Intial Web Page Analysis : : Part Two

Information of web site selection

I chose this particular site firstly, because I have an interest in wines from Western Australia. Secondly, the existing site that was originally built by a web developer presents very simple pages that are not streamlined or easy to navigate from page to page. Therefore, it is an excellent web site to perform usability testing on the target audience.

Thirdly, I feel the current Fox River Wines web site needs to be presented with easier navigation control to the viewer with a more aesthetically pleasing layout scheme. Therefore, I am taking this opportunity to rebuild the web site with the use of Macromedia Dreamweaver and create an on-line shopping tool for local, interstate and international customers.

Finally, when researching similar sites within the wine industry, it was a challenge to find a web site that captured ease of use, navigation and appealing layout with graphics. However, I was able to highlight many problems (Problem identification below). Therefore, I select to base this project proposal on the redevelopment of Fox River Wines web site.

Problem Identification

The current Fox River Wines web site has many usability problems. First, it is visually it is disengaging, plain and doesn’t offer any depth of information to what Fox River Wines has to offer. To solve this problem, I would like to completely revamp the layout and display of the site pages using Macromedia and include a search engine on the homepage. Additionally, I would leverage the use of conventions to display information about Fox River Wines and what they offer.

Secondly, the site is not fluent from page to page. Each page link from the homepage displays a different layout and there are no standard links to other pages least the homepage for ease of navigation. This may cause confusion for users moving around the site to search or find the information they are looking for. Additionally, users are not able to easy view where they are in the site therefore I would implement a navigational tool such as ‘breadcrumbs’ (Krug, 2006) to visualise the site hierarchy to the user.

I would also like to look at creating visual enhancements such as buttons and links, obvious to what is clickable and where users have been (Krug,2006) (i.e. links they have already clicked). This will be achievable by thorough userbility testing of a revised site.

Thirdly, as the site offers an on-line ordering facility, there is a need for a dynmanic web environment. The page should list all products on offer with a simple order form and secure online payment facility (i.e. for credit cards, bpay details and paypal). Additionally, an effective way of requesting information or asking a question to the business owner is lacking on the current site. To overcome this, I will look at creating a streamlined contact and order form with the use of Macromedia.

Fourthly, the current website doesn’t feel like it promotes the business or its products and its affiliation with larger winery groups in the region. Rather, it detracts from the quality of the business image and potentially the products it may have to offer. To achieve a quality feel to the web site, I will create a simple, clean layout with minimal instructions and removal of ‘happy talk’ (Krug, 2006).

Finally, the site does not display when the site has been udpated. I feel this is important to the user to identify if the information is current and up-to-date and if what is on offer is relevant.