Argos online retailer, United Kingdom. Web Development - Assignment Example

?Argos is a leading online retailer in the United Kingdom in general merchandise. Argos offers comparatively low prices for goods in its online store. The shops were founded in the 1970’s and currently there are close to 600 stores strategically located throughout the UK. Many of these shops are Argos superstores that have later opening hours and a comprehensive range of both Argos Extra catalogue and Argos catalogue goods for buyers to make a choice from before the purchase. Many people in the UK live within ten Kilometers from the nearest Argos store and it has the popularity of top brands delivery at low prices to the clients. There is ready access to the Argos full range of products on the online store for home delivery and purchase. The online service store additionally provides information on products and services such as Argos wedding list service, insurance and others-either online or offline. On one hand, Argos has its own out of the ordinary set of marketing challenges and opportunities. While the roots of marketing, unique advantages that customer cares to have, are similar for most online businesses, some ideas work well for Argos as a business in contrast to another. Small businesses have the advantage of knowing their customers on a more personal level and have easier time turning them into fans as compared to large businesses, such as Argos store. Giving the clients more than they expect is the beginning down the success road and they do the marketing to others (Cockrum 2011). In order for your web site to be productive, users must find useful information or accomplish tasks. In a goal-oriented design you must balance the needs of the users and the needs of your organizations (Concepcion 2002, p. 81). This can be achieved by setting a full set of usage scenarios for each persona. One can the use the scenarios to test the site structure making sure it offers and experience that includes all the basic elements that are needed by the users to reach their goals. In this day, marketing takes an important role in many facets of an online business’ life and process (Krug 2005). It can be defined as a management process where goods and services are provided well to reach customer needs and satisfaction. It is a way of attracting people’s attention, arousing their interests, motivating and activating their desire to take action. One strategy that can be very useful to satisfy customer needs more easily and lead a company towards success is a set of effective internet marketing tools. In simple language a website is much more than a sum of its constituent parts. One of the criteria to judge a website is the content. This evaluates the information provided in terms of usefulness, degree of information, interaction and presence of valuable graphics, audio or video (Mcneil 2008, p. 28). Structure and navigation of the website is also an important feature to look for. This refers to the framework of a website, prioritization of information, organization of the content and the method which you move through the website. Visual design with high quality appearance is also a feature to consider. The first impression a website gives is important and it often influences the visitor’s interest in the website. This is defined by the URL length, download time, plug-ins requirement, home screen view and depth of site. Functionality of the website is also a prominent criterion. It defines the use of technology on the site where good functionality means the site works well. The presence of live links, quick load time is a factor. Also a site that works cross-platform on different browsers is an important factor. A highly functional site will anticipate the diversity of the user requirements from file format, file size and download speed. Last but not least is the interactivity and overall experience. This is the way that a site allows you to achieve an intended goal. Allowing a user to give and receive and having the user participate is important. A user with a good overall experience comes back regularly, places a book mark, participates, stays for a while or signs up a newsletter etc. The Institute specializes in providing many courses in the field of information technology. Their website provides useful and well detailed information. For instance, course information such as the place of course , times and costs, which saves time for the user to get all what he wants without having to contact the Institute. The other thing I liked in the site is the structure and navigation of the website. It has a simple framework and straight forward content organization. The search engine is very accurate and saves a lot of time for the user to search for anything he wants in the site. The interactivity of the website and overall design of Argos is nicely done. It allows the user to do something, that is, give and receive information. The prioritization of information on the website gives it usability. It contains some live links, for example, on top10 and popular goods offered by Argos. This website also provides other useful information such as a; jobs link (http://www.argoscareers.com), frequently asked questions, open standards etc. This aspect makes it cover the user needs in a wholesome fashion. The use of technology is very evident. This has been shown by the presence of live links and browser independence. Technology use has improved the overall user experience by allowing an advanced level of interactivity with the website. The simple framework and content organization makes the website easy to navigate and gives it a unique and beautiful structure. The content has been complimented by the visual aids and is well prioritized. Displaying products and services details where you get more information about the course such as entry requirements, course time and location in an orderly manner and in simple language that is understandable is a good example. The website also contains attractors, this are extra services or information that keep the user glued to the website. For instance, it has a latest news section, finance and scholarships, enrolment links and a blog. It also contains a lot of external links useful to students. This feature makes it possible to get a lot of returning visitors to the website and visitors who spend time on the website. Largely the user satisfaction has been well addressed by the available design and functionality. There are some social bookmarks at the bottom of the page that bring the aspect of social interaction. This in my opinion gives the online store a social image and an aspect of online communication. The main interface looks very organized and easy to navigate and you can gather lots of information. You can also identify the services that are provided by the clinic in addition to the availability of content of site map. Conclusion When planning and creating a website, the developer has the idea of reaching global audience through the internet (Horton 2005, p.43). The designer has to keep in mind the necessities of the visitors and the return on investment, profit, from a particular website. Disseminating information through electronic means is a dynamic activity and it changes with advancement in technology (Bringhurst 2005, pp. 5, 32 & 44). While many hospital websites make the grade when it comes to look and feel, the designer needs to focus on the visitors, reasons they view and what they are viewing in the site. Additionally, there are many advantages of using internet marketing tools such as maintaining the customer’s satisfaction, promoting the new product of the company and keeping customers’ brand loyalty of customer as long as possible. It is not only useful in the business part but it is also useful for the education part as well especially for promoting online stores. References Beaird, J 2007, The Principles of beautiful web design, SitePoint,New York. Krug, S 2005,Don’t make me think: A Common sense approach to web usability, New Riders Press, California. Johnson, J 2010,Designing with the mind in mind: Simple guide to understanding user interface design rules, Morgan Kaufmann, Massachusetts. Bringhurst, R 2005, The Elements of typographic style applied to the web, John Wiley & Sons, New York. Cockrum, J 2011 , Free marketing: 101 low and no-cost ways to grow your business, Wiley, New York. Cone, S 2011 , Steal these ideas!: Marketing secrets that will make you a star, Bloomberg Press, New York. Concepcion, A 2002, Professional Web Site Design from Start to Finish, How Design Books, San Francisco. Govindarajan, V & Trimble, C 2005,Building breakthrough businesses within established organizations., John Wiley & Sons, New York. Horton, S 2005, Access by Design online, New Riders Press, California. Mcneil, P 2008, The web designer’s Idea Book: The Ultimate guide to themes, trends and styles in website design, New Riders Press, California. Tamara, A & Pruitt J 2005, the essential persona lifecycle, Morgan Kaufmann, Massachusetts. Read More