Volume 1
Evaluating the design of four major fashion magazine publishers website Demonstrating an understanding of the various and interconnected components that contribute to successful web design
VOUGE Vogue.com ELLE Elle.co.uk GRAZIA Grazia.Com Dazed & Confused Dazeddigital.com
ABOUT THIS REPORT
Who We Are
The aim of this report is to compare, contrast and evaluate the website of four organisations operating in the same sector, fashion media. The primal focus is on website design, online marketing and traffic building, with the purpose of establishing suitable recommendations that can increase competition and overall website effectiveness. The four websites are: http://www.graziadaily.co.uk/ http://www.elleuk.com/ http://www.vogue.co.uk/ http://www.dazeddigital.com/
We are a group of Business PR and marketing communication students at Bucks New University. We have been working together since September 2013 in order to produce a digital report in a magazine form.
These website were chosen based upon the following criteria: -Direct competition between organisations within the UK market, whilst each pursue of a similar target audience. -Upon Google.co.uk listings using key phrases “fashion magazines” and “fashion news”. -According to Alexa.com, these online fashion media sites receive higher website traffic and queries, within the UK. As well as their frequent appearance in “fashion magazines” search and keywords related on the site.
Meet The Team
Laura
Shana
Maria Sarah
Emilie
From primary research it has become clear that some of the brands analysed have not made this service fully accessible for their customers. Vogue is the only one out of the four brands to provide a free news app. We found it quite difficult to find information on apps for the remaining three brands.
Constraints on the market Due to the increased use of the internet to gain knowledge and information it is now necessary for print magazines to maintain a digital presence for their brand. In addition to this it is beneficial for magazines to produce a smart phone application to provide their service on the go. This allows consumers gain access to all of the content provided in the physical magazine without having to carry the magazine with them.
When we eventually found some information it became clear they were not free and could not be accessed as part of a print subscription, something we feel the brands should address. Another constraint within the market is the demand for news and features in real time. With increased links between social media and websites consumers now expect the same constant feed of news and articles. This may be difficult for print magazines to adapt to as most are issued monthly and so may find it difficult to keep up this pace. This may require brands such as Elle and Vogue to adapt different production structures and models when dealing with the digital aspects of their brand. All issues will be looked at further:
Th e objective s of website design
Website design effectiveness is an essential factor for a companies website. It is important to communicate and support the business objectives set out by the company, whilst create a good user experience that meets the unmet psychological needs and wants of the target market.
Website design effectiveness is an essential factor for a companies website. It is important to communicate and support the business objectives set out by the company, whilst create a good user experience that meets the unmet psychological needs and wants of the target market.
Effective website design provides organisations with benefits from a user perspective as it activates them to become enthusiastic brand advocates – increasing the likelihood of recommendations to the service, patience when things go wrong because of their investment, ensuring customers return, motivate users to take action, increase sales, drive website traffic, increase brand awareness and engagement to stakeholders and the process of converting visitors into customers.
Setting objectives Chaffey and smith (2008) explain that when designing and creating a company website, the individual goals and objectives that drives the business must be clearly defined and conveyed from the forefront. Common examples of the types of goals a fashion media organisations, including the four businesses deliver include; •Helping and informing visitors on relevant information to allow for time and money save. •Motivating users into a purchase, either through cross media promotion or for an external businesses purpose •Provide a means for direct communication and engagement with the organisation of the website.
It is these objectives define organisations websites as; -Transactional e-commerce: The primary focus and involvement is through the sale of products and services. -Service-oriented/ relationship- building: Providing information and meeting users needs and expectations to increase brand loyalty and customer affiliation. -Brand-building: delivering an experience that works in unison to the brands mission and ethos. Each fashion media organisation adopts value characteristics from each section (establishing their brand, selling products, building a customer base) to ensure website success.
