This assignment to review the navigation of an online store comes at the perfect time because not only do I need pants, but it’s also Labor Day weekend, which means sales. I’ve chosen to shop American Eagle’s website.

Upon entering the site one can find options between their store and their affiliates (American Eagle Outfitters, Aerie, 77Kids, AEO Factory) at the top of the page. Below that are tabs for Men, Women, Clearance, etc. At the base of the page are your standard customer service options including shipping, returns, orders, credit cards and policies. And although I came to this site with the express purpose of purchasing pants, I am distracted by the big clickable “30% off + free shipping” in the center of page and begin exploring my options.

After digressing for a fair twenty minutes I return to the home page, click “Women,” choose “Jeans” from the easy to read side bar and am directed to an interactive catalogue of different styles. Rolling over each style with my cursor I can  scroll through all of the available fits without clicking through a thousand pages. This makes the shopping experience must easier and faster. After adding a pair to my cart the item appears at a bar at the bottom of the page so I can conveniently monitor anything I add to my cart.

Having shopped there before I knew American Eagle’s site would be easy to navigate. All the images and keywords are linked and clickable. The fonts are bold and readable, and the color palette is simplistic and clean.

In all, the American Eagle shopping experience is convenient, fun, and (this weekend) affordable.