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.