Achieving objectives Chaffey and smith (2001) suggest that business objectives can be achieved by implementing the emarketing theory of the 5 Ss, which focuses on the purpose of a website and creating value from a customers perspective. -Worthwhile exchange of something that meets the customers needs – Sell -Providing access to value resources – Serve -Reducing costs, helping to save money – Save -Getting closer to customers, provide a two way conversation that develops a brand relationship - Speak -Creating a unique rememberable satisfying web experience – Sizzle
Sell Elle’s website is very informative and persuasive in terms of selling products from fashion items to hotels and travel breaks with eccessive information ranging from where to buy, stock-list, pricing, features, benefits of usage, variations, sizes and high quality images. What helps increase customer satisfaction is the easy navigation through refined searches that allow visitors to find exactly what they are looking for. There is also an internal store within the website (ShopELLEUK) that groups all purchasable beauty items together in one spot. Here incentives and sales promotions such as buy one get one free are used to drive sales and customer satisfaction. Throughout the site there are many presentations of pushing subscriptions to the magazine. Uniquely (although not clearly advertised), the ELLE App is completely free once you have to paid the magazine.
Serve Elle UK help convey information in a user friendly way so that the core audience can achieve their desired objectives. All up to date information is clearly visible to the first time users.
Save The are many opportunities to save via Elle. For example Elle offers exclusive special discount with partner businesses that feature in both the magazine and online, for example 20% of Urban Outfitters. As stated above, there are also discount offers available in the shop feature of the website. Here, users also have access to international and UK delivery packages including reasonably priced standard, next day and premium next day delivery.
Speak Elle UK has an extremely efficient help and contact section through their website. Customer engagement is high with a real understanding of the importance of customer service and natural place for customers to go to get their questions answered/ complain. Visitors are able to converse and give feedback through social media and commenting on articles. In addition there are multiple contact points that are more specific in terms of departments areas (such as marketing, subscription, competition, editorial). Unlike Grazia, Vogue and Dazed Digital, ElleUK also adopt a chat room approach where visitors can email questions directly though the site that will then be answered and posted publically onto the ask Elle wall. It is these contact features alongside the use of content such as ‘what are Elle staff wearing’ that humanizes the organisation and Sizzle gives the business a more personal vibe. As explained above, visitors are able to get access to a range of information from fashion to travel. What sets Elle apart is the depth and detail into all the products and reviews. For example with hotel information, there is easy navigation, refining the search to destination, type of holiday, type of accommodation, style of room, which then directs you to pricing, quality/ star rating and photo gallery. It is this level of information that increases the user experience by keeping them well informed and providing them with enough tools and confidence to take action. As the service is global, this too increase customer satisfaction through the range of options available.
“Customers want convenience and ease of ordering. They want a site that is quick to download, well-structured and easy to navigate.” Alison Lancaster, head of marketing and catalogues at John Lewis (www.ctshirts.co.uk)
Sell
Although Vogue does showcase how visitors can get the looks of the catwalk from retail alternatives, the main focus of the website is to present what designers are doing and key trends, forcing the audience to shop around elsewhere and make their own decisions based on that knowledge. There are some sales driven options on what to buy within the ‘Vogue shop’ (part of the site that gives information on products, pricing and directory to that website. In addition when different products and services are advertised it is usually embedded within feature articles about it, to increase persuasion. The reason behind the lack of had sales tactics is to retain the brands elegant/ chic image. This ideology extends to the lack of push tactics within the site to drive traffic to magazine subscriptions. *More focus on brand building website as oppose to transactional e-commerce
Serve Vogue’s website is build as a source of information about fashion. Visitors are able to easily and quickly access up to date information because of the minimalist approach to content and design which adds speed to the site when loading.
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Vogue celebrated one million followers on Twitter at the beginning of the year. 2008 saw London Fashion week and Facebook teamed up to launch a “how stylish are you competition. Both of these media platforms successfully translated a communication between vogue and it’s repeated customers along with their potential customers.
Speak On Vogue’s website visitors are able to comment on articles and communicate with the business via the use of social media sites. However, this is restricted to just Twitter and Facebook. The only other form of contact is for professional use only and not general enquiries. All of which generates a customer dissatisfaction because of the lack of quality and choice of customer service channels.
Sizzle As stated above Vogue differentiate themselves through a lack of push sales tactics which as a result enhances the image of the company and add value to the content. In terms of delivering a quality experience, the website is very visual with large graphics to provide a different way for users to consume information.
Save Opportunities regularly arise for VOGUE.COM readers to have access to exclusive deals and discounts. Vogue uses a code system whereby they advertise a free gift, cheaper delivery or % discounts on collections when you enter certain code on the directory link attached. In addition users can also have access to free digital editions of the app once subscribed to the magazine. Incentives are used to entice the audience such as free gifts once subscribed.
