ARTM2210 Intro to Web Design
Just another Intro to… siteArchive for Bi-Weekly Review
Comparing coffee sites
The two websites I chose to compare for this review were Starbucks.com and Crazymocha.com. Starbucks’ layout is simple; there is a navigation list stretched across the top, a video is the largest element in center of the page, and more articles underneath the video. There is a very limited amount and use of color throughout the layout. The site is balanced, for example, the video has text and thumbnails beside the image, and below the video is a list of articles adjacent to a row of small images. The main focal point of the site is the video since it is the largest and most central element. Certain text is emphasized throughout the site by the color green, which separates those phrases from the black text. The simple color palette creates unity within the site, in comparison to Crazymocha.com.
Another site to use very limited amounts of color is Crazymocha.com. The site uses black, red and a white background; this creates unity throughout the site. The site is asymmetrical with the slideshow in the center, navigation stretched across the bottom, and the logo in the top right corner. This layout is much more simpler than the Starbucks website. There are few options for the viewer to click on, but it leads the viewer to click on certain elements. The most obvious focal point is the large image on the center of the site. Both sites create unity, balance and emphasis in unique ways.
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Starbucks vs Crazy Mocha
Starbucks and Crazy Mocha have two completely different websites. The Starbucks website has more going on as opposed to the flash-based Crazy Mocha site. Both are unique, yet effective in the way they display information and how their users are able to navigate through the information.
When I first glanced at the Starbucks website, I found it to be very sleek and modern, with their famous white and green color scheme emphasized. It is very complex in that it holds a lot of information and there is a lot going on on the website itself (links almost everywhere, a video, top stories, etc.). The site is balanced, however I noticed it has a fixed layout, which could pose a problem for web users with monitors that have a high screen resolution. The site is unified very nicely, with all of the main stories and events emphasized.
Crazy Mocha, on the other hand, is quite different from the Starbucks website. Although it is very simplistic, I found it to be the more pleasant and eye catching of the two. It is completely flash based, and offers a full screen view of the site, which you do not see every day. It seems as if the information a customer would want is very easily obtainable. Balance wise, although it has a large amount of white space, the site works in that the layout is not fixed and adjusts to any window size. The elements of the site work together to create a simple, user friendly environment.
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Bi-Weekly Review 2
Dunkin’ Doughnuts Layout is very colorful with large bold text. They use a lot of emphasis on the main topics from their types of coffee, doughnuts, food, and special drinks. The website is very balanced from the use of different sizes of the shapes that hold the information. Starbucks website is rather boring to me. The layout to the page is rather simple, not to much color or animation. They only had put emphasis on one part of the page, the short video in the center of the page. To me, I would have to say the Dunkin’ Doughnuts site is more effective to the viewer because it is short sweet to the point and very easy to go throughout the different links on the page. The Starbucks one you have to scroll half the page to even get close to what you are looking for. Also the use of color and different pictures to the page really makes it interesting due to the fact it gives you an example what you are really looking at.
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Starbucks vs. Caribou
Starbucks and Caribou both have similar qualities to both sites. The layouts are similar with link to their drinks and locations at the top of the page and having special deals in the center of the page. The emphasis for both of the chains is to try their new coffee and hopefully that will lead them to buy their coffee more.
The layout helps the users easily go throughout the site because what most people will look for is either location or drinks which they both have at the top of the page. The new flavors will draw more of an audience if a user likes one above the other.
I like Caribou’s site a little more than Starbucks because Caribou’s seems to me to be more colorful and their center shows more what is going on at the store. The one thing Starbucks has which is nice is a video in the center which shows a deal for Monday through Wednesday.
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Starbucks vs Tim Hortons
Starbucks vs Tim Hortons
Starbucks site is fairly well laid out, it is simple to navigate and fairly clean. Starbucks uses a large video to tell more about there products, which i think is a good idea to communicate a lot of info without the test. As u scroll down the layout does seem to become a little boring and static, especially with the white plain background. The navigation at the top of the site is very clean and neatly laid out, also has good spacing between the options, which I think helps with the ease of use.
Tim Hortons site is defiantly a lot more interesting to look at. It has reds and light browns in the background that really fit well with the Tim Hortons branding. The site is also fairly organized with the layout, and uses more of a grid like structure with many boxes for different information. I think this works well but also does come off as a little to much to look at as well.
I think overall the Tim Hortons site looks better and is easier to use then Starbucks. Tim Hortons does a good job matching the brand identity and seem consist with there other graphic elements. Starbucks site is clean and well organized, however I feel like it doesn’t even look like Starbucks made the site, something about it just looks off.
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Cummings Coffee vs. Starbucks
Cummings Coffee is a small company with two locations in Butler, PA while Starbucks is one of the largest and most recognized coffee companies in the world. Obviously you would expect their websites to show the disparity between their market sizes. Surprisingly, however, Cummings manages to hold its own with a simple but charming website.
