Journal Seven
This is the subtopic research on product, below is the research. However I have also uploaded the file in word because there are some features that cannot be viewed when uploaded to this website.
Topic: Product
Research
Source/Page
Information
www.smallbiztrends.com
This website provides the seven best website builders that are free. From the seven I shall only select the top three as candidates that could be used for my product. The first top website builder is Google Sites, second is DoodleKit and their third one is Wix. The three website builders are all generally the same, they provide robust features and functions. The websites can be designed and operated within 5-10 minutes depending on the user. What sets them apart is that GoogleSites are more focused towards wiki projects, DoodleKit has a slightly wider design variety, while Wix is the most common website used. It is used by over 5 million users and is easily operated.
http://www.1stwebdesigner.com
This website provides a total of 45 best website builders. Much more in quantity compared to the first website. The top three best website builders were Wix, GoogleSites, and then Windows Live Spaces. Wix and GoogleSites have already been explained above, it generally is the same. The three website builders definitely have superior ratings in all criterias. It’s just a matter of which website builder is used more, in this case it’s Wix.
http://www.top10bestwebsitebuilders.com/
This website is rather much more simple compared to the other two websites. It states the top 10 website builders in 2013 alongisde with some of the ratings. The top three website builders are Wix, Webs, and Webs.com. Again, Wix is found in this website which clearly states that Wix is a viable website builder. The three website builders have top ratings. Wix just offer more features eventhough it has less template designs. However, I don’t mind because I wouldn’t need a enormous amount of design templates anywa.
http://www.top10bestwebsitebuilders.com
/WixUSReview
Since from the three websites above it is obvious Wix is the most viable choice for me, I decided to find a review on it. The review ratings were divided to five categories: features, credibility, safety, ease of use, and help & support. All the categories were rated five stars except for safety and ease of use, they received four and a half stars. However, the website builder has astounding performance. I am sure it will be a perfect medium for my personal project.
http://www.spritzweb.com
The website states that there are five keys in building a effective website: appearance, content, functionality, website usability, and search engine optimization.
For appearance, it’s obvious that a website must be superior visually, not only with the content because if the appearnce isn’t appealing the reader wouldn’t even consider reading the information . In appearance, there are five components which are color, text, pictures, quality photography and simplicity. There should be 2 or 3 primary that blend well with each other. However don’t overdo the color or it will distract the text.
For the text, it definitely should be easily read. Therefore the color of the text must be contrast with the background. As for the size, keep text in paragraph around 10-12 pts.
Pictures or graphics are very important in a website because they will keep the reader attracted. They won’t get bored while reading information and it will also give them a clearer view of the content. However do not overload a page with too many pictures, don’t put more then 3-4.
Inserting quality photographs will increase visual attractiveness. People love to see quality photography, if there are those relevant with your content, it will assist your website.
Simplicity is the last component in constructing a fine website. Website must be kept simple and there should have space within the pages.
http://www.ehow.com
Ehow.com also has five major components when contructing a good website page which are : legible text, compatible colors, good animation, minimal advertising, and intuitive navigation. The first two are very much the same like the site above. The text musn’t too be small or big. The color should be contrast with the text and no more then 4 major primary colors. The third and fourth component isn’t so useful because it won’t probably won’t be used in my website. I shall not have advertisements since it’s just a website presenting health and social information. As for animation, eventhough it states that animations are more attractive than pictures, I guess I would insert pictures. The last component is navigation, I would need to make the website easy to navigate. This way, people won’t have trouble seeking information.
Htttp://www.yola.com
This is another site proving on what makes a good website. Yola.com has four major components when building a good website which are strong and clear message, easy navigation, content, and community. The first three have already been state and has the same meanings. Message must be clear, must be kept simple yet understandable for the audience. Select a particular font and make sure it’s color is contrast with the background. The content must also be meaningful and beneficial towards the audience. It should be written well. The component that is rather different is community. Community is getting the website involved with the reader a little more. This includes inserting facebook or twitter features within the website. It acutally might help with my project.
http://www.top10bestwebsitebuilders.com/choosing-website-colors-Article
As stated in the site above, color is a major part when building a website. You should always refer to the color wheel when selecting colors. From the color wheel, there are four basic website structures: monochromatic design, analogous colors, complementary, and triadic colors. Selecting one of these designs should form a visually fine website. Different colors also have meanings. Here is a chart derived from the website:
China
USA
India
Europe
Red
Good luck; celebration
Christmas, Valentine’s Day
Purity
Passion, love
Blue
Immortality
‘safe’ color
NA
Soothing; ‘something blue’ tradition
Yellow
Royalty, nourishing
NA
Merchants
Happiness, hope, joy, hazards
White
Mourning, death
Purity
Unhappiness
Marriage, angels, peace
Green
Exorcism; cheating
Money; also see Europe
Islam
Spring, new birth
http://www.top10bestwebsitebuilders.com/choosing-website-font-Article
The website states about font and text in a website. It states on how to decide on fine text/font. For the font size, as already stated above the recommended size is 10-14. The title would probably be 14 while the paragraph will could be 12. Note that the size of the font can vary depending on the audience. If the audience is of old age, the size should probably be enlarged. While if the audience is of young age, a smaller font would be more suitable. Also, make sure the font for the paragraph is dominant and won’t be altered within the paragraph. This is to make the audience not distracted, the title though may have a different font.
