Website Analysis of Experience Dynamics Website

Description

Pages

• Homepage
  • Upper section inlcudes logo in top left corner; graphical navigation bar at top under which is a sentence about the company, below that is a longer sentence on what they offer
  • upper middle of page has 2 sections: "special event: persona author interview" with a graphic and "new poster: motivate your team" with a graphic--each section has a description with links
  • lower middle section includes headings with text below them: "what we do"(some text is bolded and links are included), "news" (most current news story is date 10-30-05), "Participate in a study" (includes links and graphics) and "why hire us" (some text is bolded, some text has links)
  • The bottom of the page has the contact information, footer navigation links, and copyright information.
• About
  • Heading on page, "Who we are", subtitle, "Experts in Large Scale Websites..." includes links to Partners, Vision, and Jobs.
  • Text broken into 3 chunks, "Who Are We", "What approach do we take", and "What can you expect to gain from us". The questions are bolded, each chunk includes 1 to 2 paragraphs and then a statement following the paragraphs, in blue larger font size. Sentences contain a lot of these words: our, you, we, your, websites, technology, users.
  • Bottom of page has a paragraph titled "About Experience Dynamics," the first couple of sentences talk about users and assisting with website projects, while the last sentence lists their clients: IBM, Intel, Target, etc.
  • Page also has links throughout and on the left hand margin a graphic/ad for Frank Spiller's blog and on the right side is a callout for see also.
  • Extreme upper part of page has company logo and graphical navigation bar. Extreme bottom has contact information, footer navigation links, and copyright information.
• Articles
  • Page is titled "Usability Articles", subtitle, "Keep current with usability issues," and followed by a paragraph about usability and user experience. "best way to get informed" and "free reports" are bolded within the text; link to "free web usability seminar"; privacy
  • Subheading "popular web usability blog articles" with 2 titles linked.
  • Subheading "Usability Articles" with 12 titles linked.
  • Bottom of page is a signup for the newsletter, with 3 bullet points and a graphic; Call out on right hand for Also See; graphic on left side for Frank Spiller's blog.
  • Extreme upper part of page has company logo and graphical navigation bar. Extreme bottom has contact information, footer navigation links, and copyright information.
• Serivces
  • Page titled "Choosing Services", subtitled, "Know your options", links to Products & Pricing; paragraph with these words bolded" usability, user centered design, cognitive engieering.
  • 4 questions: 1.Will your customers be confused, annoyed, distracted or miss it?--this is followed by 2 paragraphs, user testing and design review--various words are bolded and linked. 2. Are you designing the smoothest user experience possible? Follwed by 2 paragraphs: customer research and usability design--various words are bolded and linked. # 2 has a large comparison table included. Questions 3&4 have one paragraph each and various words are bolded and linked.
  • Graphic on left side for free seminar and call out on right for Also See.
  • Extreme upper part of page has company logo and graphical navigation bar. Extreme bottom has contact information, footer navigation links, and copyright information.
• Science of Usability
  • Page is title "Science of Usability", subtitled, "Proven tested methodolgies"; paragraph under that and 6 areas listed and linked below that in a table with color coded boxes.
  • Left side has a graphic for a free seminar.
  • Extreme upper part of page has company logo and graphical navigation bar. Extreme bottom has contact information, footer navigation links, and copyright information.
• Clients
  • Page titled "Clients", subtitled, "Smart and Happy". Links for testimonials. Page is full of company logos that link to the company's homepages.
  • Graphic on left side for newsletter subscription, with caption below it.
  • Extreme upper part of page has company logo and graphical navigation bar. Extreme bottom has contact information, footer navigation links, and copyright information.
• Contact
  • Page tiled "Contact us", subtitled, "Give us a call we'd love to hear from you"; under that is headquarters address and phone numbers. Also a large graphic of the United States, with a projection of the state they are located in; also includes email addresses
  • Left side has a graphic for signing up for the newsletter; right has a call out for Also See
  • Extreme upper part of page has company logo and graphical navigation bar. Extreme bottom has contact information, footer navigation links, and copyright information.

Rhetorical context

The website's seven pages found off of the navigation bar each have some sort of graphic on it and in some cases, call outs for finding further information. Most pages have text and most pages have a short main title and then a longer subtitle. Various words through out the pages are bolded; some are linked. Words used often through the pages include: design, user centered, clientes, website, usability.

Analysis

Rhetorical properties (rhetorical affordances) of the site pages.

In analyzing the Experience Dynamics website, the classic model of rhetoric can be applied. The company is using ethos to market themselves to clients and potential clients. Aside from offering their services, it appears that the company is trying to educate users on user-centered design and usability through their Articles and Science of Usability pages; this helps to add to their credibility. The company also lists several well-known companies on their Clientele page, also adding to their credibility.

All of the pages, aside from the homepage, follow the same style, or format of short titles followed by a more explanatory subtitle ( Usability Articles, Keep current with usability issues). In keeping with the classic model of rhetoric, the arrangement of many messages are set up in a problem-solution structure--the problem is customer usability and Experience Dynamics are the solution. The style is casual and appropriate for the subject; the terms and issues addressed are specific to webpage usability, thus a specific audience. There is no metaphor, irony, or other stylist usage; it is straightforward, lending to its ethos.

The company also relies on memory as a rhetorical property--on the Who We Are page the company invokes the viewer's memory of past incidents of poor usability and frustration with technologies, which help the viewer connect to the message that Experience Dynamics understands their problems and can help. Patterned navigation bar and page setup allow for easy navigation (each page looks alike); which not only helps the user find what they need but adds credibility to the work they do.

Patterns in rhetorical properties

• Patterns of repetition: Usage of words: users, design, usability; Pages are set up similarly with title, subtitle, navigation bar and bottom footer info. Important words are bolded through out and links seem to be used conservatively.
• Patterns of sequencing: Pages are sequenced through the navigation bar; 2 thoughts here: Does Articles come before Services to keep As and Ss together or do they consider articles about usability more important than their services (or want their clients to think this?)?
• Patterns of omission: ?
• Anomalies to patterns: The Services page uses a numbered pattern, but the Science of Usability page uses a color coded pattern.
• Patterns of relationships: The usage of usability terms leads to the user to believe the company knows what they're doing. The use of patterened page formats helps users navigate the page and lends to the credibility of the company.

Summary

The Experience Dynamics site attempts to draw in their customers and potential customers by conveying a sense of credibility/ethos. The are the solution to your usability/design needs. The element of memory helps viewers relate what Experience Dynamics does as a company to problems they might have had in the past. By including a Clients page, the company is strengthening their credibility and conveying the message that even big company's have benefitted from their services. By also offering resources about usability, the company is perceived as helpful, and not just in it for profit.