Save As stated above there is the ability to save on subscription prices. In addition Grazia also provide the ‘try before you buy’ option for the digital packages exclusively if you are an existing Grazia subscriber to the print edition. This includes a free trial of the digital edition available to download for the next 6 issues, with additional savings if users then choose to purchase it. As Grazia is a fashion media site as oppose to a retailer they have no control over the prices of products and services shown and just advertise them. Users are also able to save time, as the website brings together all core information in one place.
Sell Grazia’s shop service provides users with the ability to by clothes featured in the magazine. The use of celebrities endorsement - the wearing/ using the products along with fashion experts commenting about them increase sales and trust in the product. Grazia’s main lead to revenue and profit, Is through selling the apps across multiple platforms. Incentives and discounted offers are used such as through time period (annual and quarterly), multi combo savings in buying print and digital packages and freebees – by subscribing to Grazia you can receive RapidLash’s Eyelash Enhancing Serum worth £39.99, that is in keeping with the target market of mature women. The offer of a subscription and link to their magazine provides way for a cross media promotion. A disadvantage of Grazia Daily is that it a very professional female focused website, in their portrayal of beauty and fashion., and thereby eliminates profitable markets for their audience such as men.
Sizzle To help increase customer satisfaction and make each individual user have a positive online brand experience Grazia Daily provides the opportunity for personalisation and tailored marketing. Once registered the more information you give, the opportunity to only get emails related to you and your interests. In addition the launch of Grazia local, relevant information based upon regional areas such as Liverpool and London make the experience more worthwhile and applicable and more compel users to return to the site. This a feature that differentiates themselves from their competition.
Serve Grazia have continuous slideshows and reels on the homepage to help add positive value to the website as it regularly informs of product development and what the website has to offer/ any relevant factors. Grazia’s webpage is built upon the notion of simplicity and usability by paying attention to the quality of the service and customer satisfaction. The website has invested in a proliferation of choice of customer service channels such as self help videos and tutorials. The use of online dialogue and continual engagement with the target market, such as getting involved in setting fashion trends and work experience also help to create brand value. The provision of a wish list that allows users to store what they are looking for or hoping to eventually buy is effective as you cant get this ability to bank things you desire when shopping offline. This helps in customer retention: by keeping customers through user generated and personalized content and customer acquisition: converting visitors into customers on site, as it motivates a purchase.
Speak Grazia get closer to customers though dialogue and participation. The use of social networking sites allows for a two way communication where they can directly speak, listen, ask questions and learn about their customers. Although, to improve the quality of customer service, Grazia can look to increasing their response rate to messages via social media, as they primarily only retweet. On the website visitors are able to enquire any problems or queries through the contact us page. Departments are divided into professional related (e.g technical and advertising) or generic inquiries with multiple communication methods (via phone or email) so that each contact point directly meets the visitors specific needs.
Sell The use of daring and bold visuals and colourful design and layout across all aspects of the website help promotes the different products and services featured in the articles. Unlike the other organisations Dazed Digital doesn’t have a shop feature nor exchange in transactions with users directly on their site. The main source of revenue and profit is from sales of the app feature .
Serve Dazed Digital offers current information that is targeted to the audience needs. The fragmented narrative engages with audience more as it increases concentration levels and time spent per page and visit.
Save Unlike the other companies Dazed Digital set one fixed price for the cost of the app, with the pricing details only advertised on an external site, Itunes. What users can save on is time as the website takes all relevant and current information on a number of different topics (culture, fashion, music) and groups it in one place. Occasionally the website will hold unique saving opportunities that advertise discounts. For example competitions whereby entrants can win money off vouchers and % discounts offered to the first 100 entries .
Sizzle In terms of creating a good web experience out of all of the organisations Dazed Digital has the most superior for quality customer service, which assists in creating customer satisfaction.
Speak On Dazed Digital website visitors have the opportunity to converse with the company through social media and commenting on articles. Like the other organisations there is an extensive help and contact department for customers to interact with staff regarding any questions, problems and queries‘. Dazed Digital provides the most amount in terms of quantity of contacts (email addresses) that are also personal accounts as oppose to a generic address.
