- Shorter attention span than older generations. One of the biggest complaints from this age group about websites, was long loading times.
- Millennials are used to communicating at all times, unlike younger generations. There are even special phones designed specifically for ease of texting, chatting and networking these days. There is a constant stream of communication, interfacing, note-taking, visual/audio record-keeping and sensory stimulation (ipod, iphone, cell phone, etc) which prior generations didn't experience.
- For these reasons, millennials appear to be image-oriented, very visual. "If i know I can check the blog, find the info, and then leave in less than 5 minutes, it makes me more apt to click to the site... For me the more images to describe what each text based entry is about is a perk." - Rebecca Bernard, 26, choreographer and artist
- Several of the people who completed my questionnaire indicated that the content and usability of a website was all they really cared about. Two respondents said they hated intros to web pages and always skipped them.
- Several respondents commented on how some websites caused them to return frequently because they were "addictive" in some way by being dynamic or personally involving (quizzes, personal updates, comments on your posted items, etc). One respondent talked about spending a half hour on a site she meant to just buzz through, because they had a fun Valentine's Day couple matching game.
- Social networking sites have changed people's social lives to a large extent; millennials, the first generation to really depend on texting and online socializing, seem at once more private and more apt to reveal intimate details of their personal life than previous generations. It's easy to fill out a questionnaire and inform all your friends what type of underwear you wear and what your worst vice is in an itemized format, and easy to connect with your (huge, spanning your entire life's worth of contacts) friends in short soundbites, but harder to sit down with a friend in real time and have a long, focused conversation.
- While the "emo" movement was still pretty strong at the early part of this era, it seems like many teens are sick of depressing imagery and self-involved confessionalism now and are more into bright, naive imagery, color etc and irreverent childlike motifs.
(my friend Carlox's site, he's around 22)
(from Owl City's website... a largely under-20 fan base)
(twitter's trouble alert screen)
So the key site qualities I'll be aiming for will be visibility, interactivity, usability and simplicity. I want to get as much visual impact as possible with as short a loading time, as simple a visual interface as possible, and with a fresh, interactive and personally involving tone. I want the viewer to keep coming back because something about the site drew them in and made them a part of it, in the same way that I keep slavishly returning to sites like Youtube or Quizilla against my best intentions because on some subconscious level, being able to find out what milkshake flavor I am or read other people's comments on my favorite Slowdive video makes me somehow feel more alive for a moment.
So, on to the sites.
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For this assignment, I've chosen the following three sites as candidates for a web facelift.
www.freedomtomarry.org
This website is focused on the rights of all individuals to marry, a cause I feel strongly about. I am concerned about the current design of this site, because I feel that instead of conveying urgency, verve and progressiveness that would attract a younger audience, it is so watered down and conservative that it feels as if meant for an older demographic. I feel that the designers of the site were trying too hard to attract too many types/ages of people, and to avoid alienating the straight audience they want to engage in this cause (as it is a gay/straight alliance) by avoiding typically "gay" colors and visual symbols.
I have the following specific concerns about this site's design:
- Boring, conservative color scheme (burgundy/beige/grey);
- Layout is predictable, dull, too horizontal... Arial, wide columns etc;
- Many of the pictures look like stock photography;
- Static-appearing typographic treatments;
- logo is too obvious, colors too muted;
- white background and traditional layout is ho-hum;
- nested jump menus are a pain in some instances;
- way too many links on first page, maybe an easy-to-find site map would help;
- What on earth does a random red swirl have to do with gay marriage? Eliminate all useless elements.
and the following about its content and tone:
- content-wise, not enough soundbites/callout quotes, stories of real-life gay marriage or people denied that right, etc.
- I want to see less photos of gay marriages, legislators etc and more of actual married life, families etc
- The information at the bottom should be really important, not just shoved at the bottom. Sidebar maybe?
- Make it more interactive and in-your-face: a guest book or forum, calls for action, downloadable letters to senators, a petition to sign right on the home page, etc.
- The reader should instantly feel involved in this cause, not a spectator.
- Site should be more dynamic and emotionally gripping, without being manipulative.
I propose adding a lot more color and movement to this site, along with implementing some of the above ideas to create a more dynamic, youthful site. I think rainbows can be integrated creatively without becoming "too gay" (ie alienating a straight audience). I also think making this interactive and action-oriented, and based more on "real life stories" vs mostly legal and news stories, would help draw in a younger crowd.
