My task is to choose a website then analyse and investigate it, to gain an understanding of the protocols and principles used. The website which I have chose is ‘suprafootwear.com’. I have decided upon this website because I believe there is a great amount of positivity which I can talk about and I have a great interest in the products in which the website sells. Supra Footwear is an American online clothing/shoe shop which is targeted to the urban area of the population both females and males at the ages of 16-30.
Assets
The website has a great deal of assets. There is a strong use of graphics used on almost every page of the website. Most of the images show the products which they sell but there are also images of celebrities wearing the products. This is a great selling point for the website as the users will see celebrities wearing the products so therefore they will want to have the same look as them. Celebrities are seen as ‘cool’ and ‘popular’ people.
Unlike any other websites, Supra has advertised their products through skateboarding videos. With the website being American, it’s a great way to boost the sales as skateboarding is a huge sport throughout America. As well as advertising the products it promotes the skateboarder used in the video. The only downsides to the videos are that they take a few minutes to load up before you can actually watch them. People could get fed up waiting and miss out on what the advert has got to offer.
The layout is very professional with a plain background which makes all the text and graphics stand out. Most of the products which the website sells are plain so I think that’s why they have made the layout plain. The homepage doesn’t contain much information about what the brand sells but it does show numerous images and videos of what the brand has to offer.
When I first visited the website, my eyes were drawn straight to the images, and people nowadays don’t like reading through masses of text so that’s why the website has used more images than text.
The website has a great feature where you can recommend the website to all your friends on Facebook. This is a great way for Supra to advertise itself as the majority of people nowadays use Facebook. This will help boost the sales for Supra, as when people see that the website through Facebook, they could see something they like and buy it.
There is the odd web banner used on the website and that only advertises the websites own products. On the homepage a web banner is used across the top of the page and it takes up most of the space. This is really eye catching so it makes the users interested in what the website offers.
Navigation
For a website to be successful, it has been said that it should be 3 clicks at the most for the user to find what he/she is looking for. In my opinion, this website does meet this theory. Unlike most websites, Supra Footwear does not have drop down menus when you hover your cursor over the menus at the top. This can be a down side as if you were searching through the website for a certain product; it may take longer to find it.
The speed in which each page loads up is at an appropriate pace. The main controls which the website uses are Buttons and Hotspots. On every page these controls are used giving the users easy accessibility around the website.
When a page is loaded up, the images enter the page with a fade in transition. This creates a more professional look and it makes the images more interactive. Without this, it would look amateur and boring.
Audience
The website is aimed at the urban generation. The younger generation are mostly seen wearing this brand as the clothing and footwear have the more younger and ‘cool’ look, so therefore they are the ones that usually use the website.
The accessibility is at a high standard as there are numerous navigation buttons, menus, and hotspots used on each page of the website. The network speed is good as all pages load up fully and straight away. This is a huge positive as the younger generation are seen as having not much patience so the faster the website runs the happier the users are going to be.
There is little text used throughout the website but the text that is used is in a formal manner (Little text has been used as the majority of the younger generation do not like to read loads when on a website). In this case the website does not need much text as it sells clothes.
Semiotics
There are little colours used throughout the website. Like I’ve said before, the background colour is white and the text is black in an Arial font. The colours are plain, but they contrast together really well giving a professional look.
The logo of the website is the Supra Footwear logo. It’s basic but overall is an effective design with a ‘young’ and ‘cool’ look. The logo consists of a crown text in the colour white.
Form
The layout is extremely tidy. All text and images on each page are in straight lines so therefore it gives a professional look. The only downside is that on the Blog page, there is a gap down the right hand side. This looks slightly untidy and can ruin the professional look as a whole. First impressions are really important and as this being the official Supra website, it has to look professional or otherwise people will think the brand is cheap and ‘tacky’. Overall the website does pull off a really good professional look.
The logo is consistently on the top left hand corner of each page. This creates a professional look as well as it simply having a good look. Each page has the same border and same layout so when you navigate around the website the only thing that changes is the information.
As the website as a whole, it has more images than it does text. This is because now nowadays the younger generation read small amounts when using websites.
Overall, I believe Supra Footwear is a great website. From investigating the website I have found out that there is more positivity than negativity. The images and navigation are a strong area, but having a gap on the right side of the Blog page showed signs of negativity.