Vogue – Easy of use The website structure is extremely simple with easy navigation as the menu bar is integrated so that it is always visible despite scrolling down. The option of browser history allows for users to track their footsteps to prevent the users getting lost. Quick to download Web pages are quick to load due to the minimalistic and condensed approach to design and content .
Dazed Digital – High quality content With 8 Years of delivering information on fashion, film, music and literature, Dazed Digital has established itself as a dependable name in fashion media covering a range of thought provoking topics such as perceptions of beauty and disability, supporting social causes and encouraging fashionable debates.
Elle UK - Frequently updated Elle UK always put up new information that is useful and relevant to the audience. To keep it timely blogs are updated weekly, articles are integrated based on current issues and there is a live Twitter reel.
Grazia - Quick to download For extra control and speed, exclusively to the iPad edition Grazia users can be the first to see the latest issue as it is available to download the night before the print edition hits the newstand .
ONLINE VALUE PROPOSITION
At a time when consumers are overwhelmed with information and have the ability to dismiss a webpage at the click of a button, an aesthetically pleasing site is not enough. Each webpage must have an individual online value proposition (OVP), quite similar to a unique selling point as it identifies whether what your site offers the consumer •Is different to your competitor •Is not available in the real world
An OVP must be intrinsically linked throughout all aspects of the website, embedded in different angles, ‘such that the claims and promises gain weight, credibility, and emotional resonance with each click or page’. (Sexton, 2009) This, to assure the customer that the online experience will live up to their expectations and resonate that the site does deliver on their promises. A logical place to introduce the OVP would be at the start of the customers orientation process. Therefore the OVP should be included in the search results website description.
•Makes a difference to your customers lives Chaffey, 2012 A strong OVP is a useful part of the marketing process as it creates the basis of the marketing message. For example if a websites OVP is that they provide exclusive interviews with celebrities they can market the site as an exclusive hub of celebrity insight. The goal of OVP is to motivate and engage website visitors and is an extremely influential part in increasing consumer involvement with the organisation/ getting them into the buying process. With this proposition can then lead to word of mouth and recommendations.
Six elements referred to as the 6C’s of the online marketing mix, highlight the different areas that websites can target in order to differentiate themselves from other websites. Content – strong in depth content or new and exclusive content that is not available elsewhere Community – allowing customer input such as reviews and social media Customisation – personalised services and content Convenience – easy purchasing process with excellent accessibility Choice – provide a varied selection of products or services Cost reduction – provide the opportunity for customers to purchase products for a cheaper price than would be available in physical stores
ELLE Unlike the other three websites we have analysed, Elle allows the consumer to shop products from specific brands. This allows the reader to shop entire pages of the physical magazine through the process of scanning a barcode on their smart phone.
Cost Reduction and Convenience
This service also offers multiple ‘exclusive discounts’ for customers as a reward for shopping through the Elle site.
Grazia Grazia provides current celebrity and fashion updates in real time through the use of social media and the latest posts section. This is necessary for Grazia as they are a weekly magazine and consumers would expect to see short snippets of news on a magazines websites before they see the in depth story in the print edition. Grazia’s proposition is therefore improving Content and Convenience customers situations, keeping them well informed.
Online Value Proposition The main feature that makes Dazed Digital stand out from its competitors is the fact it has a strong art and cultural stance alongside fashion. Dazed digital presents itself as a hub for all things creative which includes collaborations with influential artists and photographers. The purpose of the site is to create a visual experience for the viewer. This is reflected in all aspects of the website. Here the OVP takes advantage of the unique benefit of depth of context. Content and Community
Convenience
Vogue Vogue’s main online value proposition is that its reputation as ‘the fashion bible’ is so strong that it does not need to have special features in order to standout. The simplistic formatting of the page reflects this effortlessness
Vogue is however the only website out of the four analysed to offer a free news app.