The Cummings Coffee website is very simple. There is a photo in the center, a logo in the top left corner and a list of five navigation options in order on the left. The site isn’t meant to be big and flashy much as the company itself. Cummings has a mission of producing old school coffee and ice cream as well as an assortment of in-house-made chocolate confections. Their website reflects the size of the company but still provides all the information you need. The homepage also features links to maps and directions as to how to get to the two locations available. Having directions on the homepage allows customers to find the address quickly without having to dig through layers of web pages to reach how to actually get to the physical locations.
Cummings Coffee also features a very well designed “about” section on their page. Within the section is simple information about the company today but a customer can also scroll through the history of the coffee shop and a gallery of photos both new and old. This section gives a good feel, yet again, as to what this company is all about. They are proud of their long history and are looking forward to a bright future.
Starbucks coffee is one of the largest coffee companies in the world. There are very few people, at least in the USA, who aren’t familiar with their mermaid logo, their concept of high class coffee and the feeling that they evoke. The site is quite busy and confusing despite their lack-luster color pallet and layout. At the top of the page there are six main navigation buttons with no less then 20 more options in drop down menus when the main options are scrolled over. The sites body contains a rather large video surrounded with at least 20 more navigation choices and yet another 20 at the bottom of the page.
When looking through the links it is easy to get distracted and in some way discouraged. While looking for a way to find a store location on the website I clicked on the main navigation labeled “Coffeehouse” thinking this would lead to store locations. I was disappointed to find that it didn’t. Instead the link to store locations is in a very small navigation link in the very bottom of the left side of the page. Obviously Starbucks cannot offer the same method as Cummings. Starbucks has thousands of locations but this information seems important enough to warrant a space that is easier to find.
Comparing Cummings Coffee to Starbucks seems like trying to compare a beat up old car to a brand new model but there are somethings that even that old car has that the new model only attempts to mimic. Cummings Coffee’s website is simple and easy to navigate but they have less information to impart as well. Still, it is difficult to look at a website with a simple elegance and not fall for it. Cummings Coffee holds a small town charm that is reflected in their clean and easy to navigate website while Starbucks overwhelms the sense and makes navigating and finding specific information incredibly difficult. In a battle like David vs. Goliath, the small guy wins again.
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Caribou Coffee | Crazy Mocha
Biweekly Review #2:
After comparing the two sites in detail, caribou coffee’s website is better than Crazy Mocha’s in terms of aesthetics, navigation, layout, emphasis, content, balance, and unity. Overall, I think Crazy Mocha’s website is a poor design and is cheaply put together. It feels like it is a template they used from a web builder site. To be somewhat fair to Crazy Mocha, there is limited content on the site to navigate through, and they claim there will be more soon. However, I am not so sure if there ever will be; I visited the site last October and it has not change at all. The site centers on a picture slide show with a small navigation bar at the bottom of the screen. The problem with the pictures is that the slide show doesn’t loop and when replay is clicked it remains white. As a result, the balance of the site is somewhat poor in the way it is laid out. The bottom navigation forces us to look at the bottom with nothing at the top except for a crazy mocha logo on the left. The unity of the site as a whole isn’t horrible; it is a flash website so you never really leave the home page. They do not put much emphasis on the navigation bar, but the logo of the company is very clear and draws the users eyes to it. The only aspect of the site I really liked was the cross fade transition between pages, which made the whole site feel strung together and the navigation smooth.
Conversely, Caribou Coffee’s website is a fantastic in all the ways Crazy Mocha is not. The layout has an excellent balance to it with a clear visual hierarchy. There is a clear sense of organization and excellent grid like layout featuring multiple columns and sections of information. With a very clear visual hierarchy, it is very clear what the emphasis is on. As a result, users can navigate through this website in seconds with no thought. The site is really nice in terms of aesthetics, the color palette is great featuring blues and browns and the typography is diverse featuring at least two different font types used in different sections. The overall unity of the site is fantastic as well; all the pages look the same in terms of color, layout, and navigation. In addition, the website features an excellent store navigator that shows all the stores on a map with a directions option. Crazy Mocha should really take some time and study Caribou Coffee’s page.
-John Marshall
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Barnes and Noble Review
I reviewed the site barnesandnobles.com. Once you enter the site it gives you a good overall view on what to expect when shopping on the site. The layout really makes the site work and its very easy to search what you are looking for. All the topics and categories are listed at the top of the page. This feature really helps customers out because on most shopping sites you have to navigate to find your way around. On this site, as soo as you enter it you are already ready to search for your product. They list all there top selling books and as you scroll down the page they give recommendations for customers on magazines and books they think will be a good read. They also list best selling books and books that are making the news headlines. Having the site set up in a way of simple navigation like Barnes ans Nobles really gives this site the edge. It gives a great overall perspective on what Barnes and Nobles is all about.
Having pictures and detailed information about there books have helped the site gain customers and has kept them strong. Once you navigate through all the topics and choices there are so many selections to choose from. The only thing that bothers me is that the text is very small once you click the topic you want. It is green and the font is very small and hard to read if you have bad vision or just have trouble reading. It makes for a lot of confusing and difficult navigation. The homepage is very well designed and really makes an impression when you first enter the site. Once you get past the homepage and onto the categories is where it become difficult to understand. In terms of color, background, style, and layout they have really hit the home run and make everything stand out to the viewer.
