Out of the five websites that were provided, I chose to examine jimmychoo.com and allenedmonds.com. Both of these websites excellently displayed Krug’s 5 important factors of a website, as well as the principles of balance, unity, emphasis and layout.
Krug outlined five important factors that all websites should utilize: Visual hierarchy, proper use of conventions, breaking pages into clearly defined areas, making clickables obvious and minimizing noise. Both websites used these tips in effective ways. The Jimmy Choo and Allen Edmonds websites display a clear visual hierarchy. Jimmy Choo’s navigation bar is set at the top in a fixed position, even upon downward scroll. The navigation bar includes the different sections of the store, a search bar upon a few other things. The Allen Edmonds website is set up almost identical to Jimmy Choo besides the chosen aesthetic features.
Another component that goes hand in hand with visual hierarchy is the factor of breaking pages into clearly defined areas and conventions. Again, both websites display this nicely. Allen Edmonds basically has four set sections on its homepage; the previously talked about navigation bar at the top, a slideshow of pictures with clickable navigation, a promotional section (which I am assuming changes on a regular basis), and a footer including a lot of information that can be clicked upon. Jimmy Choo’s page is set up relatively similar as well, with four sections. The only difference is instead of a picture slideshow, the middle, or bulkiest part of the homepage, is split into different sections as well. The set up of each website’s homepage influences the use of emphasis and layout. Emphasis is put on specific items that are placed on the homepage. For example, the Jimmy Choo site has a small div for the sole purpose of counting down until the release of the Choo 08 Collection.
Krug’s fourth factor of making clickables obvious is also well-used. Roll-overs have been placed in almost every place where a clickable is located. There is a color change, a mouse cursor change, or a popup that happens when you mouse through the page. In my opinion, I think that the Jimmy Choo website did a better job of making it extremely apparent when you are able to click on something. Allen Edmonds website was a little more subtle with the rollovers, but they were very consistent.
Allen Edmonds consistency contributed to the sites overall unity and balance. The site was very simplistic. The homepage was basically a continuation of a single vertical rectangle that you could scroll through to view the information. The header and footer were the same color, making a beginning and end point very obvious. I think the color scheme and pictures went well with the products the company sold and the time of the year. Jimmy Choo had more content on its homepage but it was still organized and unified. Like Allen Edmonds, the header and footer were the same, and the different content boxes were linked by their shape and their white color.
I do not think one site is more effective than the other. I was more drawn to the Jimmy Choo website, for obvious reasons, but I do think that both websites are equally effective to their target market.