What I have done today

This is a theme I have chosen for my website on wordpress.

LO3 My website

LO3 Self assessment

Today I have looked at different examples of what I want on my website on other websites. This has helped me learn how to achieve the certain thing

LO2 Advertising

In order for the website to make a good profit there will need to be adverts. Also the products could be sponsored by companies which would bring in more profit.

LO2 Costing

The average web designer will earn £22,591 in a year. To own a domain name it roughly costs £3.99 per month. It also costs £2.99 per month to host the website. Although there are some companies that have a package that includes web hosting and a domain name.

LO2 Launchdate

My launch date of the draft website will be 30th of November. This will allow for feedback and slight improvements to be made, in order for it to be released at the beginning of January

LO2 Website examples

http://holcombguitars.com/

This is an example of a fixed vertical left navigation bar 

http://stackoverflow.com/questions/20846204/how-to-create-a-fixed-vertical-expandabale-navbar

https://www.youtube.com/

An example of an embedded video

https://vzaar.com/features/security/https_embed_code?partner=adwords_features-uk-embed&keyword=embedded%20video%20player&matchtype=p&gclid=CjwKEAiApYGyBRC-g_jIstuduV8SJABCEzhZ-IxfATsPrKeMYvj8YIgIuP55ayMOYFdFrkrIoqfU2BoC8Cjw_wcB

http://sproutsocial.com/insights/embed-twitter-feed/

An example of a live twitter feed 

http://sproutsocial.com/insights/embed-twitter-feed/

LO2 Legal and Ethical

Copyright- Because I will be using pictures to show the products. I will not disturb any copyright laws.  As I have taken the pictures myself of the products so there will be no copyright issues. If I had not taken my own photos then I would have to reference them on the website.

W3C- This website has a set of rules for what you can and can't put on your website. I will have to abide by their rules on the use of code to be able to run the website.

LO2 Information Flow

LO2 Drafts of my graphic design work

LO2 Gantt chart

LO2 Wireframes

 

LO2 Recap on Code academy

In code academy I learnt how to use a bootstrap to make my website look more professional. Also I learnt how to add in pictures. I also know how to change the layout of website through by using boot strap. 

LO2 Learning HTML and CSS

Last week I learnt how to add text and how to use div, I also learnt hew to change the colour on CSS. This will help me with my website

LO2 leaning code

The program we used to manipulate the websites  

Before 

After using X-ray Goggles 

The website's source code, we found out how websites are structured 

LO2 Mindmap

LO2 Moodboard

LO2 Content of the website

LO2 Audience

Audience profile- Thomas is 30 and has a 8 year old child called Benjamin. He lives with his wife and child in Sheffield. Thomas works in advertsments which puts him in the ABC socail grade. He likes to but products form his hometown as he feels he is putting money back into his community rather that big companies. Thomas doesn't like his Benjamin to use electronics and he wants him to grow up using toys. It is also clear that Benjamin likes building his toys. It's Benjamin's birthday coming up soon so Thomas is looking for a toy that has been made locally for Benjamin.

LO2 Purpose

The purpose for the small machines website is to show the range of products the company sells. Also it is to tell the story of how they were made to the user, because if they know the background history they are more likely to buy the product and the manufacturing story. The purpose is to show the prices of the items for sale so that people know.

LO2 Planning a multi-page website

Small Machines – promotional website for ‘Small Machines’ range of wooden toy kits.

LO2 Started

I am interested in making a website for Small machines. It will feature the products, the prices and a brief description on how they are made/ work.

LO1 Feedback

LO1 Analysis of Twitter

A)The purpose of twitter is to socialise with friends and follow celebrities. You can follow friends and talk to them also you can follow you favourite celebrities and see what they are up to. It gives people a chance to feel closer to the people the idolise. The target audience are people who enjoy socialising. I think the age range would be 15-30 year olds.