I think shopping on Barnes and Noble was a bad and a good thing for me. I think it was great to come across for me to look at all the new top selling books. I also think it was bad because I know I will be back to look at all the new books that are coming out and spend more money on the site. It has gained my attention and I will be back on the site for numerous reasons.
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Dunkin’ Donuts vs. Crazy Mocha
Companies like Dunkin’ Donuts and Crazy Mocha are know best for their in-and-out style of service. Because costumers are use to quick cups of coffee in the morning, they may not realize that these companies have websites. When looking at these companies’ websites, they are extremely different.
Dunkin Donut’s logo is immediately seen in the top left hand corner of the website. Crazy Mocha’s logo is oddly placed on the top right side of the page. This is an odd placement because it is not natural for our eyes to look right before left. Dunkin’ Donut’s website has a traditional layout with tabs across the top with options for the customers to click on. Crazy Mocha has placed these tab options on the bottom of the page which is also odd for a website.
Dunkin’ Donuts is a balanced website as the margin/white space is equal on both the left and the right side. On Crazy Mocha’s website, the white space is equal and balanced on the left and right side, but the white space is a large amount. The top of the website also has a larger amount of whitespace. All of this white space creates a separation of the website and there is no unity. It seems as if the pictures and logo are floating in the empty space, as they are not connected to anything else in the website. Dunkin’ Donuts website has a good sense of unity though as the website is balanced with pictures on the left and right. Words on the bottom balance the tabs on the top of the website.
Overall Dunkin’ Donuts has a more efficient website. The colors on their website of orange and brown helps gain branding and is easily recognizable from their customers. All of the pictures look appetizing on the website so customers will be tempted to try them. They also emphasis their newest product by places a large picture in the middle of the page. Descriptive words are used to make the picture and product eye catching.
Crazy Mocha’s website is not as effective as Dunkin’ Doughnuts and there are many reasons. Crazy Mocha is a local companies so they may not have the funds as Dunkin” Doughnuts to fund a better website. Simple techniques like a more traditional layouts and less whitespace will help improve the website. They can also add smaller pictures instead of a slide show of large pictures.
-Shelbey Surgent
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Tim Horton’s vs Bewley’s
By: Alexandria Antonacci
I picked Tim Horton’s and Bewley’s as the two coffee chains to review this week. Tim Horton’s is based in Canada and the US while Bewley’s is based in Ireland, Japan, Germany, Canada and the United Kingdom.
Tim Horton’s
After the user chooses their native language and location on the simplistic first page they are quickly directed into the site. The site design holds a well thought out menu. The header and footer pop out of the page in a warm red color contrasting the middle section’s light tone. The use of red on the top and bottom menus is complimented by bits of the color in the center. That center has one large slideshow rectangle on the top left which is balanced by the evenly sized squares surrounding it. This site requires a minimal amount of scrolling, creating an easy to use, easy to find what one needs menu. The fact that it’s so simple makes the user feel less overwhelmed at first glance.
Bewley’s
When the user enters Bewley’s site the first element they will notice is the use of a number of visually appealing images on the slideshow at the very top of the page. The purple color scheme centers ones attention to the white page in the middle. The purple headings and purple text jump out of the white page but still blend with the overall layout. The center is organized with two horizontal rows of four square links. This placed in the center keeps the user’s attention with simple ways to show where the one should click next. At times the design seems too simple with the text above the squares in an unimpressive left alignment.
In conclusion I find that Tim Horton’s site was by far the most effective site to use out of the two. Although both sites hold a quite similar layout, Tim Horton’s was overall more impressive. The moving graphics, quick-paced slide show and centered menu can be exceedingly appealing to any user.
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Sheetz vs. Starbucks
Sheetz:
Sheetz’s website it not large and it is not flashy. It gets straight to the point. You go to their main webpage and it is clearly laid out where to go you then click coffee and it gives you three options. Espresso bar, self serve and the nutrition facts. Clicking either one takes you to a new page within the main page. It is straight and to the point. It is clearly laid out and not overly flashy. It is easy to find what you are looking for and if you decide to do the nutrition facts it works exactly like if you were ordering a drink in the store.
Starbucks:
Starbucks website looks nice but can be overwhelming. There are so many links within links it can be easy to get lost. Trying to find a certain coffee can be difficult cause you need to know exactly what kind it is. The one saving grace is that there is a search bar to at least help you find what you are looking for. If there was not a search bar this website would be unusable to someone who never drinks starbucks.
I would say that starbucks grabs your attention better but it can be a bit much at times. I personally prefer sheetz’s website because it is easier to navigate and makes more sense to someone who just wants to see what kind of flavors they have and the interface for the nutrition facts is the best one i’ve seen.
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Caribou Coffee VS. CrazyMocha….Begin
Crazy Mocha is a different kind of site that I’ve seen in a while. The basic layout of of the site is a slideshow in the middle, the “Crazy Mocha” coffee company written in the top right corner with a menu at the bottom of the page, with a pop-up menu. The colors it uses is a very basic red, black, and white which made up the negative space around the different elements in the web page. It’s a very simple page where you don’t need to scroll down, and you can see everything at one time. Which I think works very well with that basic idea. However I feel this webpage needs work with the menu itself, where the drinks section is still being worked on. I also feel it could have been more effective with the actual logo of the company in the top right corner. Other than that I feel that it is a decent website page but I feel it could use some more work to make it have the same feel throughout.
