Week 3 Part A: Aesthetics, Design, and Branding - Going on a Safari
Going on a Safari
When you click the word “here,” one would expect to be directed to the pdf download. In fact, you actually have to click the pdf icon itself. I feel the word ‘here’ should be a hyperlink to the pdf file. Typically, in the world of web, when the phrase ‘click here’ is used, the word ‘here’ is the hyperlink. This becomes intuitive to the user. Second, the pdf file itself is an issue. When prices change, one needs to reupload a new pdf file to the web link each time. Adding a hyperlink to an actual web page would be preferred.
The asterisks bother me here. If you’re going to have a highlighted box on your page, that’s enough to signify – this is important, please read. Also, it’s a little off-center in the box itself, which messes with my aesthetics. If the asterisks were removed and the text centered, I feel it would be more effective.
A couple of things about the scrolling Product section on the site. First, I don’t understand the significance of the ‘scotch tape’ look on the outside border. Second, when you click on the product name, you see the name of the picture file, and it’s a computer file name, not a product name. I’d be more impressed if you had a picture of the product and when you clicked on it, the user would be directed to a page with the products displayed or even better, pricing for said products next to the pictures. At the very least, updating the file names to the product names is needed. It makes the site look more professional.
The site looks professional-adjacent. The type is too light for easy readability. Many of the photos used in the photo gallery have file names when you hover over the picture or click it. It would be a better use of the site and that page specifically to integrate an Instagram feed (or feeds of each stylist) to showcase their styles dynamically, rather than in a static fashion. The call to action is a little mild too. They seem to be wanting to recruit new stylists, however the call to action is in the middle of the page, light font color and type. Also, if you do happen to click on the tiny ‘here’ hyperlink it takes you to the top of the Contact page. One has to know that the information is at the bottom of the page and they need to scroll to access the info. Their Yelp page has a space in between Head and Hunter. They should get that updated so that they have consistent branding (just a side thought).
I am beyond confused on this site! It’s plain overwhelming. There are different type sizes and font types, the banner across the type interferes with the type, and there is extremely tiny print at the top of the page (I’ve never seen that before on a site). It looks like they have advertising on the page for partners too, but it doesn’t signify that they are partners directly. There are broken images too on the page. Two out of the three images at the top of the page do nothing when you click on them, yet the third one (inconsistently) leads to a linked page. This I only found out by clicking on all the images. I would not have known to do that intuitively as a consumer.
On the Privacy Gates page, they make the user scroll all the way down the page to find their ‘Disney’ work. If I were a business, I would place that prime referral at the top of the page as a focal point. They have a floating Visa/Mastercard that says ‘buy now’ on the site. This does not make me want to ‘buy now,’ but rather is a little irritating as it interferes with my getting sucked into the website and its contents.
They have a link page as well. I’d get rid of this altogether. They have a lengthy disclaimer and Wikipedia entry on this page. It looks like it’s designed to trick google into increased site traffic but just looks unprofessional entirely. One last note. I really don’t like going on websites that indicate they are ‘not secure’ in the bar.
I’m not a fan of this site. In all truth, the first three seconds of looking at the site made me want to run screaming into the night. However, I stayed, as it’s kind of like driving past a car accident, where you just kind of have to look, even though you really don’t like what you are seeing.
Oh, Toyota. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. This is definitely an example of a professionally-done website. The message is clear – buy our vehicles. They make the user experience inviting, and they make it easy to buy a vehicle from Toyota. The bottom navigation bar is a wealth of information. I can ‘Find Your Match,’ and have the site’s Automated Intelligence help me choose my next vehicle.
I can ‘Request a Quote,’, or even find a way to estimate my payments. I can custom build my next Toyota (which is super fun), find a dealer, or even browse the local specials. The entire site is designed towards meeting the goal of selling more Toyotas. They have a great blog section too. It creates a sense of ‘getting to know’ the brand.
The aesthetics are clean on the website. Crisp photos, clear images lend an air of credibility to the brand. They brand well, too. All their pages have their logo. There are many ways to interact with the page. At the top of the page, there is a site navigation tool, the bottom navigation bar, and in the center of the homepage, another bar with call to action items. The messaging is clear, the design is excellent. The color scheme is complementary and isn’t garish.
This is a dangerous site for me, personally. I have always wanted to buy a Toyota truck, and just clicking around on this website increases that hunger. That’s the sign of a great website. One is drawn into the content and falls deeply down into the rabbit hole, and typically, will make an appointment to test drive a vehicle, or purchase one outright from the website.
I love the huge banner image when you first enter the site. Very bright and colorful and in stark contrast to the black background of the webpage itself. Overall the website looks professionally done. The navigation is clear, and there are many ways to find a National Park (I counted 4 on the homepage). The message is clear – find a National Park, visit a National Park, support National Parks. I feel the use of the logo is a little lacking. It’s so tiny, you can’t read it or decipher what is going on there. I’m sure it’d be cool on a t-shirt, but on the website it looks like an icon that I have to strain my eyes to try to read.
This site is SO informative! I visited the HOH Rain Forest page, which is about visiting the HOH Rain Forest, in the Pacific Northwest. The page even went into detail about the various flora and fauna found in the area. There are directions for what to pack when venturing out on a hike in a National Park, maps, and extreme details on each park found on the site. The search engine feature is really cool. I typed in ‘forest’ into the search engine on the site, and the engine searched within the website and found all references to the word. It returned a number of great articles.
They used proximity well, by placing text either near an image or embedded within the image. The type is easy to read, and the background is white, so it’s easy on the eyes. I would have preferred more of a natural light brown background to read against (mostly to continue the nature theme). Their use of a simple design and clear messaging, along with wonderful user interface made me want to return to this site again. I even bookmarked it!
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