of the company, and this is how you associate Apple and its products. There is a large use of high quality pictures throughout each page of the site allowing the user to always see the product. The store page is the busiest page and when you choose the type of product from the menu the products become displayed across the top in a banner form with an interactive scroll bar and the main product information is shown below.
How easy is it to use?
The site is easy to use as expected, as there are simple links and tabs to move between pages and product information. There are listed menus leading to other sites and all buttons are clearly highlighted normally with a colour change or in the ‘buy now’ cases an actual button.
How relevant is the content of the site?
The site content is relevant and so is the content within each section. The store information includes the relevant specifications of each model and technical information as well as the opportunity to buy the product you want. The other sections give simply general product information and overviews. Also like with the Sony there is the highly relevant support information.
How clearly is the content organised?
The site content is clearly organised with boxed menus and the main section being centred and also sectioned with the use of headers. Tabs are also featured to organise certain product information clearly.
The site content is clearly organised with boxed menus and the main section being centred and also sectioned with the use of headers. Tabs are also featured to organise certain product information clearly.
Sony (www.sony.co.uk)
What does it look like?
The site has the typical Sony colour scheme concentrating mainly on blue and white and the main product and company and product news is centred and is the first thing you see. This is carried on throughout the pages apart from on certain pages there is a certain colour change either just in the border colour or as the background colour, this mainly changes for the major brands for example ‘the ‘walkman’ page. When you decide to view certain products the page becomes much more like a catalogue and online shop where you can view details and add to a shopping basket.
What does it look like?
The site has the typical Sony colour scheme concentrating mainly on blue and white and the main product and company and product news is centred and is the first thing you see. This is carried on throughout the pages apart from on certain pages there is a certain colour change either just in the border colour or as the background colour, this mainly changes for the major brands for example ‘the ‘walkman’ page. When you decide to view certain products the page becomes much more like a catalogue and online shop where you can view details and add to a shopping basket.
How easy is it to use?
The site is relatively easy to use as there is a menu to view all the products and across the top there are the main pages for the user to navigate through the site. The further information links can be found under the products and the main legal links are clearly shown at the bottom of each page.
The site is relatively easy to use as there is a menu to view all the products and across the top there are the main pages for the user to navigate through the site. The further information links can be found under the products and the main legal links are clearly shown at the bottom of each page.
How relevant is the content of the site?
The content of the site is very relevant not only does it give you company information but it also informs the user of product detail as well as allowing them to purchase products online. The most relevant information is the support section as with all technologies comes problems and this is a clear and helpful amount of information.
The content of the site is very relevant not only does it give you company information but it also informs the user of product detail as well as allowing them to purchase products online. The most relevant information is the support section as with all technologies comes problems and this is a clear and helpful amount of information.
How clearly is the content organised?
The content is clearly organised within the main page and there are tabs used to highlight the key areas and this is used within the product information section as well. Splitting the information section with the use of tabs gives the user the feeling of choice as to what information they look and and makes the sometimes extensive information easier to digest.
NOW online workspace (www.ntu.ac.uk/currentstudents)
What does it look like?
Although the website looks clean on first look with the simple black white and blue colour scheme and boxed areas the simplicity ends here. This is due to the fact that on a closer look you find that the navigational buttons to the main contents are not very clear and difficult to locate. However the theme is carried out throughout giving the website a continuous feel. There is nothing about the site that stands out but this reflects the educational purpose that the site was designed for.
What does it look like?
Although the website looks clean on first look with the simple black white and blue colour scheme and boxed areas the simplicity ends here. This is due to the fact that on a closer look you find that the navigational buttons to the main contents are not very clear and difficult to locate. However the theme is carried out throughout giving the website a continuous feel. There is nothing about the site that stands out but this reflects the educational purpose that the site was designed for.
How easy is it to use?
You would think with the category boxes would make it easy to use. But the main categories are not within the boxes but are instead within the banner and are small and with the colour choice easily unseen. Although once you have found the area you are looking for the navigation is simple as it is all based on hyperlinks.
How relevant is the content of the site?The content is relevant as it is all the links needed to take the user to the course information. There are a few changes that could be made one being that the email should be built into the front page as it is important and users want to see it quickly and easily.
How clearly is the content organised?
Content is organised clearly within the boxes however not really in order of relevance. On the first page course content is organised below student news and competition and it doesn’t feel right to have to scroll down to the most important information.