Finally, I feel that a more boldly creative, edgy aesthetic would be vital. To completely "straighten" and button up the aesthetic of a gay-rights oriented site would be in a subtle way, apologetic of the GLBTQ community—many of whom have been edgy leaders in the arts, entertainment and fashion.
The key demographic within the age group would be: all income levels, and either GLBTQ people or those comfortable with GLBTQ culture and people.
Here is a site that to me, addresses a younger GLBT (or gay-marriage-supportive) audience.
www.augusten.com
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www.coneyisland.com
I am obsessed with Coney Island (my S.O. also lives there) and I am passionate about saving it from its proposed fate, so this site was a natural second choice for me. This site represents the not-for-profit arts organization focused on educating the public about Coney Island's history, attractions and programs. It is less focused on "saving Coney Island," perhaps for political reasons—although I could not find any sites specifically dedicated to this purpose outside of blogs and social networking member pages. A film has been made about this subject, which I want to link to on the revised site.
My main complaint with the current site is that it's too monochrome and tidy. There are some nice elements, like the use of Tilly's face as a central image, but its repetition and b/w nature causes it to lose impact. The old-school vaudeville type on the left navigation frame is also nice, but all in all, the wild and alive mood of Coney Island is lost completely. This feels to me like a museum or historical site, rather than a passionate site dedicated to saving a wild, often notorious amusement park. The history is important, but to draw in the millenial audience, something more personal and immediate is needed. They won't have the patience to sift through a site with all these identical-looking, indistinguishably meshed type links, even though the concept is creative.
Many of my concerns about the previous site also apply here, although there are some differences.
- Gold seems a poor choice of color. It's overwhelming, it's flat, and it doesn't reflect Coney Island which is so connected with the ocean. The amusement park and all its assorted types of signage, shows etc are full of rainbow colors, wild hand-painted typography, kitschy sideshow art etc which should be reflected in the design.
- The site should be much more visual and less type-oriented.
- More photos! Especially on the home page.
- The left hand navigation bar should be easier to distinguish the live link areas from each other.
- The website should be clearer about its mission and include some aspect of actually "saving Coney island" for those concerned.
- A header is badly needed! And more lively type throughout the site.
- Have some creative version of a guest book so people can include their own input, photos etc.
The key target audience within the demographic here, would be males and females who love Coney Island, want to learn more about it, plan to visit, or learn what they can do to help save the historic park. Politically left-leaning, mostly low to moderate income... students, artists, poets, musicians and people interested in body modification, BDSM and other "extreme" lifestyles as well as anyone who loves amusement parks and can appreciate the notoriety and beauty of the park.
I also want to focus extensively on Coney Island's amazing signage.
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www.fespaco.bf
This site, while not exactly designed for an "older" audience, is definitely not designed for a young American audience. It is the official site of the Pan-African Film Festival, which is held in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso every two years and attracts guests from all over the world (including many American independent filmmakers and artists like Alice Walker). Right now this site has so many problems, I can't even count them. Here are a few.
- This site just is totally overloaded: blinking, flashing, scrolling, way too much going on visually that DOESN'T NEED TO BE THERE.
- I have no idea where to look first; there is no center of focus.
- The little buttons on the left frame are totally redundant. You could get the same info without having all those buttons.
- Scroll menus might help organize the information and make the site less busy.
- The graphics at the top of the page are poor resolution and very random seeming. The type in the "header" (there really isn't one) is also very cheesy.
- the main art of the toureg with the sparkly eye, is really corny. It makes the FESPACO look undignified and backward, which the FESPACO isn't. I would use a totally different graphic.
- the logo and some of the text at the bottom of the page looks like links but it's not.
- The "phone number, fax email" with the red initial caps... why?
- I could translate the site if necessary, the English version is really badly translated.
- Some of the links on the right frame open up documents. They should warn you about that. Not everyone wants to download documents without prior consent.
- I totally think images of BF and Africa should be used centrally... but not these awful random graphics and flashing animations.
- The color scheme is acceptable but the padded cell tables suck, and so do the colors in them.
- The type looks very 1990's.
The key motive here would be... getting the site to look totally chic, modern and hip, without losing its African focus and character. The 16-26 age group would not have any patience with this site overall. It needs to be much more streamlined and efficient. Here is an example of a site that goes too far in trying to be "young" (flashing bells and whistles etc) and ends up looking very dated.
The key target audience within the age demographic, would be: filmmakers and film students, artists, writers, or people interested in African culture or arts.
