CSIT 155: Week3B - Aesthetics, Design & Branding

Hi again friends!

There are many websites I frequent during the week, and they are primarily related to work or school, but for the sake of an interesting discussion, the two websites I visit frequently are:

http://www.amazon.com - Amazon

http://www.pendleton.bookoo.com – BooKoo

I know, I must seem like a crazy shopper, but I have reasons outside of shopping to visit these two sites.  As you may have noticed from my previous posts, I maintain the digital aspect of my father’s budding business “Sharon’s Cozy Pets”, and therefore must keep an eye on these two sites for proper advertising and promotion techniques. 

Why are these sites effective?

Well, to be totally honest, these two sites serve a very specific purpose, and through design and ease-of-access, they complete their function in a clear and understandable manner, while still having a certain aesthetic value that is easy on the eyes. 

What specific principles of a good design do they include and why?

The specific principles of both of these sites are: their organization. Although one is obviously more advanced than the other when it comes to website development, they both serve the same function, and that’s exciting. The purpose of these sites are to entertain and create sales, and the easier it is to do that for an audience, the greater the outcome.

What makes you come back again?

These particular sites both have a certain “heroin-content” in the department of sales, and promote the audience to come back again and again to avoid missing something they may want for a better price in which it is normally posted for. For example: Amazon offers products of all types, and despite their prices fluctuating with those that interact in the sales department of this site, Amazon offers “lightening sales” and “flash sales” where products normally priced at X dollars, is temporarily marked down to Y dollars, but only for a limited time. The viewers of this site are eager not to miss such sales, but must visit frequently and view the contents of the site to participate.

What could be improved?

To be completely honest, I don’t see anything from these two particular sites I would improve – I have always admired their design, their way to attract and maintain audiences, and their aesthetic construction. Personally, every aspect I see of these two sites I find pleasing, and outside of employees/staff maintaining the site and the different departments (such as billing and customer service) there is nothing I would change about the site itself, or the way it functions.

Thanks for reading!

Cheers!

JennL.