Caribou Coffee Is a very interesting webpage, it is the near the same page layout where you don’t need to scroll down too far to see all the information. The background uses a light tan and even lighter words within it to describe the coffee. The inner page where everything is placed is very precise in the menu. The colors they use are of their logo and base the different links towards being that tint of blue or the shade of brown. The layout of the page showing the main deals in the middle of the page emphasizes the deals of the day, or week. It is a very effective webpage in my mind very clear, and very easy to navigate.
Who Won: I feel Caribou Coffee did a better job at relaying the information of what the company sells, and the different services they provide. The Crazy Mocha site is an interesting layout but some of the links would not work well due to the fact that they were not complete. The color scheme works well with both sites but the Caribou Coffee site doesn’t just rely on white to divide up the page and make it an interesting page.
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Starbucks vs Dunkin’ Donuts
Starbucks Coffee vs Dunkin’ Donuts
The first site I visited was Starbucks. It was very simple and plain, but not in a bad way. There is one large picture shown and along the top there are drop down tabs with large sub menu’s inside the tabs. I found it hard to navigate some of these tabs because the headings inside them were white and so were the options under the headings. Besides the picture one the homepage, there is nothing that really stood out to me in any way. I had a huge problem with the way everything was positioned on the page. The whole site is set from the left side of the page, which was very hard on my eyes. That was the main problem I had with the site, but everything else went very smooth. The one thing that was easy in the eye was the colors. The colors were primarily black, white and grey, besides Starbucks trademark green. Over all the site was good, but definitely could have used a little more character, in my opinion.
Next, I visited Dunkin’ Donuts. Upon the first look of their site, I was blown away, but not surprised that they used a lot of their trademark, orange color scheme. Like Starbucks, Dunkin’ Donuts site also consisted of a large picture with drop down tabs above it. I was able to navigate the tabs on Dunkin’ Donuts site far easier that Starbucks. The headings inside the tabs were a different color from the link, which made all the difference in my eyes. The thing that made Dunkin Donuts better that Starbucks was that the site had a centered layout, which was much easier on my eyes than Starbucks site which was based off the left side of the screen. The only problem I had with Dunkin’ Donuts was the colors were to bright for my eyes, but that is nothing that can be chaged due to the fact that orange is their signature color. Overall Both sites had there pros and cons but If I had to pick on, I think I would pick Starbucks. I would be able to get used to the site being on the left over the bright colors of Starbucks.
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Coffee is the second most traded commodity in the world.
Tim Hortons and Seattle’s Best are two widely known coffee chains. Tim Hortons is spread throughout Canada and the US whereas Seattle’s Best is a company based out of Seattle, WA and sold around the country.
When one visits the Tim Hortons site, the first step is to choose whether or not the user is a French or English speaking Canadian, or an English speaking American. These options are clearly placed a little below the center of the page next to a large coffee cup that is an attention grabbing graphic. After the option is chosen, there is a strange menu page that pops up, with the option of being closed. However, if the pop-up is not closed, the user is subjected to an unorganized and confusing mess that is meant to be scrolled through. After the actual site is found, there is a much more organized and aesthetically appealing website than the previously mentioned pop-up TH’s menu. An advertisement or Tim Horton’s products is placed almost in the center near the top of the page and has the most visual hierarchy. Next to it are buttons that viewers can click on and see what new products TH has to offer. The top of the page has smaller buttons that can help one easily navigate the site to find information on the company and its products. The Tim Hortons main website is balanced with the use of similar square shapes of various sizes, with an emphasis on promoting new products. The process of getting to the actual website took less than three clicks, however when users want to find information on products it may be easy to get lost due to the pop-up menu.
Seattle’s Best has a website built around a very large image placed in the center of the page. The viewer is drawn to the image that showcases an exciting opportunity to win a trip to Hawaii. The layout of the page shows the navigation buttons placed around the image so viewers can easily find them. Each button has a drop down menu of subcategories that are nested within the main categories. Seattle’s Best puts an emphasis mainly on the trip to Hawaii, but also on new products and information about caffeine levels in their coffee. It is easy to see general information about the chain and the products being sold.
Overall, the Seattle’s Best website has a much more user-friendly website than Tim Hortons. This is due to the overall layout that is easy to navigate, and the use of imagery that helps visual hierarchy play a role in grabbing the user’s attention to important information on the website. Also, since Tim Hortons used a confusing pop-up menu after the language selection page, it makes it harder for users to get to the information the site was intended for in the first place.