The Smartphone App When conducting a user ability test for each brand’s smartphone app we found that there were a few limitations in regards to user ability and aesthetics. Elle – When initially searching for Elle on the android app store no results appeared. We then searched online for information on how to download the app when it became apparent it is only available for IPhone users through iTunes app store. Furthermore secondary research has shown that many subscription customers are unsatisfied with the app. Customer reviews have highlighted that customers who subscribe to the print magazine edition can not access the app as part of their subscription. Vogue – Out of all four brands analysed, this was the only one that provided a free news app. However after downloading it we realised that not much time has been invested into the development of it. Aesthetically it does not correlate with the image presented on the website and appears to look as though it is in the initial stages of development. Dazed and Confused – Dazed Digital is only available in app form on the Itunes app store. Unlike Vogue this app strengthens the brand identity as it looks similar to the online site and magazine. This is achieved through the use of similar fonts and layout styles. Grazia – The Grazia app is also available on the ITunes app store. The styling of this is similar to the website and continues with the use of bold yellow background colours and icons. In general it would seem that Vogue have created a USP with their free app but must invest more time into ensuring it follows the Vogue brand image and is pleasing on the eye. It may be beneficial for the remaining three brand to develop the app so that it is available through he android market as this lack of accessibility may put some customer off purchasing.
Accessability
Rating: Vogue
Rating: Dazed
Rating: Grazia
Rating: Elle
Reasonable site load time
Good
Good
Good
Good
Adequate text to background contrast
Good
Average
Font size/spacing easy to read
Good
Average
Good
Good
Flash and add-ons used sparingly
Good
Average
Good
Good
Site has custom not-found/404 page
No
No
No
No
Company logo prominently placed
Good
Average
Average
Good
Tagline allows company’s purpose clearer
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
Home page is digestible in 5 seconds
Good
Good
Good
Good
Clear path to company information
Good
Average
Good
Good
Clear path to contact information
Good
Bad
Good
Good
Main navigation is easily identifable
Good
Good
Good
Good
Navigation labels are clear and concise
Good
Good
Good
Good
Number of buttons/links are reasonable
Good
Average
Good
Good
Company logo is linked to home-page
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Links are consistant & easy to identify
Good
Average
Good
Good
Site search is easy to access
Good
Average
Good
Good
Major headings are clear & descriptive
Good
Good
Good
Good
Critical content is above the “fold”
Good
Good
Good
Good
Styles & colours are consistent
Good
Good
Good
Good
Emphasis (Bold, ect) is used sparingly
Good
Good
Good
Good
Ads & pop-ups are unobstructive
Good
Good
Good
Good
Main copy is concise & explanatory
Good
Average
Good
Good
URLs are meaningful & user-friendly
Good
Good
Good
Good
HTML page titles are explanatory
Good
Bad
Good
Good
Identity
Navigation
Content
Menus and sub menus, with information divided up into specific categories, to help users navigate. Follows the users as they scroll down
Browser history option
Large, bold logo on every page, directs the user back to the homepage
On- site search engine
Extremely large advertisement image
All copyright information and contacts links at bottom of page, unlike the other sites, there is no full contents table.
Divided into three columns, simple and structured. Consitancy throughout, 1 advert, below 3 content data.
Large logo, centre focused, directs user back to homepage. Carousel of large imaged based graphics, made up of advertisements and valuable content.
Main menu and header – This help user to navigate easier and chose option that best suits their need. The menu bar does not follow the user as they scroll down.
Here, visitors can sign in or register an account.
On- site search engine
Links to Elle UK’s social media websites (in this example Twitter).
Copyright information and contents table at the footer of the page.
Although information is not boxed, it is neat and structured.
Landing pages for bought media and marketing campaigns. Large an colourful logo that directs to the homepage.
Slideshow reel of main content, updated frequently. Largely made up of images for visual consumption.
Visitors of Grazia’s website are able to sign up or register to receive regular updates. Once registered visitors are greeted by a welcome page.
The social hub and copyright information is displayed in the footer.
A mistake often made is to use too organised and structured design, in which page elements don’t stand out; instead persuasive design advocates, such as the change in colour and shades or larger page elements should be added to guide users on relevant paths.
Small logo (on every page) in comparison to the other companies. Although bold font, the lack of colour makes it easily miss able.
Large image, bright graphics, as header. Immediate attraction for first time users.
Although the website has some structure (4 columns), it is the different size features that makes it appear more fragmented and forces the visitors to concentrate harder (subverts the wire frame architecture).
Balanced word to image ratio
Large direct links to social media hub. Shows how the company uses technology for brand awareness.
