OUGD504 - Studio Brief 2 - Website Evaluation

Evaluation 

The brief was to create a immersive and engaging platform to buy and sell reclaimed materials. The sites primary aims would be to promote the use of reclaimed materials to minimise the waste going to landfill and to expose users to a variety of materials to inspire innovation and allow them to see the creative opportunities of these products. The sites aim, not to influence the user too much as to what they can make allows for users to be more creative with the materials. The site aimed to create a friendly and positive atmosphere that would encourage people to use the site. The target audience for the site would be for a broad spectrum of creatives from hobbyists to designers. The concept focus of the site would revolve around the raw materials themselves as offcuts and scraps and the fact that reclaimed materials are byproducts of other processes. 

The hierarchy on the homepage places the search bar at the top allowing users to search for specific items therefore encouraging the use of only what they need. The materials drop down bar allows for the browsing of materials increasing exposure to new products. The categorisation of products into materials rather than their use within techniques means that people are less influenced by what the material is usually used for. These two features as well as the branding are view able on every page allowing for easy navigation to a specific or new place. 

The use of the find your... inspiration etc. bar on the homepage allows the user to understand simply what the site is about and what they can do with it, through the use of simple sentences that change. The wording of the phrase makes it personal to the user therefore increasing the likelihood of it being used. 

The trending ideas section allows users to understand some of the different ways that the materials are being used whether this be through techniques or things that they are used to make, however does not show the user how to use the material or what a final outcome would look like.

The featured products acts as a way of exposing people to materials they may not deliberately search for in the search bar or browsing sections, and acts as a way of proving inspiration.

Clicking on elements within the design opens up popups making it easier for the user to understand where they are and how to get back to the main screens when finished. The pop ups are simplify content and enable the process of buying and selling to be quick and easy making the user more likely to engage with the website.

The colour scheme of the design takes influence from industrial interior design as a way of visualising the link between scrap material and the industrial processes that create them. Industrial interior design combines different types of materials both in furnishings and in terms of building features, in a similar way to the site, which showcases a variety of materials in the same space. Industrial interior design uses a neutral colour pallette which complements and enhances the mix of textures within this type of design. Using this within the website allows the variety of materials to contrast against the background and stand out whilst the colour scheme also subtlety makes reference to the types of materials within the site e.g. grey reflects metal, brown reflects wood, reflecting the contrast in manmade and organic materials.

To create a sense of friendliness within the design the branding and typefaces used were set in lowercase to create a colloquial feel to the text. The addition of a pop up at the end of the checkout process provides a friendly reminder to relist materials, with the aim of reducing waste.

The designs minimalist design and colour pallete makes the design contemporary whilst allowing the materials to stand out, making it suitable and desirable for a creative audience looking for interesting materials to work with. Many of the reclaimed materials would be scrap or offcuts from other processes so the design explores this concept by cutting off edges of elements within the design such as imagery and pop ups.

The use of XD allowed for a competent mock up of the design allowing for the interaction with the site to be viewed, however is not suitable for more responsive elements to be shown such as typing, as the software reacts only to clicking.