Reviewing and Evaluating your Website Introduction In the following review, I will be evaluating the website that I have produced for my client. I will make sure I have made the website appropriate for my target audience and then confirm that the website meets its purpose. Next I will discuss how my website is suitable for the target audience, how my website meets its purpose, how the website meets the client requirements, I will assess any changes I had to make during the development process of it, the strengths and weaknesses of the website, how my peers reacted to the website and finally, any improvements that could be made. Is the website suitable for the target audience The target audience for my website is teenage girls and young adults. I have met this target audience by designing the website in a way so that it looks appealing to young people. I have done this by keeping the colour scheme neutral yet still attractive, the house style is consistent on each page making the website look organised and professional. The layout of the website is also consistent and reoccurs on each page again giving the website a more organised feel. The products I have selected for the websites pages are suitable and reach the requirements of the teenage buyers. The products featured on the website are modern and attractive keeping shoppers engaged and interested in the website. How it meets the website purpose The purpose of my website is to allow shoppers to purchase items from my shop from the comfort of their own home. My website also allows the buyer to find the shops whereabouts and they have access to the directions to the store. The website viewers are also permitted to send feedback about the website directly to me, thanks to the user form featured on the contact page. Many different factors contribute to the purpose of my website. The layout; makes the website look like an online, retail shop, the colour scheme; makes the website look attractive, organized and professional and finally the images which are the main indicator of the website s purpose. How does the website meet the client needs? (Content to be included, Usability, Interactive features) My websites client needs included many different interactive features. Before creating my website, I had planned to include a user form, Google Map, Google search bar, animated banner and a pop up box. In addition to these interactive features I also hoped that my website would have clear navigation and a fast download speed. I have included a Google Map because online customers may wish to shop in the actual store and including a map will direct them to where they desire.
I have included a user form because it allows me to communicate with customers and gain their honest feedback, enabling me to improve my website further. I have ensured that my website has a clear and easy navigation by displaying navigation buttons on the left side of each page. All the buttons have stayed in the original position and are identical on each page, decreasing confusion amongst customers. Evaluate any changes made to the website during its development During the development of my website, I had to sacrifice and edit a few of my original plans. One of these changes was the layout of the homepage. The original layout of the homepage looked messy and I thought it lacked professionalism so I added a small description underneath the image and title so the customer gains extra information about the website and to simply add more to the page. Original design: This navigation system is identical on each page and the buttons are all the same width apart from each other making viewing and clicking the buttons easier.
Final design: The layout of the homepage does vary from the other pages because I wanted to add a small description about the store and wanted to add in an image. Also, on the finished homepage, I added a pop up box which only appears when you first open the homepage. The box displays a message directed to the customer. It s currently advertising the existing offer. On the other pages, I changed the layout of the products so I could fit them all on one page. I begun with having 3 images going across and 2 going down but changed it to 2 down and 3 across. I believe this change makes the webpage look more organised and easier to view.
Original: Finished: Strengths of the Website Looking over the final website, I have identified a few strengths contained within the website. One of these strengths is the layout.
I have made sure each webpage is identical by spending extra time adjusting and editing the widths and lengths of the pictures and other details which are featured on the website. The pages that feature products all have the same layout. On each one, there are two images across and three going down. This elongates the webpage and makes it look more professional. The navigation is also the same on each page. Keeping the positioning of it the same makes viewing the webpage easier and more enjoyable for the customer. The buttons are positioned neatly and are separate from each other. When the mouse is hovered over a button, it glows a different colour which helps the viewer to differentiate between the buttons they have clicked and the ones they haven t. But the layout of the homepage does differ from the other pages because the homepage doesn t advertise the products but it advertises the store. Homepage:
Casual: Outerwear:
Nightwear: Accessories:
But the pages Map and Contact Us and Sales and Offers have different layouts because there is less content on these pages and more writing. I have tried to keep these 3 pages as professional looking as I could by limiting what is displayed on them and only showing what is necessary. The second strength of my website is the range of interactive features. On the homepage, I made a banner which displays information about the store and what it offers. It also advertises the website. I created the banner on FlashVortex.com and it sits at the bottom of the website on a continual loop so the messages will always be shown and you can see it whenever you return to the homepage. Also on the homepage is a pop up box which opens when the website is opened. Currently, the pop up box is displaying information about an offer. But the information will change when the offers and sales change or end. Another strength of the website is the background. At the moment, the background is still a Christmas inspired design but I can change it according to either the seasons or to preference.
