Unit 12 Computers In Art and Design

Website Research

I am going to research 8 websites to see what is best about them and to analyse what makes a good website.

1.  www.bhphotovideo.com

When first going onto the website it is clear from what the text says and the photos show that it is to do with electronic products, after having more of a look at what was on it I saw that it is an online shop. It has a lot of products for sale such as cameras, cvs and computers, as well as accessories. There is a page that has tips, news and reviews which I think is useful when looking into buying a product and to keep up to date with news in technology. 

In the used part of the website you can get quotes for items that you own. It is quick and simple to see how much you could get for used gear.

Payment on this website looks like how you pay on most online shops and you have the option to pay through PayPal which is good so you feel secure when paying online.

I don't think the website has a target audience because it looks quite plain and has little colour. I think it is made to be easy to use by anyone wanting to buy a product. All the tips, news and reviews are all on one separate page (Explora). This works well because if someone is just on the site to to look at products they don't get distracted by the Explora posts. But the Explora page is just one click away for anyone interested in reading the posts. This makes it so the website works for everyone. 

The site is big as it has many categories and products as well as posts on photography, filming and more.

The B&H website isn't that interesting to look at as the design is simple and colours plain. This is good as you can see what you are looking for easily. But it does look a bit boring when you open up the site. 

It is very easy to navigate as you click one of the headings for what you are looking for (for example, Photography). It then gives you all the categories in that heading (cameras/tripods/flashes). It then opens up onto a new page where you get all of the items for sale. On the side you can easily select different filters to narrow results. Such as choosing Nikon and free shipping.

Th site runs quick as because the photos arn't large files. All pages are linked as they all have the same green banner with the headings on. The font is simple and not fancy which is suitable for this site as it has quite a plain theme and the font adds to the modern feel of the site. The background is white which although is not that interesting, it gives all the attention to the products. 

The photos of products shown are a good size as they are big enough to see but small enough to be abel to see a few on each page. If you click on the product you can see more and bigger photos. So if you are interested in it, you can see it in more detail.

Overall I like the site because of the content and how easy it is to use. I also like the Explora page which has a lot of different things on it.

To improve I think make the homepage more interesting. The homepage is the first thing the viewer sees so it could have more colour to look more exciting. Another idea is to have an opening page with photos and brand logo on which then leads into the main homepage. The logo on this site is very small and hard to see so would be good to have it bigger on an opening page. People can then easily see what the site is. 

2. www.gopro.com

The GoPro website is an online shop selling all the GoPro products. The company makes action cameras, drones and accessories. The site has a page were you can watch videos which have been made using a GoPro. There is also a page called GoPro Plus, this is were you can upload your footage to the cloud. You can then watch and edit the footage from any device.

The website is aimed at adventurous and sporty people. The photos and videos shown on the site are mainly action shots. The GoPro is an action camera so the people looking to buy one would likely be into sports.
There is an easy payment method. You don't need to make an account to make a payment, you can just put in your email address and payment details.

I really like the look of the GoPro website. On the homepage there are videos that automatically start playing. This is good as it shows what the camera can do. When looking at the products there are big images of they look like and a photo taken using that camera. This is helpful as you can see clearly what the products look like.
The site is easy to navigate. It has headings at the top for 'shop', 'apps', 'watch' and 'Plus'. When clicking each heading it is clear what you can do on it. For example when I clicked the Shop heading it comes up with the categories of products with a matching image. This makes it easy to find what you are looking for.

All pages look similar to each other. They all mainly have a white background which makes the images stand out more. The font is plain and looks rather modern, it fits well with the rest of the site. All the images are large, I like this as it makes the site interesting to look at and you can see the detail in the product. These images also show off the camera and shows how good quality it is. 

I like the GoPro website a lot as it is interesting to look at. It makes me want to go out and film some action shots. This is good as it makes people want to buy a GoPro more because the videos are inspiring.

3. www.bbc.com

The BBC website has news articles, weather reports, Iplayer and radio. I don't think it is meant to appeal to a certain audience as it is very plain. The site is big as there are lots of articles. Also Iplayer which is were you can watch BBC programmes. There are so many programmes available.

The website is easy to navigate as on the homepage it shows everything you can do. Like the other websites there are headings to other pages. On the homepage it shows some articles, such as latest news, tv and sport. You can add different categories to show the latest news in topics you are interested in. Most of the pages look similar with the white/grey background. Player and Radio are different as they have a dark grey background, this could be because you can stream things and listen to radio so the content is different to the rest of the site.


Although the white background means there is no distraction to the article and photos, I think it looks boring. There is a photo with every article, this is good as it makes each one stand out.

I don't really like the BBC website. Although there is a lot of content, I think how they could make it look better by adding more colour. Also having some of the photos bigger to make it look more interesting.


