Amazon is a very visually appealing website to use. It doesn’t take you longer than a few seconds to find what you are looking for. On Amazon I searched for a Nikon 18-105mm lens for my camera. From the start I know automatically how to find what I am looking for. The search bar is centered at the top of the page in blue. Its the first thing you look at when you open the page, the color alone draws you in from the stark white rest of the layout. I don’t even need to pick which department I want to search in the drop down box if I don’t want to. If I search without picking it automatically looks through each department to find the best answers.

When I searched without picking a department the exact lens that I wanted came up first. On the left hand side it still gives me the option if I wanted to refine my search. If I go back to the homepage I can also look for the lens on the vertical list to the left. I know that my lens would probably be under electronics and camera equipment from there. Since Amazon uses key words instead of unfamiliar names it keeps the users interest and creates minimal frustration.

The usability of this website is easily for users with average to even below average experience with websites. Everything you could possibly want to look for is in its obvious place on the left with the right terminology used. At no point did I dwell on “Why did they call it that” or “Where should I begin”. I simply did not have to think at those points I instinctively knew where to click. When scanning the page I can focus on my task at hand due to Amazons clever use of trigger words.