Multiple adverts
AESTHETICS GRAPHICS + COLOUR + STYLE & LAYOUT + TYPOGRAPHY These elements combined help convey the brand image and creates a personality for the website. Aesthetics consists of two components; Form – visual design of the site Function – navigation, interaction and structure An aesthetically pleasing webpage will encourage the viewer to explore the website further. Constraints on Aesthetics When considering the elements of a web pages aesthetics designers must consider their target audience and how they will respond to look of the site. For example, in terms of colour scheme society already as preconceptions and ideologies with colour symbolism. When inserting graphics they must consider how long it will take for images and videos to load on the landing page. As a general rule viewers will use patience with the site and click off.
Similarly colours and typography should not interfere with the readers ability to read the text. Therefore background colours and text colours should be contrasting. This is highlighted by Chaffey and Smith (2008), who stress the necessity of creating a “balance of visual design which is visually appealing, but also works for accessibility, usability, persuasion and branding”.
Initial View
The Elle online homepage is organised and professional with a hint of light hearted humour.
‘If ELLE did office parties…’ Strong visuals to catch the eye. The use of an image slideshow grabs the viewers attention and creates a headline effect with bite sized ‘need to know’ information. Feedback from our primary research has indicated that the speed at which the images pass the screen is too quick and could be slowed down.
The initial view of the first page does not bombard the viewer with advertisements, instead displaying a simple banner advertisement. The most recent news stories feature under the topic headers which are linked to the tabs at the top of the page.
‘the website looks organised and fresh’ (focus group participant) This gives the page a structured feel and combined with relevant images makes the stories appear appealing. This also allows the reader to easily identify stories they might be interested in.
Graphics
Colour
Typography Style & Layout
ELLE
Large image slideshow used as a page header but smaller images used to represent news stories. The mixture of video and images keep the eye interested.
The use of blue and yellow, along with the social media pin colours, are used to link the physical magazine and the website.
Simple serif font for ease of reading. The text links to the professional ABC1 demographic of their readers. Bold capitals highlight headline information.
Simple structured layout with clear headings and minimal text. Instant news story and social media feed is a constant when navigating through pages.
Vogue
The use of large images capture the viewers attention and creates a minimal feel to the site unlike Grazia and Dazed Digital.
Similar to Elle and Dazed digital the webpage is mainly black and white allowing the images to pop off the screen.
Simple, bold text in black, white and grey create a chic image .
Very minimal with only one feature per topic heading. Unlike the other websites Vogue is feature based and does not have instant news stories.
Dazed Digital
Art images ad opposed to the pre shot feature images used on the other magazine websites. This links to the art focused ethos of the website and also appeals to the target audience.
Simple Black and white. In order to let the images stand out and gain most of the attention.
Text is displayed in a retro computer font. This strengthens the urban image of the site and appeals to the target audience.
Nothing is aligned. Layout is similar to a Pinterest mood board creating an informal and creative feel. Continuous page with a constant stream of updates.
Grazia
Quite similar to Elle in that it has an image slideshow at the top of the page with images for each new story.
Use of black and yellow creates a bold statement and also links to the
Simple font in black white and yellow linking to the overall brand image;
Quite similar to Elle but slightly more crowded as it features more stories.
Aesthetics conclusion:
Each brand website differs from each other and convey individual images. However they all have simplistic fonts in common. This allows for improved readability. Additionally they all utilise graphics in order to hold viewers attention. Most of the sites use small images with the exception of Vogue which used enlarged images in order to create a sophisticated and simple layout. Dazed Digital was the only brand to shift from the norm in regards to layout. Where the remaining three websites had a clear structure and similar layouts in regards to news and most popular stories, dazed digital preferred to use a live feed layout which looked similar to social media sites. Overall each brands site looks appealing and has been created with the target audience in mind.
Navigation in a digital content refers to the process used to find information within a Web site. It is defined as a means in which people use to move across a particular website freely by using navigational tools for instance web menus and links. Navigation is largely used to facilitate and enable users to locate and connect to destination pages. Navigation features, content and schemes placed within a web site allow users to uncover and access information effectively without any problems. In order to make web site navigation efficient, web designers should maintain navigation-only pages short.
