Artefact 4

My fourth artefact will be focusing on the layout of a site to see what effects that has. I will try and incorporate different elements which are only available with HTML5 and CSS3, this includes things like rounded borders, external fonts, and text with inside shadows.

This is my first design;


I will now make two more designs and then put these online with a survey to see peoples opinions.

Artefact 2

My second artefact is two identical web pages imitating a music download site. The homepage explains that the user is to look through both pages and identify which they would prefer to buy from, they do this by clicking a song or movie to download, they are then taken to a questionnaire asking them a few questions about why they chose that particular site to buy from.

The artefact can be found at: http://www.georgewood.me/prp

PRP Layout

My next three artefacts will be websites based around the same design. Each will have certain differences such as slideshows and videos. The design I have created is based around similar sites and I have taken inspiration from sites which sell extremely well.

When trying to advertise a still image I felt it was important to give the page some depth, else it would be very boring. I have tried to do this by using lots of texture and highlights to 'lift' items off the page. I think I have created a really sophisticated look which will help to sell the products.

I have kept the page simple due to the time restrictions, but I have still managed to include lots of relevant detail on the homepage.

Artefact 2 Research

For the rest of my artefacts I will be creating a mock music advertising site with 3 variations. The first one I will make will contain still images, the second will be still images with slideshows and other pieces of movement, and the final one will contain video and more interactive elements. I will then ask people to try the website and see which one people are more willing to buy from.

I have been researching into the layout of different music download sites and was surprised to find that the majority of them contain just still images, and occasionally some slideshows. This fits in with my survey responses where the majority of people said that they would prefer just a still image for an advert.

Below are screenshots of Spotify and iTunes, both of which use still images, iTunes also has one slideshow on each page but no video.

PRP Artefact One - Evaluation

My first artefact was a questionnaire; I did this in order to gain a better understanding of people perceptions of advertisements. I wanted to know what kind of adverts they preferred, and whether they were concerned with the design of a particular advert.

I sent out a nine-question survey to approximately 70 people aged above 18. I also requested that people who completed my survey were frequent Internet users and that they also listen to and buy music. This was confirmed in my first two questions where almost everyone questioned used the Internet everyday, and the majority of people bought or downloaded music online every week.

I felt it was necessary for me to begin my PRP artefacts with a survey, as I wanted to find out what people thought of adverts on websites and whether people paid any attention to them. From doing this survey I have been able to find a clear path through the rest of my artefacts and I now know what area I will move onto next.

After showing the results of the questionnaire to other people in my group, we all believed that the most interesting answer was for the last question. When I asked people which kind of adverts they prefer, either a still image, a video, a banner with moving images, or a banner which you can interact with, such as a game, 50% of people answered a still image. This was surprising to the rest of the group and me, and it is therefore the area I am going on to explore next.

Overall my survey did work as I achieved a few unexpected answers that allowed me to understand people’s views of advertising a little better, as well as giving me some ideas about where I go with creating the rest of my artefacts.

Questionnaire Results

I have collected the results for my survey and have collated the results into various tables and charts. By sending out the questionnaire my intention was to see how people perceived music advertising initially and to see within a select group whether it actually had an effect on people.

I created my survey online and asked people who were over 18 and frequently used the internet to fill it out. The majority of the results were as I expected they would be and there was no real surprises. It has however given me some ideas about peoples opinions of advertising and which styles they prefer. I was also interested as to whether people were actually concerned with the design of an advert.

Below are the charts for my results;