Class Overview

Today I found 10 websites that I found relatively successful. Then after copying and pasting them into my post I wrote several short sentences on why they experience success for 5 of them.

Class Overview

Today I posted my url to Mos blog then I set up my design for my web page and then I uploaded my picture

5 Things that the top 10 Websites share

5 Things all the websites share
          1) They are all easy navigate
          2) All creative
          3) Easy to find
          4) All include unique graphics to keep viewer on page
          5) Easy to read, while still informative

Class Overview

Class Overview 01/29/13
          Today in class I created my own blog and posted for the first time. We had to write a 2 page paper on what we learned on the article we read. Then we followed the class and posted to the blog. Then we looked at an article that showed the top 10 designed websites.

The Purpose of a Website

        The article that we read about went into detail on what websites should be intended to do. The article begins by saying that creativity in a website is not all that should be considered when creating a website. Although they said that creativity isn’t the most important aspect of a website it is by no means understating the importance of creativity. They are saying that no matter how flashy or aesthetically pleasing the website it all comes down to the 2 elements that attract the viewer: those 2 elements being simplicity and functionality.

          The 2 elements of simplicity and functionality are essential aspects to the success of a website. We will begin with simplicity. Simplicity not in the sense of being simple with the material you are talking about but rather simplicity in the sense of the success of an average user to navigate the web page with ease. In this ideal the creator of the website must take into account the experts who may navigate the page but also the below average computer users. Obviously this is an important aspect of a website, most people once on a web page want to get straight into things and not wait around searching for the things they are looking for thus why simplicity is essential.

The second element of designing a website is functionality. This goes hand in hand with simplicity. This is where the aspect of creativity can be utilized as a pro but in some cases can be a con. Creativity is a major part of a website that in most cases is utilized to attract people to the website. Hypothetically if a person sees a big flashy website compared to a black and white website the tendency is to go towards the flashier website. But once past the aspect of creativity people want a website that gets straight to the point and will get them to where they want to be. This is where creativity can turn into a con. When the designer is too caught up with the design we seem to have to make a sacrifice when it comes to functionality. This sacrifice often tends to lose more viewers than it brings in. The end goal in turn is to ensure that the website is a success in properly giving a full tour of the firm as mentioned in the article.

          The marketing aspect of a website is very interesting. In the article the question is proposed of: “Are you discoverable by an expertise?” The question asks whether you are discoverable by the people or the target audience you are aiming at. When one makes a website it is in turn to endorse a product per say in order to generate some popularity amongst the product. The ability of the website designer to create advertisements in order to get the word out to other people is pivotal to the websites success. In most cases people create websites in an attempt to attract viewers, but the only viewers are those people who are interested in the ideals that you propose. Thus the toughest part is finding the right crowd to preach to.

         

As mentioned above and throughout the article the main purpose of a website is to combine the 2 aspects of simplicity and functionality. There are many ways in which a person can check for these factors. In the article they say to ask 3 main questions about the website.  “According to the "Purpose of a Website" article you must ask yourself these three main Does your site encourages prospects in various buying stages to convert into leads? Does your site give your prospects a full tour of your firm? And Are you discoverable by expertise?” These are the three questions that you must ask yourself in order to create a successful web design. By following these principals and not getting too carried away with creativity it becomes quite easy to attract viewers.

Citation Page

O'Brien, Mark. "The Purpose of a Website." The Purpose of a Website. Print Mag, n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2013.