Structuring the website is vital as it is an essential element of search engine optimization (SEO). When content is placed within a website it is known as a site structure. Structure also helps consumers know different pages that are connected with logic to others. Structure and Navigation are exactingly concurrent. It is conversely, a simple consisted formation that is exceedingly important to any website as gives to users the flow control of the navigation, making the system less confusing and prevents consumers getting lost inside the website
For instance Vogue magazine has a set Structure and navigational system.
Most of Vogues navigation menus are there to facilitate users and their designers have differentiated and grouped navigation elements so that they can use appropriate menu types. As well as using descriptive tab labels, clickable list of page contents which they have done through glosses where they will help user’s
GRAZIA Navigation and Structure GRAZIA has a different web navigation and structure system compared to Vogue.
GRAZIA’s website uses several navigational features that enable their uses to interact such as their “GRAZIA Newsletter”. This allows users to sign up to regular updates of products and services available via e-mail.
Most sites are easy to use are dependent on the design of the site navigation. GRAZIA’s structure of navigation is very easy due to the fact that their drop menus are direct links unlike many other websites.
Grazia's Links allow users easy access to navigate to specific landing pages of the website straight from the "HOME PAGE".
ELLE Navigation and structure Like Vogue, Elle’s navigation is an efficient and easy structure to follow and its illustrated in the diagram below;
Search and sign up icon External link (Image hyperlink) Drop menu buttons Elle offers internal links such as the one above for news on current trends and anything else to do with the fashion industry
Direct links to social media sites as well as a download link for ELLE’s product and services app
ELLE Navigation and Structure •
External links that are designed to take customers straight to specific pages. The link includes additional information regarding; Jobs Fashion Blog sites Beauty advice Shows Various links for users to access help and information i.e. delivery and returns and contact
Social media links i.e. Twitter and Facebook
Compare and Contrast • The navigation and structure on all three websites are very similar and “user friendly”. Navigation to different pages within the site are easy due to the fact that all three websites have used clearly labelled drop menus. The drop menus are designed to come into view with various section choices when users choose a segment of the website to use.
• All three websites have search icon box bars available to users searching for something specific. And are able to do so by using keywords.
With navigation and structure, all three websites have created what is known as the “BACK BUTTON” that allows users to return back to a page if the navigation become too complicated. This could result to a decrease in user traffic towards the website as consumers would not want to use a structure that’s too complex
All three websites are greatly designed to make a life easy navigation to users. This is because users are using fewer clicks enable for users to navigate efficiently to a specific page they want to visit.
Interaction Design Interaction design determines the value of a communication service to its users, and the quality of experience they have when using it. Interaction design centres around the understanding of users—their goals, tasks, experiences, needs, and wants and aligning this with business goals and technological capabilities.
Purposes for interaction?
From a user perspectiveInteraction encourages customer engagement providing way for a two way communication, to increase their participation, involvement and control with the organisation. From a business perspectiveInteraction is imperative because it can be -used as a feedback loop and means to collect valuable customer research -reinforces brand values and objectives -enhance the user experience to compel the user to stay longer/ return -overall increase website effectively
Take action: •Goal driven •Incentives •Visual hierarchies
Usability •Patterns and prediction •Affordances •Control
Constant dialog: •FAQ •Customer feedback •Social media
Deciding •On site search engine •Chat facility
*Interaction design borrows heavily from the field of cognitive psychology with regard to cognition, memory, and perception. It also draws equally from the world of art as it encompasses aesthetics and emotion. (Kolko, 2011)
Interaction
Grazia
Visual hierarchies: Use of graphics interchange format (GIFs) used to engage and direct eyes to topic. Usability: Affordances (e.g mouse clicks + mouse rollover) – familiar, easy to use component
Learning: Selection choice – expand users knowledge
Constant dialog: Customer feedback Interactive live voting/ incentive to win Constant dialog + Social media - Ability to comment Goal driven: New on articles makes way for stores pop ups customer feedback. appear upon reaching the bottom of the page to “The more you fill out of your encourage profile, the more personalised we retention . can make your experience on Grazia Daily”
Usability: Greater control and personalisation.
Take action: Incentive.
Deciding: On site search engine Learning: Use of roll over gives visitors more information
Usability: Control- Use of space and ability to click around the words to move forward.