4. www.dailymail.co.uk (Mail Online)

The mail online shows news articles on loads of topics, such as sport, travel, science and health. I don't think there is a target audience, the site is just there to show articles. Its not selling a product so it the site doesn't need to be designed to appeal to a certain audience. The site is big as there is a lot of products. 
I really don't like the look of the website of the Mail Online. There is too much on one page and it is not always clear what writing is linked with each article. 

The homepage shows the latest news then there are headings with each topic. This makes it easy to read articles in the genres that you want. 
The background is white which is good as if not the site would look more cluttered. There are a lot of images to match the articles which helps have a visual look at the article. 

I think to improve the website could be redesigned to show the articles in a clearer way. There could be borders around the articles to make each one stand out more. More colour could be added to make it look more interesting.



5. www.urbanoutfitters.com

The Urban Outfitters website is an online shop selling mainly clothes. They sell accessories and home products as well. The site also has a blog page with different articles, from fashion to travel.

The target audience for the website is young adults and teenagers. It has links to social media and the images are more fitting to this age range. On the home page there is an image advertising some glasses. The photo is bright and has the words Party Time on which I think would appeal to young adults.

Online payment is similar to the other websites as you can just put in your email and payment details without having to create an account.

I like how the website looks, there is a white background on all pages and a lot of images. The photos are good as they are showing off the products and make the site more interesting.
The Urban Outfitters website is easy to navigate as there are headings for each category of products (e.g. women, men, home, gifts). After clicking one more headings appear below to narrow down the products (new, dresses, tops)

Like the other websites the font is is simple which fits with the modern look of the site. The photos on the home page are big and draw in your attention. When looking at a page of products, if you move the cursor over a product image, it shows you another photo of the product. This is helpful as it shows you different angles of the product.

I don't think the site needs improving as it is suitable for the target audience. I like the big images on the home page which made me click onto products I hadn't planned on looking at. The blog page is good as it has lots of different entires so more people will be interested in it.





6.  www.johnlewis.com

The John Lewis website is an online shop for the department store. They sell home, electricals, clothes, toys and lots more. I don't think there is a specific target audience as there isn't any colour or images that would appeal to a certain group, this is probably because they sell lots of different products so everyone would be on the website. 

You have to sign in the make a payment, but it is quick and secure. The site is big as there are a lot of products but it runs quick. 

Although there isn't a lot of colour, I like the look as there isn't too much going on. It looks modern. On the homepage the first thing you see is the John Lewis advert. This is good as you are likely you watch it and keep people on the site longer. Further down on the homepage it shows products that go with the season. On there now is coats, heaters and christmas products. They put it on the homepage as it is likely to be what people are looking for this time of year. 
The John Lewis site is easy to navigate, you move the mouse over a heading and a menu appears below with all the types of products. If you click a type of product (e.g Tvs) it opens up a page showing the types of that product (4k, curved, Samsung).

The images are big enough to see and when you open it up there are more photos showing different parts of the products. On some pages at the top there is a slideshow of photos showing products. This is good as you might see something you weren't intending to look at.

I like the John Lewis website as it is easy to search the product you want and see photos, reviews and descriptions.


7. www.studiowise.co.uk

The Studiowise Photography website an online gallery for their company. It offers wedding and studio photography services. There is also a client area where clients can see the photos from their shoot. 

The site is aimed at people getting married, I think that is what Studiowise Photography specialise in. On the homepage there is a slideshow of wedding photos, so if you were on the website to see their wedding services you would first see some of their work. The website is quite small as it only has a few pages. 

I like the look of the website as the photos are large and show off the photographers work. The white background enhances the images and means the attention of the views is on the photos. The site is easy to navigate, the homepage shows 3 main links to the most important part of the website: Portfolio, Contact Us and About. This is useful as you can easily get to the pages you want. 

I like the client area of the site. There are albums from client shoot which only they can access using a password. I think this is good as you can see all the photos from the shoot and also have the option to buy them. 

Add caption

Overall I like the Studiowise Photography website as it shows off what they offer. It is simple but works well as you can see their work and the writing explains what they can do. 







8. www.cliftonphoto.co.uk

This website is for the Clifton Photographic Company. They show all there galleries and show what services they can offer. There is a slideshow of their images on the homage, it shows photos from all different types of shoots. This means it would appeal to more people. It also shows off what there photos are like and ideas for shoots.

To book a shoot you have experience vouchers. If you want to buy them a link takes you over to another site (www.cliftonphotographiccompany.bigcartel.com) where you can purchase the vouchers. Back on the main site you can only book the shoot, you can either ring them up or give them your detail so they ring you.

The website is big because they show a lot of photos. Unlike Studio Wise where you have to have a password to access photos, on Clifton Photos you can see them all. This is probably because you have to purchase all prints after the photo shoot.

The background of the site is dark grey, this is good as it makes the colour in the photos stand out and shows off the images at their best. The images are large which shows how good the quality is.

