Week 4 Post One

Commented on:
Irene Vasquez
Michael Fanghella
Shawn Kaufman 

Choose two of the following websites and identify at least three potential problems for visitors.

I chose to first look at the Toyota website since we are car shopping.  I first looked at their website from my phone and quickly got frustrated and gave up. I wanted to see a visual menu of cars and their price ranges right off the bat.   Their website has a shifting image of different models right at the top of their page, the page requires me to dive deeper in to find the information I need.  On the mobile device I do not like the shifting car images but it does work on the full screen where I can also immediately see the menu that reads " Explore all Vehicles", with vehicle categories clearly listed.  As a shopper I do not want to spend much time clicking on car models to find out if the vehicle is even within our budget, Toyota provides a 'Shopping Tools' link right in their top navigation bar which seems great until you click it.  There are three subcategories within this link and each category has 3 to 4 link options, the closest category for the budgetary constraints I would like to set to speed up my search process is labeled 'Build and Price', this does not actually get me to the information I would like and instead wants me to put in my zip code and take me down the rabbit hole of directing me to local dealerships which is more commitment than I want.  As a consumer I want to see the price range anonymously and anonymously see if Toyota even offers a car model within my budget that I might then be interested in deciding to explore.

The second website I chose to look at was roverp6cars.com.  My first response was
"Yikes".  Toyota's website is wonderful in comparison.  First off, I do not know what the name of the company actually is, is it MGBD Parts and Service or Rover P6 Parts?  Both headlines are large and red, the MGBD is listed first and larger but the Rover P6 Parts is sort of in the website name and while listed second it is underlined.  I am confused immediately.  There is overuse of capital bold red letters in the left hand navigation bar.  There are far too many left red links!

For me, Toyota could make it much easier to search within budget parameters.  I would like to see a link that offers several search ranges, for example 18k-24k, 24k-32K, 32k-100K.  Alternatively I would like to type in my budget parameters and have the car model selection options returned.
For Rover6,  I would suggest creating a much shorter, simpler navigation bar with their other links deeper in.  I would change the navigation bar color, I would clarify the name and simply the headings to make reading their site easier and less chaotic.

 Choose two of the following websites and identify what they have done right.
 How does design, aesthetics and branding impact your reaction to the websites?

I looked at Riverside Art Center.  I love the art at the top of the page.  To be fair, I looked at their website on my phone as I did with Toyota.  Their art heading shifts on the computer screen which works, on the mobile device the art heading is static until you click the advance arrow.  That small difference makes a big difference for me.  I also like the way the navigation bar moves with the user as you scroll down the website.  Their website design is quite pleasing and it makes it a pleasant experience to peruse.

I looked at Stone Brewing and their graphics really stand out.  It is obvious they have put a great deal of attention into the graphic design, it is bold, their branding and aesthetic is clear.  Their customers will recognize their images.  They use contrast well, the brightness of the products standout well against the dark background.