B) People use Twitter to express their opinion so being able to tweet things is very important. Also they will want to find out what other people are tweeting about and see what is trending. But people have a restriction on Twitter that they have to write 140 characters. Also users will want a fast instant system where new tweets come in instantly on the users homepage.
C)The Twitter website is pretty easy to navigate round. There isn't loads of different pages. So this keeps the experience pretty simple. For the user it means it' s easier to use. Also it's clearly mapped out, Also the basic information like number of followers and number of tweets is big so the user looks at that first, that is good because it is important information.
D)The features of the website. The header has the options to go on to the users homepage, notifications and messages. They can look at what the people they have been following have been tweeting. They can look at the tweets they have been mentioned in, the favourites they have gained and the retweets they have gained also. Also on the right hand corner there is a big blue button giving the user the ability to tweet. Next to it is the users photo icon to show that they are logged into their account. On the left hand side it says the tending topics of the day this shows the user what is going on.
E) The audience can gain friends and information from website. The user benefits because they can express their opinion. Also they can look at what their favourite celebrities have been up to and this makes the user feel closer to them as Twitter is quite personal. The company benefits because they can advertise and gain information about people.
F)The website has changed a lot in 9 years, The website used to have a lot of colour. The logo has changed from the name of the company to a little blue bird. Also the placement has changed from the left hand side to the middle. This is more simplistic and makes the website look more sophisticated. Also the lack of colour in the background makes it look minimalistic and simple. This makes it more appealing to a modern audience compared to the bubble writing of Twitter and the blue clouds in the background. Twitter looks more 'grown up' now. Blue is the staple colour of the website. So just having the foreground din that shade of blue makes it more subtle.

LO1 Analysis of Spotify

A)The purpose of Spotify is to entertain it provides either free music where you can listen to your favourite artists. But you can upgrade to premium and this allows you to listen to music offline, have unlimited skips and many other small features. The target audience is people who enjoy listening  to music and the convenience of having it free makes it more appealing to people.
B)The visitor needs are to listen to music easily, to be able to search or artist and for them to create their own personal account. Spotify allows you to link up the account with your facebook. This means that you can follow and listen to your friends music. So with this personal account Spotify allows you to save artists, songs, albums and make playlists. For the user the categories are put into sections on the side bar.
C) If an user has the Spotify app and it downloaded onto the users computer, the website will show the user what they last listen to on their phone. The website also provides different playlists for certain genres of music. There are also playlist for certain moods. This means that if the user wants to listen to a certain genre or find new artists in the genre they enjoy. Spotify makes this all easier.
D)There is a side bar that holds the playlists you have made. This has been placed there so the user can access it on any page of the website. It also holds your saved artist, albums and songs. The fact that the user can follow artist means that they can see all the music they have produced. Also the fact that users cam save certain albums means that they pick and choose which ones to keep. This enhances the user experience and allows them to build up a more personal account. In the footer there is a play/ pause button, a rewind and skip button. This makes it easier to listen to music and is more convenient. Also the website gives you the option to see the lyrics to the song. This is made by the users of the website putting the lyrics in time with the song. This enables the users to learn the lyrics and see what they are. The footer also has the option to shuffle the music or play it in loop. Finally it has audio control so the user can choose how they listen to the music.
E) The audience benefits because they get to listen to free music and have a personalised account. Which entertains them because of that. But if the user doesn't upgrade to premium they have to listen to adverts and they are only allowed 6 skips per hour. Then company benefits because they gain money from advertisements, also they get Facebook accounts, so they can advertise their company more. Also if someone upgrades to premium they pay the company £7.99 a month.

F) This is the Spotify website in 2007. As you can tell it is pretty barren, this is because the website was only just starting and it was unpopular. They had to build up a name for themselves before they started making deals with artists to gain copyright. So for the first few years on the website they were asking for employers talking about the website and what the are about The layout now has lots of information and links. It is a lot more interactive with the ability to make playlists. Also the website has changed the colour scheme. The logos iconic green has gotten darker and the websites page has gone to a black/ grey colour. This makes the colours of the albums stand out more. 

LO1 Learning task sheet 1

LO1 Analysis of Twenty One Pilots

A)The purpose of this website is to advertise the band. It shows their albums, their recent tour dates and the merchandise they sell. This gives visitors of the website a massive insight into the band and what they are about. It advertises the brand of the band. The target audience is people who like the band and are fans of it.
B) Visitors of the sight will be fans of the band. So they will want to but the bands merchandise so they feel part of the fandom. Also they will want to buy tickets for the concert so they can see them live and feel more connected to the band. So the website needs to showcase the merchandise in a way that people will want to buy them. The website also needs to show the tour dates to users can go see if they can see the band live.
C) The website clearly shows the merchandise and makes it look good. Also it is instantly on the homepage when you are scrolling down. This makes it easier for the user to find out the want. There are clear links to the clothing shops and where to but tickets.
D) When you first click on the website the members of the band are on the home screen. Then the website automatically goes down to the merchandise they sell and the prices. There is a scrolling side bar that shows the logo of the band, a pop up so you can go directly to the categories you want. It also has a link to sign up to the mailing list. The website also shows the bands different social media with links to all of them. It also shows the most recent music videos from the band. The footer has the opportunity to sign up agin and it has their social medias again.
E) The audience gains information about the band, the opportunity to buy their merchandise and see tour dates, music videos and photos. They also benefit cause they can sign up to the website to get new information. The company benefits because they can gain money from the merchandise and tickets sold. Also they can gain more followers on their social media.
F)The biggest change in the website is the theme. As the band had changed through different genres there theme has changed. The old website has mostly white and is very clear and clean. With three simple links to follow them online, download and contact them. So the only website was very minimalistic because the band was new and not that popular so they couldn't sell merchandise. because the website is more popular now they need more information. Also the logo of the bad is around the home page more on the new website.