On the home screen they have the headings showing the different types of photoshoots. There is also a lot of information about what they can offer in a shoot. They show all the packages, prices and services on one page, this makes it easy to find what you are looking for.

Overall I like this website, it has a lot of large good quality images which makes the site pleasing to look at. It is easy to navigate as it shows everything you need to know about what is on offer. The other website for payment is good as keeps all separate to the galleries on the main site.

 Evaluation of website research

My favourite website was the Go Pro website, it was exciting to look at and easy to get to what you want. I like the large images and videos as they show what can be captured using a Go Pro. It is easy to see the products and description. On some pages it uses a dark grey background which enhances the images.
I also really liked the Clifton Photographic Company website. It also uses a dark grey background which improves the images. This will be something I will consider when making my own website.
Mainly all the websites use the same simple kind of font. It makes the site look more modern. All the websites have headings to clearly navigate through the site. This shows me that this is essential for a website.

Basic HTML coding


Html is the language for creating web pages, it describes the structure of pages. 
I created my own Html code on TextEdit. You have to make sure you go on Format - Make Plain Text
I started by putting <html>, you always need this start of the page. You can then add tags to add words, spaces, make words bold and lots of other things. 
I renamed the file and saved it as a HTML file, then went on safari File- Open File and opened my Html file. It then opens what I made as a web page.

Dreamweaver

I followed a tutorial on Dreamweaver which toke me through the process of creating a website. 

To begin you have to create a new site, I then added this table and changed the size of the boxes. This is now the layout for the website. 

You can then add text by clicking a box and typing.

I added links to the text so that when you click a name it takes you onto a new page. 

I had a page for each artist. I copied the text and pictures from a folder to show information about the artist. 

By using image swap, when hovering over a small photo it shows it in bigger in the centre. 

Following the tutorial was interesting as I didn't realise how much is put in to making a website. There is a lot of steps just for making simple things, like the layout. It has gave me some ideas for my own website. I like when you move the cursor over the smaller images it shows it in big. This is something I would like to include on my site. 



Website Design Sites

I am going to research some website design sites to see which I should use for my own one.

Wix

I like the Wix site as from trying it out it seems quite easy to use. They have lots of templates to choose from and it lets you view the example to see what it is like as a website. This is good as you can see how it is laid out. There are lots of options of things to add onto the website like social media and galleries so this is good for a photography website. 

Weebly

 There are a lot of templates to choose from on Weebly. They had different categories to choose from to make it easier to find the right one. I choose one to see how the what design it would be like. It seemed quite confusing as it didn't explain what everything was.

Moonfruit

The moonfruit site is good as it has a lot of information about creating a site. It then simply says to pick a template and go. It then shows you an example of the template, then you have the option to choose that template. It seems easy to use the editor to create your own site.

Both the Moonfruit and Wix seem like good sites to use to design my own website. I prefer the templates on Wix though so I am going to use that site.

Making A Website

I chose the same template as I looked at when deciding which designing site to use. It looks modern and simple, but shows the photos well. 

My plan is to look quite modern and simple to use. I am going to do this by having clear headings at the top of the page to easily navigate the site. It is going to be an online portfolio for my work so I am going to put a lot of images on.

When choosing the photos for my site I decided to put them into 3 categories, studio, experimental and abandoned. This covers most of the work I've done. Studio is important as this is what a lot of people want to have, I put on photos of different people I have photographed in a studio. I also like experimenting with photography so under the Experimental heading I have a lot of photos from different projects. Abandoned photography is something I'm really interested in so I thought it was important to include images I have taken. 

After choosing the template it asks me to put in some details about my site. It was quite easy to set it up.

Next I created my main homepage. I wanted a big photo and heading to show what the website is. I think it is good to have a big picture that leads into the rest of the site as it gets the viewers attention. I chose that photo so that the title was clear to see. 

I then went on to make the rest of the pages, I had to delete the ones from the example. I choose to make the headings of the pages Studio, Experimental, Abandoned, About and Contact. This covers the main areas I like in photography. I wanted the About and Contact page as I think this will be good in the future. My aim is to have my own photography business so this will be good for people to contact me.

There is an option to add social media links. This was really easy to use as all I had to do was pick the symbol I wanted then paste the link to my page. 

I chose to add a black background to pages with photos on. I wanted it to be plain so it wouldn't distract from the images. I like the black background on some of the websites I researched so I tried it on my own site. 

Part of the editor showed what it would look like on a phone. This is a good feature as phones are used a lot to look online, so it is important that the site works on a phone.

LINK TO MY WEBSITE:

www.lucyjdavis98.wixsite.com/mysite
Evaluation

I am happy with how my website came out, I think it shows my photos well and is easy to navigate.
Researching websites was important as it inspired my own site. The best sites I saw had plain backgrounds and quite a simple layout. From the research I chose to use plain colours apart from my own photos, this puts the main focus on the images.