a cloth-covered button’s
target audience:
* Ages 18 - 30
* Women and men.
* Those interested in Australian design.
* Intellects interested in reviews or tips on current fashion trends.
* Fashion designers and graphic designers.
* Those interested in the discussion of popular culture and design conventions.
PERSONAS:
Yuki ~
Yuki, 18, is a female Japanese international student starting her first year doing a graphic design degree in Australia. Ai is interested in many aspects of design – illustration, computer-generated imagery, photography and textiles. She would like to know more about the trends in graphic design//fashion in Australia (western culture) as well as familiarise herself with Australian designers. Her English is limited so she partly relies on iconic symbols and general format found on websites. Since she is only starting her first year she has no professional knowledge in design or design technologies.
Emma ~
Emma, 28 [female, fluent in English], is a fashion designer working in the industry with substantial professional experience looking for inspiration. She is interested in the design trends of young people in Australia, as well as up-and-coming designers. She is also generally interested in popular and street culture, and is very familiar with websites and blogging. Intellectual material is stimulating, but she can also admire a lovely piece of visual/fashion design simply for its aesthetic appeal.
Wooden Toy
yuki <3
Positive:
* Yuki is instantly drawn to this website because it displays graphic artwork on its home page – also confirming she has the correct website.
* It is obvious to her to click on the artwork, as they change into colour when the mouse hovers over.
* Getting back to the homepage is not a problem, as most sites use the website icon/title as the link to the home page.
* Yuki likes what she sees and finds it easy to join the mailing list with its prominent submit button.
Negative:
* It takes Yuki a few seconds when she is in a display window to figure out how to view more, as there are no next/previous buttons.
* She sometimes gets confused on which text is clickable and which are just headings.
The moving news banner goes too fast for her to read.
Emma <3
Positive:
* Emma appreciates the lack of scrolling needed to view the whole of a page.
* Emma, who is quite web-literature, actually prefers text icons over symbols, and really likes the neat “newspaper” feel of the layout.
* Once she has found the shop, Emma is satisfied, as she likes to purchase online and enjoys designer merchandise (she probably buys a little too much but we wont tell her that).
* Enjoys the section devoted to up-and-coming designer’s stories.
Negative:
* Emma is used to be being able to slow banners down or click on them.
* The shop icon, because it is located on the far right side took some time to find.
* Emma would like to be able to read one or two of the articles inside the magazines so she has more of an idea of what she is going to get.
Frankie
Yuki <3
Positive:
* The main navigation is obvious in a column down the left-hand side.
* The large homepage is not a problem, as scrolling is a comfortable practice and the page is uncluttered.
* The home page tells you it is an Australian based magazine.
* The site is visually appealing and interactive.
Negative:
* There is no large and official looking Frankie title for the home page, which makes her wonder if she is at their official website.
* Yuki is confused by the some of the titles in the secondary pink navigation system, such as “all sorts”.
Emma <3
Positive:
* Looking at “past issues”, Emma easily navigates using the icons.
* The page is visually appealing and reflects the nature and intent of the magazine.
* The online shop was easy to find and once again Emma is excited about being able to purchase online.
* The site provides information on up-and-coming designers/artists, as well as fashion.
Negative:
* Emma finds the pink tag links to be slightly redundant and confusing.
* Emma would like to purchase their calendar but cannot find it in the link provided. If it is sold out they should say so!
Poster Magazine
Yuki <3
Positive:
* Yuki is told on the homepage that it is Australia based.
* Navigation bar is located on the far left side, a nice obvious choice.
* The large image of the magazine instantly tells you you’ve found the right website.
Negative:
* It is not visually dynamic.
* The “post online” title is not initially apparent as to what it is going to take you to, and for a while she thinks she will not be able to see any of the magazine online.
* The “home” title in navigation bar is not located at the top.
* When trying to join the mailing list Yuki is unsure about the “html/text” drop menu.
Emma <3
Positive:
* Format is neat and all can be seen on the home page without scrolling.
* Emma is pleased by being able to see the main pages of the magazine online in a way that allows her to get a really good glimpse into the magazine and its content.
* Pleased by being able to purchase online.
Negative:
* Emma would like to see more visuals of the magazine while searching through their site.
* The site is not particularly interactive, unique or aesthetically appealing.
Dumbo Feather
Yuki <3
Positive:
* The banner displays the title of the magazine in plain sight.
* Main content is in the centre and slightly to the left – appropriate placement.
* Hyperlinks become underlined when the mouse hovers over.
Negative:
* There are too many navigation bars, and the tag cloud is too overwhelming to even try to decipher and wander through.
* Blog entries are repeated throughout different categories.
* It is not obvious which page you are on.
* The aesthetics are not engaging, there’s too much text, and Yuki does not sign up for the newsletter.
Emma <3
Positive:
* The homepage does give names of some of the designers discussed in the magazine.
* There are a few pages on display from the magazine.
Negative:
* The aesthetics of the pages are quite bland and do not reflect the earthy, organic, photographic feel of the magazine.
* Emma is unsure as to whether the blog entries on the homepage are articles found in the magazine.
* There is hardly any information regarding the designers discussed in the magazine.
* There is an online shop but Emma doesn’t even get that far and leaves the website.
