Week IV Pt II: Frequently Used Sites Critique

Among the most engaging sites I personally visit are HiConsumption and J. Crew. A well designed blend of user experience and purposeful content creates a warm and inviting digital space.

A clear sense of concept and depth of content is immediately apparent on the two sites. Right away, it is clear that the designers are pointing all attention to consumption. On J. Crew's site, there is a massive focus on call-to-actions using discount banners and sale notifications galore. On HiConsumption, articles flow easily from one to the next, stringing users through hours of, well, consumption.  Textual content focuses on well-researched consumer behavior buzz words, complemented by specs that concisely strike equally important reasons to buy.

Proximity and Alignment create a seamless visual experience on both sites as well, with an especially poignant drive to buy created by the design. Both sites garner large images with brief, sensory descriptions of the product, appropriately spaced for an experience that is at once breathable and urgent. Headings and images are given ample space to attract the eye of the viewer without crowding the page, especially with gifs and page or article titles.

A significant final benefit to the pages is the sense of consistency built through repetition. Each of HiConsumption's articles feature the same format boasting a simple, crisp pattern of item image, description, and purchase button, no matter what the article. Similarly, each of J. Crew's pages are the similarly lain out, organizing items by feature priority before offering filters by category, size, and color. This applies to all pages, regardless of women's or men's clothing, accessories, or even brands. Coming back to either of these sites after an initial visit is a sincerely familiar feeling, even from only the first impression.

As nice as these pages may be for users, there is always room for improvement. In J. Crew's position, some minimization could prove useful for first time users concerned with the breathability of the page. At first, the sight of a couple sales announcements mixed with the splash of colors, gifs, and headings, could be difficult or even intimidating to navigate. With a more minimal page, the content could match the higher-class appeal of the brand while also leaving users more comfortable on first sight. Meanwhile, for HiConsumption, quite the opposite is necessary. By lessening the focus on readability and increasing the urgency to buy, the site may find a more profitable strategy than their current one. Adding calls to action in a non-invasive manner while keeping the sleekness of branding on par will add unending value to the back end of the site's image.

In all, J. Crew and HiConsumption are paragons of for-profit websites deeply entrenched in value for the user. Although respectively a bit overwhelming and softspoken, the two sites still make masterful use of consumer-minded design. The process of navigating, educating, and eventually making a purchase is optimized to a tee using several principles of great web design.