OUGD504 - Studio Brief 2 - Wireframing - Part 1

Wireframing different aspects of the design

- Having the material categories always at the top of the page across all pages would allow for the user to find something else during another search. Each category would have a dropdown box with further subdivisions of the material to better refine the users search e.g. the wood category would have plywood and oak in its drop down.

- The use of a materials bar would allow for the user to browse the website and potentially find things in different areas that they hadn't considered using or something similar to what they usually use through the use of more refined categories. One of the goals of the site was to inspire innovation and creativity and allow users to find new things so this browsing allows all aspects of the site to be accessible easily.

- When a category or subcategory on the bar is clicked this would take the user through to a similar page with the category bar and branding etc at the top. There would be the area heading then listings within that category or under that tag in the same grids system as the homepage making it a consistent layout and easily understood.

- The use of the search bar aims to allow users to find the specific thing they are looking for on the site by entering a search term. This feature would also have a predictive function which would allow similar search terms to pop up before the user has finished helping them to find other relevant searches that could be used to find their item. The ability for focused searching also aims to reduce the likelihood of people buying more than they are going to use and therefore sending more to landfill which defeats the purpose of the site.

- It was considered that the search bar could only appear when the search icon was clicked. Taking inspiration from Depop which when the word search is clicked the search bar becomes the whole page and is made a feature of it was considered that the icon could work in the same way.  However this would hide it away which in some ways would be effective because it would free up space however it would also put less emphasis on the use of the search function potentially meaning people won't use it as much.

- As a grid system it was considered that the Waste Hierarchy also known as the three R's (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) could be used as a basis for the layout. Sites such as Ebay and Etsy use a consistent grid system to allow equal exposure for peoples items as well as for cohesiveness particularly because of the mix of items that can appear on a eccomerce site. A three by five grid could be used as as a way of laying out all the items.

- When icons such as the account, sell and basket and individual listings were clicked on it was considered that these would form pop ups ontop of the existing page. This it was thought would always allow the user to always know where they were in relation to the main pages of the site and would prevent having to go back multiple times when searching the site. Instead the popups would have an 'x' in the corner to allow the user to simply 'x' the result.

- When a search is entered using either the search bar or category bar the results page will also have a filter tool which will allow the results to be refined further allowing the user to find more specifically what they want. Price, colour, category, delivery, location and seller rating will be filtered which will allow the user to find a more specific item, understand whether it is a local listing and can be collected or whether delivery is needed and also whether the seller is reliable which will increase users trust in the site.

- It has been considered that the search bar is best placed either at the top or bottom of the category bar. Having it in one of these locations means that the bar has enough room to be the same size as the category bar increasing the emphasis on its use and making it as important as the category bar. Potentially if the search bar goes above the category bar this would indicate that specific searching is wanted more than browsing which would suggest an emphasis on reducing waste. The search bar was also tested in line with the branding and icons at the top of the design however this meant there wasn't as much space making it less noticeable.

- On the homepage it was considered there could be featured items from each of the different categories allowing users to be naturally exposed to materials they would perhaps not come across normally. It was considered having a individual box for each of the categories which would have changing images. It was also thought that a strip of three images could be viewed for each section which would then change to another three after a period of time or clicking to scroll. This would take up less space and would be less disorientating than having multiple images changing on the screen.

- It was also considered that perhaps the images could be made circular as a reference to the cyclical nature of upcycling and recycling etc.

- Potentially the icons at the top of the screen could also be circular to fit with any circular imagery.

- It was considered that there could be a designer feature section which could help people see some creative ways of making things. However this may go against the idea of not influencing the user on what they make but at the same time could increase there creativity because of the exposure to other ideas.

- Adding comments about the use of upcycling could be a good way of creating a sense of positivity and encouragement around the use of the materials. 

- Placing the logo centrally allows the buttons to balanced on either side creating a sense of symmetry.

- When selling an item three images would be uploaded as this ties in with the idea of the 3 R's. Making all the drop down and text boxes the same width as the area the images take creates balance within the pop up. Refining the content when uploading an item makes the process of selling much quicker and easy to understand. The use of tags allows for the product to be found more easily when searching for specific items or techniques etc.

- When viewing an item the user will be able to click left and right to view other images allowing for multiple imagery to be viewed in a small space. Having similar items at the bottom of the listing will help viewers navigate to things that are appropriate to what they are looking for whilst not distracting them from the actual listing they are on. The ability to favorite an item means it can be saved for later allowing people to buy something at another time.