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Dunkin’ Donuts vs. Starbucks
At first glance, the Dunkin’ Donuts site is visually more attention grabbing than Starbucks’ site. The color scheme compliments the images of their products making a bold yet fun statement about their company. Starbucks is far simpler in design than Dunkin’ Donuts, but I don’t feel that that is at all damaging. Starbucks projects their image as being a high end coffee shop, and their site mimics that. The site is very sleek, using only sans serif fonts and muted colors. The typography of the site is useful in guiding customers to the correct corner of the site with ease. After navigating through both sites, Starbucks is a lot easier to use at a first glance, as Dunkin’ Donuts spent a vast amount of the layout on their blog and twitter links, where Staurbucks focused on their products as opposed to social media sites. Both layouts are very effective in communicating the business’s message and displaying products while remaining visually pleasing. When examining balance and unity, I felt that Dunkin’ Donuts did a better job of balancing their images and text, where Starbucks’ site is very reliant on text. I think that both sites are strong in their own ways, but in the end, I would want spend more time on Starbucks’ website, not just because of its ease of access and simple image, but because they also have a better product (in my opinion.)
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Dunkin Donuts & Starbucks
I compared Dunkin’ Donuts and Starbucks website. Each company is very much the same and has the same content on their websites. The homepage of both webpages show a very big picture of the specials for the season. Each company has their logo on the top right and the tabs to each part of the website along the top. When you hover over each tab it shows you drop down menus and pictures of an item that is within the category.
The colors of the Starbucks website are rather plain, and I am someone who enjoys color. It is just a white background with a little splash of green and black. Dunkin’ Donuts colors are brighter, but the use of them in the website draws me in. What I think Starbucks has an edge is that the “Search” bar is on the very top because when I want to search a keyword it is easy to navaigate, but on the Dunkin’ Donuts website you have to scroll all the way to the bottom to find the search bar. The layouts are almost exactly the same, just a few minor differences.
In my opinion I enjoy Dunkin Donuts website a bit more because of the bars on the top with the orange tabs. They do not blend in with the background and it is very easy and simple for one to navigate. The Starbucks website was very bland to me .
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Caribou Coffee vs. Dunkin’ Donuts
For my bi-weekly review I compared Caribou Coffee and Dunkin’ Donuts. Starting off with Caribou’s website, I feel like it is fairly well balanced. It has the different links on the left, a slideshow of pictures in the middle, then on the right has daily trivia, and a few other things. Everything on Caribou’s website is unified, nothing really stands out like it doesn’t belong. Their emphasis is directed right to the center of the home page with a slideshow of pictures that contain new items and items of the month. Also it consists of some facts about their product. Their layout is a little confusing to someone who likes basic websites. You have to look carefully to find exactly what you’re looking for on the pages. Their font is also decently smaller so you really have to keep and eye out for what your interested in. They also use the visual hierarchy but it’s not as clear as some other websites. You have to click the headings to get to the subheadings rather than just having a drop down menu that lists the subheadings.As for Dunkin’ Donuts’ website I feel like it is very well balanced. Their layout is very simple and easy to navigate. Everything on their website is unified by having the orange and white colors displayed. All of the different sections match each other and nothing feels out of place. Their emphasis is very clear on the main page, it is a large picture of their new product the iced mocha, latte, and the heart shaped donut. The over all lay out is very simple but gets the point across. To get their point across they use very good visual hierarchy. They have the title of the sections then in smaller font have a few points on what that section consists of. Also if you run your mouse over the heading it has a drop down menu, which then gives you a list of smaller subsections you can click. I feel like Dunkin’ Donuts’ website does a better job of drawing attention because of their color selection. Orange is more eye-catching than tan and brown. I like Dunkin’ Donuts website better because it easier to navigate and find what you want. The sections they have with the drop down menu make it more user friendly. I had better luck using Dunkin’ Donuts website.
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Starbucks vs CrazyMocha
The layout of Starbucks has a lot of pictures and texts with links is symmetric because they use rectangles boxes when you pass the mouse on the texts and pictures so it has a good balance and a good unity because they basically use the colors of the Starbucks which is black and green and white on the website. The first thing that I noticed when I open the website was the big picture of their sandwich on the left of the page so thats the emphasis point of this website. Overall the website is very specific with everything and easy to find what you looking for.
The layout of CrazyMocha is more simple than the Starbucks one. CrazyMocha website has slides of pictures at their home page and that is the emphasis of the website because is located right in the middle. The balance of the website is more center since they only have a picture in the middle and the other options bar is located in one line under the picture. They use basically 3 colors like Starbucks black for texts, white for the background and red for the boxes.
Although Starbucks website is more complete, CrazyMocha’s website got my attention because of how they set up the pictures sliding on the center is very simple but strong.
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Coffee Shops-Nick Evanko
The two coffee company webpages I viewed were Starbucks Coffee and Dunkin Donuts. Starbucks Coffee company designed a webpage with many elements that help guide the viewer through the site. The first aspect I was drawn to was the large image near the upper left hand of the page, taking up approximately 1/4 of the page. This large image is an ad for a food promotion that contains images of breakfast sandwiches and breakfast wraps, as well as the promotional price. The designer probably made this ad large in size so that it is the first thing viewers will see, showing use of emphasis. Navigating through the site was easy with the large header options such as coffee types, food choices, starbucks coffee cards, merchandize etc. If you were to place the mouse over each header another window opens up showing more content and options to choose from. The site also contained a search bar which allows the viewer to narrow their options. The balance of the site was well designed with the headers, promotional ads, and footers that inform you more about the site.
