Competitive Analysis - www.seekgifts.co.uk

When the user enters the home page it is clear to see that the purpose of this website is to search for gifts based on the information that is put into the search engine. The reason they instantly know this is because the gift search facility is the main feature and takes up most of the page. Although this page doesn’t have a lot of information, the text at the bottom of the page is quite close together making the bottom half of this web page cluttered and busy which may put some users off. The layout for the home page is suitable because the only way to search gifts is by inputting information into the search facility so this has been made to take up most of the home page because there isn’t a need to fill the page with other information.

The search facility on this website is very easy to use although it only has a very basic search and doesn’t give the user an option for a more advanced search. There are only three sections the user can enter information and this information is whether the recipient is male or female, the recipients age range and three keywords to describe what the recipient likes. The search results are relevant to what the user searched for and at the top of the results page it has the search facility across the top of the page showing the information they entered but also allows them to change the information to search for something different. The layout of the results page is good and when the user clicks on a product, it redirects them to the site where they can find out more information and purchase it from.

The global navigation used on this website is consistent from page to page although there are only two main web pages on this website and these are the home page and the results page. There is a privacy policy page but this has no navigation except the site logo at the top of the page which navigates the user back to the home page. The only way the user can navigate to the results page is by putting information into the search engine and click search. From the results page the user can navigate back to the home page by clicking the site logo or they can refine or start a search using the search facility across the top of the page. Although the site does not have much to navigate around, the navigation is easy to use and it does function well.

The colour scheme for this site is blue, white and pink. Parts of it work really well and some parts don’t work so well. It works really well where there is bright pink text on a white background and where there is dark blue text on a white background. This is because the background colour and the text colour are contrasting so it makes it easier for the user to read. There are places on this website where there is dark blue text on a blue background. Most users will be able to read this but some users may find it difficult to read as it is all the same colour but just different shades. The font used on this website is consistent through-out the pages and the font type and size used is appropriate and it is very easy for the user to read. The only main problem with this colour scheme is that it makes the website quite feminine looking so male users may be put off using the site.

Overall this website is easy to use and functions well as it was designed and made for searching for gift ideas and that is what it does. The user can’t get lost within this website as there are only two main pages. When the user clicks on a product to view it, it takes them to the website which is selling the product so they can find out more about it and also purchase the product if they wanted to. The website provides a very easy and convenient way of searching for gifts.
The website I have proposed to create will be similar to the seek gift website in some ways but in other ways it will differ. The gifts used on my site will be from small businesses in Hull so when the user clicks on a product, they won’t be directed to another websites because these businesses don’t have websites so the user will be taken to a page with information about the gift. Also, I am going to give the user a better choice of how they search the website.

Screenshots of Seek Gifts:

Above is the home page. First the user chooses whether they are shopping for a male or female. They next choose their recipients age range and then finally enter up to three keywords about what the recipient likes. Then all they have to do is click 'Start Seeking'.

Above is an example of a user using the search engine.

Above shows the results page and how the results are positioned on the web page.

Above shows that once the user has clicked on a product, it takes the user to the website selling that particular product.

Competitive Analysis

My idea to make a gift finder website is not a new idea I made the decision to carry out some competitive analysis of websites that are similar to the one I would like to create. The websites that will be analysed are:
• http://www.seekgifts.co.uk/
• http://www.giftgen.co.uk/

Before starting my analysis, the areas to focus on and analyse were thought about carefully and I decided on the following:

• Home page
-What is the purpose of this website? Is this clear to the user?
- Does it contain a lot of information?
- Is the layout suitable for this website?

• Search and search results
- Is the search facility easy to use?
- Does it have basic and advanced search functions?
- Does it function well? Does it return results relevant to what the user searched for?
- Does the search results page remind the user what they searched for?

• Navigation
- What sort of navigation is used?
- Is it easy for the user to navigate around the site?
• Colour Scheme and Readability

- What is the colour scheme used on the site?
- Is the colour scheme suitable for all intended audiences?
- Is the text on the site easy to read?

• Overall
- Is the site easy to use?
- Does the site function well?
- Summary of this website
- How would my site be different to this site?

