Analyzing the Usability of Three Competitor Websites - Case Study Example

Assignment 1a: Competitive Analysis In the competitive analysis, we are mainly analyzing the usability, we’re working for user interface ideas and sowe are asking questions such as: What are the categories, features, labels, graphics, web elements and processes that the competitors are using? What are the goals they are trying to serve? The idea is to identify weaknesses and develop the company web site’s strengths and apply the good ideas that the competitors are using. So in this process, competitor websites were visited and a list of their features was outlined. For this competitive analysis, I have used three competitor websites and examined the Applications and Snapshots section – the area that is required to be redesigned: Mako Steel: www.makosteel.com Kiwi II: http://www.kiwiconstruction.com/australiaandnewzealand.cfm Trachte: http://www.trachte.com/ Techfast’s website is http://www.techfast.com/ The steps in each of the website review followed this sequence: I opened and scanned the homepage. This included a quick view at the header before scanning the main navigation. Afterwards I went to the main subjects of the competitive analysis, the Applications and Snapshots section. Analysis Techfast has two sections that contain images. The Applications and the Snapshots galleries. Frankly, these two sections are confusing and don’t have a clear goal in regard to what it wants to convey to its users. Which one serves as a portfolio - the showcase of Techfast’s previously completed works? Which one informs, educates and outlines the various types of products and services that Techfast offers? I have assumed that the Applications section functions as the image catalogue of the products and services that the company offers and that the Snapshots serves as the portfolio, showcasing recent and the best projects that Techfast has done. Now, granting this is the case, there are several problems. First, if the Applications are to be the gallery that provides the visual representations of all of Techfast’s products and services, then it needs to have details and descriptions, at least in the main categories and possibly on individual images so that the user looking at the pages in this category makes sense of what he or she is browsing. As fig. 1 will show, an image shown in the gallery is bare and it lacks salient information. Perhaps it would be best to provide an overview of what a Single Story Storage building is and so forth. Fig. 1 In regard to the Snapshot, I believe it needs to be renamed as the Portfolio or Recent Projects, or Showcase section. This is not just about addressing ambiguity in labels but it will help the sections to be more organized and coherent for users and not appear to be redundant. In addition, the link to the Snapshots from the Products and Services sections must be replaced with the link leading to the Applications instead. Techfast can learn a lot from the excellent structure of Trachte’s visual and content hierarchy. An architectural application (see fig. 2) as presented in a single page, contains not just an image, but a detailed description and related links such as a photo gallery of the product and other sections including coloring, specs and building plans, enhancements, among others. The organization is impeccable and the user has a clear direction in the course of the browsing experience. In a way, the section’s presentation and layout conveys an anticipation of what the user might need. The Portfolio section of Trachte is accessible after completing a form. It appears to be a strategy of collating data from potential clients for future marketing use. I would like to highlight this strategy as a model that Techfast can emulate. For example, in the Portfolio section, a user is required to provide personal/business information before viewing the company’s completed projects. Variations of these forms can also be found when a user requests for information or asks for a free site plan (a feature that is also a good marketing strategy). I think this dimension to Trachte’s website elevates the function of the website from an educational tool to a marketing and sales platform. Techfast will do better by integrating this strategy to its website. Other details found in Trachte that can be useful to enhance user experience when using Techfast’s website include sitemap, pricing, search tool and better customer support access. Fig. 2 Trachte follows a good visual hierarchy, smooth and systematic navigation flow with consistent design and layout that is easy to follow. It is also intuitive wherein subcategories found in inside pages are helpful and relevant to the content therein. While Trachte excelled in presenting a comprehensively detailed presentation, Kiwi II offered the simplicity and no-frills approach of presenting the gallery for the Portfolio Section and the images that go with each of the company’s products and services. The organizational approach is different from that of Trachte’s, nonetheless it is effective in its own way. The portfolio section features images of recently completed works while each of Kiwi II’s products are displayed in its own section replete with informative images and a detailed Features content. Mako Steel follows this approach, as well, presenting structural images and product/services overview in the Products section. The Gallery serves as the Portfolio. However, in this category, Mako Steel, provided just thumbnails of images and no functionality for larger image viewing. Recommendations What Techfast must do is to better organize the Applications and Snapshots sections so that it does not appear ambiguous, redundant, confusing and, in general, it could provide a systematic flow in terms of usability that will result in optimized user experience. Specifically, labels can be changed to a clearer and more representative links to the sections; additional contents should be also added such as product overview, features section and project details; and, finally links can be added to integrate additional functionalities to each of the pages such as related services, contact information, testimonials and perhaps customer support as well. For example, when a user opens the Single Story link under the Applications category, the page that will be shown should have links to other products and services. In this way, a user does not encounter a dead end where there is no choice but to repeatedly the Back button or, worse, to navigate away from the site. References Kiwi II. 10 Oct. 2008 Mako Steel. 10 Oct. 2008 Trachte. 10 Oct 2008 Read More