Adding a background makes the website appear more sophisticated. It also gives the website a more personalized feel and can relate to the customer more because it looks and feels more casual. Even though it goes against the monochrome colour scheme, the background adds a bit of originality and makes the website stand out to the customer. The final strength of my website is the overall colour scheme. Making the website monochrome themed makes it look more sophisticated than lots of bright, vivid colours. It s also easy on the eye and attractive. Before I added in the background, the whole website was purely monochrome. Even though this does look professional and attractive, the background makes it look more appealing. Before:
After: Weaknesses of the Website I have also identified some weaknesses within my website. One of these weaknesses is how each webpage differs in length. Some webpages are longer than others, ones with content are longer than ones without. That could cause some confusion amongst the customers. This is the homepage compared to the Casual page. As you can see, the content elongates the casual page but the homepage stays shorter.
Another weakness is the font on the buttons is too small. I think some customers could struggle to see the writing if they don t zoom in on the buttons but I have tried readjusting the font size and that is the only size that fits and looks nice. The third weakness of my website is the user form. Looking back on it, I think it is lacking questions and I would appreciate some more feedback. To solve this I could add some more rating selections.
The final weakness is the positioning of the Google search bar on the homepage. On the homepage, it is underneath the title whereas on every other page. This could confuse the customer and it makes the website look unprofessional. Comments from peer questionnaires In question 1 I asked if the website loads fast and 7/7 agreed that it did, in question 2 I asked if the website is easy to navigate and 7/7 agreed, in question 3 I asked if the colour scheme is attractive and appealing 7/7 people agreed and added the following comments about why they liked or disliked the colours. Because there s not too much going on and it s nice and clean, Simple and clean Neutral and simple All the colours go together Simple Pretty colours. In question 4 I asked if the images were good quality and 6/7 people agreed, question 5 I asked is the images load quickly and 7/7 agreed. In question 6 I asked if the user from works and if there any extra questions that the customer would like to see. 7/7 agreed that it worked. In question 7 I asked is the Google map feature helped to find the store and 7/7 agreed. In question 8 I asked if the pop up box was relevant and 7/7 agreed. Question 9 was if the pop up box was an annoyance and all disagreed, I then asked if my website could be improved and received the following results. Possibly add a logo Centralize top table in Contact Us page Background around middle white box Bigger writing More writing Add a shopping basket feature From reviewing my peer feedback, I believe I have made a successful website which can be enjoyed by all ages. Three suggested improvements that could be made After finishing creating my website I think I could have improved it by having a more unique website name. Loadsaclothes lacks originality and could divert the customer s attention because some could see it as boring and doesn t pull them in very much.
Another way to improve it would be creating and adding a logo. This would improve my website because a logo would add innovation and sophistication. If I were to create a logo, I could position it on one or both of the top corners and it would be featured on each page. I could add a logo in these corners Finally, the last area of improvement could be to add more writing about the store and more descriptions about both the products and the store. I could add these bits of writing to the homepage or maybe on the Contact Us page. I think under the image on the homepage would be a good place to add extra information because that is the first webpage the customer sees when they view the website. In conclusion I think the development of my website was effective and that it lead to a strong, successful website. I enjoyed making this website because I learnt how to create and include interactive features which I believe makes the website more enjoyable and look more substantial. However, if I were to make it again I would include more things like a logo, maybe offer a larger range of products, include more descriptions about the website and what it offers the customer.