Audience

The intended audience for my website are people who need help thinking of a gift idea for someone who want to buy them a product that is cute and unusual. The people like these types of gifts tend to be young women (16yrs-25yrs) so I want to aim my website at these people. These users would go on the site to search for gifts for friends and family and maybe even search for cute, girly, handmade products for themselves. As well as young women using the site, I think some men would like to use this site to find a gift for their girlfriends. The only problem I would have with designing for different genders would be the design. From research, I have found out that men and women differ in preference when it comes to website design. Women tend to prefer websites with a lot of colour and more rounded shapes where as men prefer websites with darker colours and straight edges. To solve this problem I am going to have to find out to design a website that would be suitable for both genders or choose one of the two genders to design it for.

Project Goals

The main goal for my project is to design and create a fully working website. I want to be able to research the needs of my intended audience and use this research to help me design and create a website aimed at them. After the site has been created, I would like to carry out some user testing so that I can get some feedback from the users and make appropriate changes to improve the site. When the users leave my website, I would like them to have a good gift idea and the information about where they can find this product. Another goal of mine is to design and build my website so it will be accessible to all users.

As well as goals I have set myself for my project, I also have some personal goals. One of these goals is to improve my design skills. I would also like to work on my PHP skills by refreshing myself with PHP I have already learnt but also to learn new PHP.

Overall:
• To research the needs of my intended audience
• To design and build a fully working website
• To be able to provide users with good gift ideas
• Carry out user testing and make appropriate changes
• To make my website accessible to all users
• To improve my design skills
• To refresh myself with the PHP I have already learnt (e.g. Adding, editing and removing information to and from a database and also logins)
• Learn new PHP (e.g. how to create a search)

Abstract

For my final major project, I propose to create a website that allows its users to search for gifts.
The gifts that will be displayed on my website will be from small businesses that are located on Princes Avenue and Newland Avenue in Hull, as these businesses do not have websites they can advertise or sell their products on.

The website will give the users a number of different ways in which they can search the website for gifts. One way would be for the user to type in a keyword using a search box, and then the website will return any results relevant to the keyword entered. This would be helpful to those users who already know what type of gift they are looking for. A second way to search the site would be for the user to view gifts by product category, price, or colour etc. Thirdly there would be an option to view the gifts that are sold by each business.

The results page will show the relevant results and will be displayed along with a product name, image and price. When the user clicks on a certain product, they will be taken to a new page where it will have more information about it such as images, price, description, the name of the business that sells it. In addition to this there will be a small location map and their shop address so users will know how to find and purchase this product.

There will also be a login section for the businesses to access the website in an administrative role. This will allow them to add new products, edit any existing products and delete unavailable products to and from the site. By providing each business with their individual login details, this will give them the opportunity to do this and will then ensure my website would always be up to date. If they choose to update their products by adding to them, it would also help increase their number of sales in store.

The aim of this website is for the user to be able to leave the website with a good gift idea for the person they are buying for. Along with the idea, they will have information of where they can buy it from and how much it costs. Another aim of this website is to help the small businesses in the selected area advertise their products and increase their sales.

The reason I chose to do this is because gift finder websites are helpful to people who find it difficult to find gifts for the person they are buying for. I have decided to use gifts that small businesses in Hull sell because most of them do not have their own websites where they can advertise and sell their products online so are struggling to reach some people that would be interested in their products. These gifts would also be good on my website because they are products that are different to what people would normally find and buy as gifts. One of the main reasons I have chosen not to display gifts large retailers sell is because there isn’t a need for a website advertising their products because they usually have a number of stores on the high street and also have websites where people can buy their products online and most of them have a search facility within their own site, so it is already easy for people to find out what they sell.

Gift Finder Brainstorm

Ideas Brainstorm

To start with I did a brainstorm for my two ideas. My first idea was to create a website or an application to help users search for gifts by asking them different questions within a search engine. It would also be made interactive so the user found it interesting and fun and could even include some animation.

My second idea was to create a recipe website or application so users could search the website to find the perfect recipe. This too would be made interactive and fun for the user and there could also be some animation in there too.