Constant dialog: -Social media -Live Twitter feed reoccurring on every page -Customer feedback
Take action: Visual hierarchies- Use of advertising is embedded into the website design. Direct users eyes through visual emphasis, layout, movements, size of elements and colour combinations.
Sensitivity and mouse roll over expands the advertisement
Deciding: On site search engine – Use of predicted text increases usability when searching. Learning: Selection choice. Workflow:-When searching if there is no word match, the page will take you to something new for customer retention purposes.
Take action: Goal driven incentives that match users needs embedded in the architect of the page. Aim to push subscriptions Usability: Control- Use of space and ability to click around the words to move forward.
Usability: Showing of previous history search to orient the visitors
Usability: Patterns mouse click options used throughout all pages.
Prediction - Use of arrow icon/ graphic is also seen across other fashion media
Learning: Sensitivity over informatio n provides summary
Constant dialog: Use of social media and multi platform channels.
Visual hierarchi es: Use of GIFs engage uses to a topic.
Take action: Visual hierarchy with the arrow. Used to aid users tasks, orienting them information that meets their wants and making core information available with reduced number of clicks.
Take action: Visual hierarchies - different promotion on each page to draw attention to social media. Focus is on size as an encouraging force. Affordance- Designed in such a way that someone unfamiliar should understand how to move forward. Clickable buttons are clearly outlined.
Learning and deciding: Lack of structure- format constantly per page forces users to become engaged and increase concentration. Constant dialog: -Social media -Commenting feedback
Take action: Goal driven - Page continues on to engage audience – forces the readers to continue and stay on page, increases page visit amount of time spent on a page.
Usability: Patterns User interface is comprised of familiar componentsthe use of the arrow icon.
Copywriting Copyright notices • All three major fashion websites have something know as copyright notice. According to the Internet Marketing book; Fourth Edition, Some websites such as the ones chosen, require of some countries covered under the Universal Copyright Convention (UCC). • “Websites are particularly open to abuse, especially theft of content and images”(copyright service).
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Most of Fashion websites will have accessed randomly, downloaded as individual chunks, and distributed out of context and are therefore deliverable items such as: – Image file properties. – Every page on all major websites contain a notice in the visible text (text shown on screen), or at least link to your notice in the body of the page. This can be used or formatted in different ways, for instance; in HTML files and CSS stylesheets a copyright notice can be included as a comment.
• Web copywriting and content development are essential to all three of the fashion organisation in terms of website design (user content interaction), structure and Navigation.
• VOGUE, ELLE and GRAZIA have provided users with the option on clicking onto their Copy right icon presented on their websites (as a direct link), which contains information on their copyright policies.
Recommendations and conclusions Navigation data and segmentation The objectives of website design Online value proposition Customer orientation Dynamic design and personalisation Aesthetics and page design - Recommendation for Aesthetics: From primary research we have found that viewers like to access the most popular stories instantly. Therefore each site should position their most popular/ trending stories at the top of the page. We also found that viewers like a clutter free page as this helps easily navigate the site. Therefore the websites should ensure minimal information is presented on the homepage. For example, participants in a focus group said that the Elle homepage required the viewer to scroll down too much before they reached the bottom of the page. Navigation and structure Interaction- All four companies offer a range of on site search engines and a way for users to contact the organisations, although, the interaction between them is very similar, with each adopting the same methods. As a result, more investment could be made in making the sites more unique and increase the quality of user experience such as the addition of movements (pan or zoom through the pages) to better the workflow process. Recommendations VogueDazed DigitalElle UKGrazia Daily-
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Chaffey, D., Ellis-Chadwick, F., Mayer, R. and Johnston, K. (2009) Interent Marketing. In: Chaffey, D. (ed.) Interent Marketing; Strategy, Implementation and Practice. 4th ed. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited, pp.417-519. Smith, P and Chaffrey, D. (2008) eMarketing (3rd edition), Butterworth- Heinemann: Oxford http://www.copyrightservice.co.uk/copyright/ http://www.media.co.uk/web-copywriting/#ixzz2nuU42F6 Kolko, J (2011) Thoughts on Interaction Design. Elsevier: Canada. http://www.jeffsextonwrites.com/2009/10/the-cleanbathroom-approach-to-online-persuasion/