Website design is a large factor in our daily lives. Probably larger than many of us realize. We have all experienced our fair share of perfect web design, such as Facebook, Google, YouTube, Star Tribune, where the colors are complementary, our eyes quickly spot interesting links, we are captivated by the clean cut appearance, and the site is easy to navigate. And then, of course, we run across the inadequate web design, where the layout is confusing, the colors are off, the necessities are difficult to find. It appears cluttered, confused, and out of date. I've decided to use 2 different websites to illustrate this. The first link here, is what I would call a well created webpage. Everything is very organized. The email link is available on every page. The items are well bulletined. There is enough color to balance out the text and an appropriate amount of relevant advertising. It's likely the MyU website was created by a graphic designer who had been trained to create work while working with the aspects of visual perceptions. The creators didn't make the webpage to overwhelming. Everything appears coordinated and well defined. It doesn't cause us to focus in on every detail, because a simple sweep of our eyes across the screen allows us to find what we needed to see. This second link here, is my example of an unorganized web design. And obviously, if you're reading this blog post, you've dealt with the inefficient layout of Uthink. This website is far to cluttered and disorderly. It is difficult to find even the basic tools to open and reply to a peer's blog. The creators of this webpage did a poor job with pleasing the eye and allowing the important links to jump out at you. They could have used a different array of colors to help highlight useful links. The page also appears very text-heavy and is overwhelming to look at.
Me using UThink:
Ultimately, it is vital that web-designers pay attention to how the eyes and brain perceive their website. It's not only important to have all the information available, but to have it in an organized user-friendly layout. Designers need to be sure to consider our sensations and perceptions. Shape, contour, and colors are just a few of the important aspects to be aware of. After all, the more comfortable a website is, the more it will be used.
I totally agree with your statements. I find MyU quite easy to use. I can clearly find the different links I need to use because the layout makes sense. I also agree with how confusing and difficult the Uthink website is. It took me forever to figure out how I could even read other people's blogs. Then when I finally figured that out and commented, I wasn't sure if I even had because the way I submitted my comment the first time, it didn't appear right away. Needless to say, I was very confused. The home page too is also poorly designed. I for one don't see the importance of seeing the bar chart for entries and comments. I just want to be able to click a button that allows me to post an entry, read my peer's entries, and comment on them.