The second site I viewed was Dunkin Donuts. The Dunkin Donuts site was similar in design to the Starbucks webpage. Again we see the logo in top left corner, followed by numerous headers in bold typeface to portray emphasis. The headers included menus, coffee types, online shopping and gift ideas. The site also had a large promotional ad for lattes and iced coffees. The webpage also showed a certain sense of balance and unity, a bit more than Starbucks. Every aspect of the Dunkin Donut’s webpage seemed more grid-like.
The two webpages were so similar that neither one was better than the other in guiding the user. They were almost essentially the same site with a change of color scheme. If I had to choose which was a better navigational design I would choose Dunkin Donuts. The layout of the page was much easier to look at in the grid fashion. When I viewed the Starbuck’s page my eyes were moving too many places at once. This may have been done on purpose by the designer so that viewers look at everything on the page, but in my opinion it was a bit more distracting than helpful.
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Starbucks vs. Dunkin Doughnuts
After reviewing Dunkin Doughnuts and Starbucks’ websites, I have come to the conclusion that coffee web pages do everything they can to make you want to drink something frothy and high in calories.
Before entering the sites, I had anticipated pages full of artsy logos, bohemian color palettes, and sleek fonts. (Just due to the stereotypical target audience) I have to admit; I thought Starbucks would have all of these aspects. Instead, I found a rather bland color palette, without too many artsy attributes.
The Starbucks layout has to be the least pleasing to me. I personally do not like it when video clips are rather large and take over the page. It seems extremely overwhelming. I don’t mind large photos, but videos are no good to me.
As an avid coffee drinker, the site did not woo me. It appeared very wordy when it came the pull down tabs at the top. It seemed when I was browsing around, I never really got anywhere; it seemed as if I was going in a circle and their was no real direction.
As far as Dunkin Doughnuts, I like this website for a couple of reasons. The flow to me seems like it actually has a meaning and makes sense. The large photo on this page is aesthetically pleasing. (Not like the large video clip on Starbucks) I also personally like it when shapes play a big role in a web page. And they happen to use a bunch of squares and rectangles to solidify the information. I also really enjoy the color palette. Dunkin Doughnut’s orange, brown, and fuchsia colors compliment one another perfectly.
This site also guided me the way the consumer wanted. I went through the menu, viewed a bunch of different items, and then headed right to the online shop to see what they had for sale. Dunkin Doughnuts is business that wants to make money, a profit, and that’s exactly what I was about to do.
All in all, I believe that something as specific as coffee should have the right balance. There should be photos to get the attention of the audience, with enticing colors, and most importantly the information should be descriptive, yet concise.
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Bi-Weekly Review Starbucks Vs. Dunkin Doughnuts
Elliott Burns
Bi-weekly review 2
January 29, 2012
For this review I compared Starbucks and Dunkin Doughnuts’ websites. I first went to Starbucks’ site and it wasn’t as hip as I expected. It seemed rather plain for how large and hip the company is. The main focus seemed to be telling their mission in the coffee world with a large YouTube video. Also most of the highlights for clicking are for new items and ideas at Starbucks stores. It was fairly easy to navigate; the tabs have drop downs when you put the mouse over them for an easy preview. I think it is a good website and does it’s job but it is not as hip as I thought it would be.
Dunkin Doughnuts’ website is laid out almost exactly the same only with more vibrant colors like their store. There is a huge YouTube video in the middle of the page with tabs for navigating to other areas of the webpage. The tabs, like Starbucks, have a drop down preview when you hover over them with the mouse. There is however a higher concentration on social websites on the Dunkin doughnuts website than with Starbucks.
I think that both of these products are pretty similar because they offer cheap very often bought products and don’t require to have a complex website like a car manufacture might need. I would say though that I like Starbucks’ website better because it felt less aggressive than Dunkin Doughnuts.
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Coffee Website Compare & Contrast
For this assignment I looked at the Starbucks and Caribou Coffee websites. When I first glanced at the two web pages they looked very similar in their layout. After exploring them both more in depth, I noticed that they are not as similar as I had thought. Both websites are set up the same, they have a content bar across the top that shows all of the important topics their customers might be interested in. When you hover your mouse over the content bar on the Starbucks website, a drop down menu appears. On the Caribou Coffee website you can only click these links. Both websites have slideshow images in the center of the screen that feature their new drinks and products.
When comparing these two sites, I noticed that the Caribou Coffee site has more design and and a better sense of unity. The Starbucks website just has a white background which makes it look plain and unbalanced. I feel as though the Caribou Coffee website would appeal more to customers then the Starbucks website.
