Design for web.
Studio session 1 & 2.
Part 1 - Consider the 5 elements below to aid mapping out your website's landscape.
1) What is your subject matter?
This was a question I had to think about quite a bit, the subject that I had spent researching in summer was Frozen yoghurt. But what could I narrow this down to? I found that one of the main points I had learnt about froyo and the reason It was so popular was its health benefits, however, making a website about the health benefits of froyo seemed to be a regressive and redundant idea. As most of the popular brands of frozen yoghurt I had looked into (TCBY, Pink berry, 16 handles) had already come up with a great amount of ways to communicate these factors on their websites. Then this sparked an idea, could I construct a website for an already existing yoghurt company, that has an unsatisfactory website or didn't have one at all. This is when i found Yofro, an independent frozen yoghurt company in Manchester that as of yet didn't have a website.
2) What is your subject matter?
As I had now decided I would be creating a website for an independent retailer/food merchant. As the products the website would revolve around are frozen the website would not be to sell the products specifically but to promote the brand/shop. Therefore subject matter would be aspects such as, about the company, the health benefits of frozen yoghurt, and the products available in store etc.
3) Who will be/could be your audience or end user?
When I researched into frozen yoghurt the 3 leading consumers were young people, women and the health conscious. However this could vary due to factors such as location etc. The best way to really define the end user is to visit the concession store and find out first hand what their main customer orientation is. I can already tell that from the advertising I have seen placed around the store that the companies ethos is to promote a healthy lifestyle.
4) What will be the most appropriate/ effective form of content?
The most appropriate form of content for this type of website will be; general information about chosen company, the health benefits of frozen yoghurt, what is available to purchase instore, contact information and any up coming events/weekly offers etc.
5) What is the function/ purpose?
The purpose of the website is to inform the audience of the brand, and in consequence, promote it/ persuade
Part 2 - Build a brief.
Begin to gather ideas how you can articulate your ideas into a workable informal brief, basically your telling us what you aim to design, why, when for and how.
This brief will be there to contextualise your intended motivation / design response / focus of the project.
I am to design a website for an already existing frozen yoghurt company, that doesn't already have a website. The website will help to promote the company and bring in more business. By aiming to do this I will educate the audience about the company, the health benefits of frozen yoghurt, the products sold at the shop as well as any other weekly offers/events and contact information.
What is already out there on the web? You will research your chosen area of exploration. Gather as much information on existing design, design thinking and consumer needs etc.… that will help you to produce the best design for web representation you can.
Before any designing can be done, you will need to research using some of these methods:
Qualitative Research
Qualitative research is a type of research conducted to establish the audience’s beliefs, feelings, motivations and triggers. Results are often rich in insights.
Quantitative Research
Quantitative research is a type of research that provides valid data. It’s all about the numbers. Insights can be difficult at times, as quantitative research requires analysis to identify trends.
- Which is the favourite flavour of froyo?
- How many people prefer froyo to ice cream?
- How much fat content is there in froyo compared to ice cream?
Primary Research
Primary research is new, not old, information.
- Find out who the target audience is.
- Find out what products are being sold.
Secondary Research
Secondary research is research performed on old data. E.g. New analysis on data gathered last year.
Segmentation
You hear a lot about ‘Market Segmentation’. It means the market of the product, or service, is segmented into groups. Those groups, or segments, represent a part of the customer group or audience. They are usually grouped by demographics such as sex, age, ethnicity, income, occupation etc.
- Establish most frequent/main purchasers of frozen yoghurt.
Focus Groups
Focus groups are moderated group discussions whose participants are selected to accurately represent the audience or customer.
Visual Research
Visual research is the gathering of visual information, stuff that a designer will find useful in solving the problem. Visual research is generally the domain of the designer, or the project team, rarely the client.
- Look at other frozen yoghurt company websites.
- Establish any recurring trends within these.
STUDIO SESSION 2.
Part 1
List the information (content - initial research from previous session) you think you should be incorporated on the website you wish to design - This will not be your final design, although it will highlight similarities and gaps of knowledge. List pages and the content within those pages. Keep it to 5 main pages.
Next:
Draw out your website’s homepage, based on the lists above.
Pin the list and the design up on the wall. Your group will be split in half. You will then pair up with a peer. Using post-its, give feedback on the design and the content presented on the lists and sites on the wall.
This will then be completed with an informal discussion: What was noticed most?
Part 2:
Explain Navigation – when one way can be appropriate (etc).
Explain flow diagrams.
Take 10 minutes to draw out a flow diagram of what pages (limited to 5 main pages) they need, and how a user would flow through these.
Discussion on how to best represent the information, why/why not to do certain things etc. Provoke discussion about landing pages.
Overall question for you to focus on - It is a user experience and how will you heighten, clarify and develop that experience?
Task - Find 5 websites for next session that are similar to what you are wanting to achieve:
TCBY:
Pinkberry:
The above website is for another frozen yoghurt chain however the target audience is much different to the previous website. This design has a more corporate interface targeting young professionals and business people in comparison to TCBY which seems to target a vastly different demographic audience of families and young people.
Ben and Jerry's
Baskin- Robbins:
16 Handles:
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