LO1 Analysis of Gumtree

A)The purpose of Gumtree is to sell your unwanted products and you also have the opportunity so buy a vast range of products. On Gumtree you can advertise jobs and apply for them. You can also advertise services like childcare and transport. The website is also very community based so if you want a product the website will show you the ones on sale in your area. So the target audeince is people from communities.
B)The visitor needs will be finding a specific product that they want so the website needs a search bar to enable the visitor to do that. The visitor might also want to see what products are available in their area because it might be a big product. Also the visitor might want services from people like plumbing and gardening in their area. So the user will need search bars and categories to be able to use the website properly.
C)The website is set out quite simply. When a user searches for a certain item like a car. The website will provide a small picture and basic information for the user to scroll through. This means that they don't have to read through lots of information about the different cars the can just get a basic overview, this makes the experience better for users.
D) The header has a search item bar and a search location item. This means the user can refine their search to find something they want in their area. Also there is a link where you can add an advert and sell things. The header also has the companies logo and name. Finally users can login to their account and get help. Also on the homepage there is an advert this is quite big and will be used for profit. Also on the homepage there is some of items that they sell. This is to show the user the wide range of things they sell and hopefully entice people to buy the
items.
E) The audience benefits from the website because they can sell their things and get money. They an also buy stuff for cheaper prices. Another benefit is that they can find items they need in their area so won't have to pay as much for shipping. Also the user will feel like they are contributing to the community.  The company benefits because they take away a profit from people buying and selling also they will gain money from advertising.
F)In the past 14 years the website has changed dramatically. The shade of green has gone lighter. Also on the only website the logo is huge and takes up most of the website. On the new one it it very small this is because people know the website and it is popular so it doesn't need to be as big. On the new homepage there is more information about the products they sell. The new website also has more interactions with the user with a search bar. Another difference is that there are images on the new website this shows off the products they sell, instead of the old website. 

LO1 Analysis of Wikipedia

A)The purpose of Wikipedia is to show information about lots of subjects. It allows people to read information on subjects. People can also add information. The target audience for Wikipedia is any one that has an interest in information. Wikipedia supplies to a mass audience. Wikipedia is very convenient because it has most of the information of a library and people can access it from home. 
B)The visitor needs for Wikipedia are to find out information. Because there is a mass amount of information this means that the visitor will need a search bar to sift through the information to find what they are looking for. Also when they get to they topic they may not want to read everything about it so summary topics are there so the user can go into even more specifics. Also people might want to get more information than wikipedia provides links to other websites so people can find out more if they want.
C)The wikipedia page is full of information on the homepage. This provides the user with informations they otherwise probably wouldn't have known. This means that before they have even searched something the have gained information. Because the people can contribute information it means that the user feels a part of it and part of the company.
D) The header for the website has a search bar. The reason it is at the top is because for the user they will be wanting to search something specific so it needs to be noticeable. On the side bar there are different categories. there is a link to help people add information to the website. There is a link to read about wikipedia and what it is about. The home page provides sections of information under the categories, did you know, on this day, in the news and from todays features article. This gives a constant change in the homepage which is quite refreshing.
E) The audience will benefit because they gain information that they have been looking for. Also the user can share information and contribute the site. That is also a benefit that the user can feel like part of the website if then contribute something to it. Wikipedia has a community contribution so there are no massive benefits to the company. 

F) The website hasn't changed a lot in the past 11 years. The layout has stayed relatively similar with having the logo in top left hand corner in both examples. But on the newest layout it is slightly smaller, this is properly to fit more information in. Also the logo is recognisable now because the website is popular the logo doesn't need to be too big. The colour scheme has stayed the same as well, that information is in coloured boxes. The website doesn't need to change much because the websites principles are the same. Also keeping the website similar makes the users trust it and recognise it more, rather than it changing often.

LO1 Understand a range of contesting commercial websites

It has 6 component to it this time (a-f)..'Learners analyse a range of contrasting commercial websites, evaluating' 
A) Purpose B) Visitor needs C) Information flow/ user experience D) Features E) Benefits F) Content

Main purposes are
1) Information (public service, education, news)
2) Advertising (a product, film, programme)
3) E-commerce and services (shops)
4) Downloads and streaming (music, films, resources)
5) Social media (networking sites, citizen journalism)