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Bi-weekly Review 1 Amazon.com
As a student, Amazon.com is one of the most useful resources available on the internet. Amazon always has low prices on books and other essential supplies and has been adding in an impressive collection of instant streaming movies. The website itself is quite easy to navigate. You are able to easily select specific departments or do general word searches to find the items you are looking for. Amazon also makes purchasing the exact item you want easy as well. Once the item has been found you can scroll through customer reviews, sizing options if it is clothing, colors and a list of extra items you can purchase as well. Also on the screen once you find the correct item is a link to a long list of possible providers. You are able to choose between new and used and select a price that works for you or a company that you know you can trust from previous purchases or a simple to understand approval rating system. Once you have customized your items options you can either submit it to the shopping cart and continue straight to check out or continue to shop and return to the cart with one click on a link in the upper right corner. Returning customers who do a lot of shopping on the online retailer are also able to activate “one-click shopping”. All you have to do is tell the one-click option which address and which credit card to use and simply click to purchase with no extra work involved. Returning customers can also enjoy the benefits of customer suggestions on their amazon homepage. As soon as you return to the site and enter your username and password you are given a list customized for you based on what you’ve previously purchased as well as a list of items that are currently very popular. Over all Amazon sets the standards for an online shopping outlet. Items are well categorized and easy to find on a user-friendly setup that is simple to get used to after just one use. With a well designed website and customer specific shopping options, it’s no wonder people shop at Amazon over and over again.
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1st Bi-weekly Review- Amazon
Over the years Amazon.com has essentially set the standard in online shopping and still dominates much of the market. There are a few ways to find items on Amazon, one can search, browse categories and departments, check out the sales, or use a combination of searching and stipulating which categories to search. Everything is fairly easy to find and understand; the search bar is in the top center of the screen, categories and departments along the left side, check out is top right, and the results fill the majority of the rest of the screen. I decided that I wanted a 30 gallon fish tank, don’t ask why. I started by searching for a fish tank, then since some results came up that weren’t aquariums so I narrowed my search by activating the category aquariums. Then from there I saw nothing but aquariums. However there were still 541 results and nothing matching the criteria I had in mind on the first page of results, so I typed in 30 gallon fish tank to the search bar. An interesting thing about the search bar is that as long as it turns up some results it will keep searching the same departments and categories that you had previously selected. This was a good thing in this situation, but had I decided that I wanted to change the item I was searching for I could have been baffled for a second with nothing but aquarium decorations or fish food. Typing 30 gallon fish tank still yielded 44 results all of which were not relevant but what I wanted was on the first page. You’d think that Amazon would have an option to sort by product size in categories where size matters. I selected my the fish tank that I wanted and proceeded to check out. Since it was my first Amazon purchase it asked me for shipping and billing information but was still very straightforward visually and navigated in a simple linear fashion. Overall Amazon is fairly easy to use and not incredibly confusing at any point, with the huge amount of stock it offers to choose from it is no wonder that it is a leader in online shopping.
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Online Shopping – ShoeDazzle.com
Online shopping is not only convenient and simple, but personally for me, it’s a sport. I love to get the best of the best merchandise for the best possible price. Coupons are always the best technique, and free shipping is most definitely a must.
So, the other day I was watching TV and came across a commercial advertising $39.95 shoes, every style, no exclusions. “ShoeDazzle.com,” seemed too good to be true. So, I typed in the web address and found a new addiction. The website was not only extremely navigate-able, but also very visually pleasing.
The welcome page directed me to a group of clickable shoe questions. It was a quiz to “discover your shoe profile.” As I clicked on the big, artsy buttons, I finalized my answers and was directed to my “personalized collection.” The website automatically put together shoes in my size and in my style from my quiz answers. I thought the quiz was spot on. The shoes the website chose for me were to die for. I ended up purchasing two pairs.
As far as the aesthetics to the website, I loved the chic feminine look. A basic white background with main photo links a unique pink font made me realize the company really knows their target audience. I loved the girly atmosphere, and the easy to use navigation. Their information is put right out there to the public, almost as if they have nothing to hide. Their contact number is posted in the right hand corner of the page so if there’s any questions, you can direct them to their customer service.
I think finding Shoe Dazzle was a bad and good thing for me. I think it was great to come across for me to peruse around on and look at all the new fashions. And, I also think it was bad because I know I will be back to spend even more money that I don’t even have.
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Apple Review
Since the release of the first iPod in October of 2001, I have been intrigued by Apple’s mobile devices. Recently, I purchased an iPad and am in love with the product. The streamlined user interface and large App Store are really what make me decide to buy an Apple product over an Android-based or other big name device. I have previously owned 5 different iPods, including an iPod touch (similar to the iPhone).
When you first take a glance at the Apple.com website, you will see the same sleek, innovative format that Apple is famous for throughout their products. The clean white background is complemented by the reflections of the iPhone 4S, and the navigation bar is put together with their simplistic look in mind.
After clicking the “Store” link in the top navigation bar, I am taken to a page where I can choose from a variety of apple products, as well as categories of these products. In the top left corner there is a convenient search bar to search for the product of my choice, as well as the phone number to the Apple Store above it. In the middle of the page are Apple’s main products. I chose a MacBook Pro since I am interested in purchasing a new laptop. From the next page, I then selected which MacBook Pro I was most interested in (15-inch). I was then able to select the specifications of the laptop, and press the “Add to Cart” button which was colored green, most likely so it could be better distinguished from other buttons on the site. I was then taken to my cart where I could either continue shopping or check out. By going through only 4 pages, all of which crucial to the buying process, I was able to find the product I wanted, choose my specifications, and purchase the item, without any hassle whatsoever.
I found the Apple site to be very easy to use, with minimal effort needed to purchase what I would like. This is almost expected with Apple. They are known for their easy-to-use computers and mobile devices. It has always been their goal to deliver products that do not require the consumer to have to think to access things of their choice.
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Apple vs Supreme: website usability
Apple vs Supreme Review.
I chose two websites to analyze, one being Apple, and the other being Supreme. I first visited apple, in a search to buy a Macbook Pro. When coming to the websites main page, I came a across a little problem in my thought process. At the top of the web site, I was instantly drawn to the Mac tab. When I the page reloaded, I thought I was in the right place but I eventually noticed there was no button to put the product in my cart. I then realized I had to go to the store tab. This was the scenario that happened when I first used their site. After multiple times using it, I learned just to go to the store tab. But for a first time user, this could be a minor issue. After I stumbled across that minor problem, It was smooth sailing from there, everything else was effortless to me. I was even able to find the student version of the website no problem. The student site shows the prices of certain Items with a student discount factored into the price.
The second website I looked at was, Supreme. They are a skateboard brand originating from New York City. When first entering their website, I found It very easy to get were I wanted, I just clicked the shop button. Its was all downhill from their. The next page that loaded was just a bunch of skinny pictures that looked to be clothing, I really couldn’t tell. The website is also flash driven which could be a problem if people don’t have the right software or a computer good enough to run it. After browsing the site for a while, I eventually got used to it, but it took sometime. Overall, I would definitely say Apple has the better website, but I like how clean Supreme’s site is, it is very easy on the eye. After analyzing both site, I realized that a perfect website is hard to come by.
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Wookiee Cookies and other Galactic Recipes.
After a recent trip to Disney World, I have been contemplating purchasing one of the Star Wars cookbooks, but have been too lazy to look online for a copy. Disney World has every Star Wars product imaginable. This assignment has given me a reason to get my online shopping on and actually pay attention to the steps I must go through to retrieve such a literary gem. Both Amazon and ThinkGeek have at least one of the two books. I found Amazon easier because the search bar has a drop down menu where I conveniently selected books and typed in the keywords “star wars cookbook.” Amazon graced my eyes with not only the Wookiee Cookies and other Galactic Recipes, but also the second book, Darth Malt and More Galactic Recipes. I found that the home page was not overwhelming with Amazon pushing products. Also there are multiple ways to easily find what the user wants with both a search bar on the top and a menu on the side with different departments or categories of items that could be purchased on the website. I did not have to “satisfice” because I was presented with multiple viable options that got me to where I hoped to go.
ThinkGeek is always a dangerous website for someone with a short attention span to go to. Though there isn’t a smorgasbord of items on the homepage, the products are just too cool to sometimes fight the urge to click on everything. I found at the bottom of the page, instead of organizing things by category, there were options to choose from popular series or games. I thought this was an appropriate approach for this particular website. On the top everything was organized in categories. Instead of using my first instinct of just using the search bar, I clicked on the fantasy and sci-fi books section to see if I could possibly land upon my desired cookbook series instantaneously. I was delighted to see so many things that sparked my interested, but no dice with the product I wanted. However, the good ol’ trustworthy search bar led me to where I needed to be after I used the same keywords as I did on Amazon. I was surprised to see that ThinkGeek only had the first edition, Wookiee Cookies and other Galactic Recipes. Not only were they lacking in options, but it was more expensive than the price Amazon had to offer.
Overall, I feel that Amazon is a great website if you need to look for something specific, but gives good suggestions for products similar to the one searched. ThinkGeek is good for looking through specialty/odd products if you have the time to “window shop” online.
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TrueSwords.com
When I try to find different items that catch my interest, or certain swords of nearly any calibur I go to trueswords.com. The site is based on being able to get high quality items, be them swords, knives, armor, necklaces, and many more at low prices. The site is very easy to navigate whether you’re just browsing, or if you look through the many categories which are located under the site title. The color theme for this site is blue, brown, and grey. The grey is the neutral color of the site. The Brown separates the borders and inside the brown are the headings. Finally the Blue is where the sub-headings and the different categories for different types of items. The site overall is very simple to use and items included in this site are very affordable for any sword enthusiasts. If you just wanna find very cool things and wanna try to get any inspiration through swords or anything of that nature I would advise to go look at this site.
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Bid on Ebay
When I buy things on the internet, I always head to Ebay. I love the way it is very simple to bid for a product. Ebay also has everything, and I like being able to buy all that I need in one site. I hate site hoping for products I need to buy. I have also sold things on Ebay, and to sell things on Ebay is simple yet very effective. It does not make it complicated, it helps you step by step to make sure you can reach the most customers for your product. Ebay has been one of the top selling sites for years.
The front page is always giving best sellers and ways to navigate around the website. Even though I love being on the internet, some sites are so hard to get around and when that happens i get frustrated and I just leave the site. The way Ebay is set up is easy for me to use., and that is why I continue to use it.
My favorite thing on Ebay is the “My Ebay” tab, it keeps all my Ebay selling, buying and history. I like being able to see who I bought from, and what I have on a watch list. Ebay keeps it very friendly if you are a frequent user.
I’ve always like Ebay over Amazon because i like the way it set up and the way I can sell easily and buy easily on the site.
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