Evaluation
a. How the information suits to the project?
Does the information help me respond to the inquiry question?
Yes it does because now I know which website builder I shall select and what are the major parts in building a fine website. The information have certainly responded to my inquiry questions.
Does the information belong to my topic?
Yes it definitely belongs to my topic because it is research on the product of my topic. With this information I have a clearer view on how my product for my topic will look like.
Will the information help me to develop my personal project?
Yes it will most definitely help me develop my project because now I am sure about my product. The choice of website builder and what features will be in the website is now clear.
Does the information connect clearly with the area of interaction or aspects of it?
It doesn’t really connect clearly with my AOI because my AOI is health and social education. This is just research on the product which a website. It can somehow be related to social education but this particular research fits in more with human ingenuity. However, I am sure my other sub topic research will be relevant with the AOI.
b. Is the information source reliable? Where deos the information come from?
Yes it is reliable, it comes from various viable resources. I used two sources for this research which are websites, survey and interviews. The websites are valid, it is not derived from sites like wikipedia or wikianswers. The survey is indeed valid because I got at least 20 people. The people interviewed are also valid because they are experts on this particular field.
c. Is the information accurate? Can the information be verified with another source?
Yes it is accurate because the information from the websites are confirmed by at least 3 sources. This also applies with the people I interviewed and the survey results.
d. Is the information up to date? Is it current or old?
All the information that I have gathered are current because it is all within 5 years.
e. Is the information objective/not biased?
No the information is not biased, it is derived from proper sites and is verified by other sources.
f. What information do I still need?
I would need to research on the other subtopics, also finding sources from books for this sub topic would be awesome.
g. What new questions does my research bring?
How will I arrange the information about my topic?
How will I bring facebook/twitter features in my website?
How will I navigate the information easily for the target audience?
Application of Information
How is this information useful throughout the project to achieve the goal for:
1. Specifications of the product/outcomes:
It will definitely be useful for the product because this research is specifically for the product which is a website. It gives me details and a better view of my product in the future.
2. The techniques chosen in different stages:
a. Design: I researched on the design for a web page, it will help me with the designing process.
b. Plan: --
c. Create: This will help me with creating, since it is research on the website itself.
d. Evaluate/Testing Method: It can help me with testing method because the sources state about applying social media features like facebook in the website. That may be useful for testing method.
Resources
"Articles." Good Website Characteristics. Spritz Web Solutions, 2012. Web. 13 July 2013. <http://www.spritzweb.com/resources/good-website-characteristics.html>.
Artman, Jason. "What Makes a Good Web Page Design? | EHow." EHow. Demand Media, 26 Apr. 2011. Web. 15 July 2013. <http://www.ehow.com/info_8298451_good-design.html>.
"Choosing Website Colors." Choosing Website Colors. Top10bestwebsitebuilders.com, 2009. Web. 14 July 2013. <http://www.top10bestwebsitebuilders.com/choosing-website-colors-Article>.
"Choosing a Website Font." Choosing a Website Font. Top10bestwebsitebuilders.com, 2009. Web. 14 July 2013. <http://www.top10bestwebsitebuilders.com/choosing-website-font-Article>.
McCue, TJ. "Small Business Trends." Small Business Trends. Small Business Trends LLC, 31 Aug. 2010. Web. 11 July 2013. <http://smallbiztrends.com/2010/08/7-free-website-builders-small-businesses.html>.
"The Top 10 Website Builders Of 2013." Top 10 Best Website Builders. Top10bestwebsitebuilders.com, 2013. Web. 11 July 2013. <http://www.top10bestwebsitebuilders.com/>.
Thompson, Mark. "45 Web Builders to Create an Insanely Awesome Free Website." 1stwebdesigner. 1stWebDesigner Ltd, 2010. Web. 11 July 2013. <http://www.1stwebdesigner.com/design/best-web-builders-create-free-website/>.
"Wix Editor Review." Wix Editor Review. Top10bestwebsitebuilders.com, 2009. Web. 11 July 2013. <http://www.top10bestwebsitebuilders.com/WixUSReview>.
"Yolataking Business Online." Yola. Yola Inc, 4 June 2013. Web. 15 July 2013. <http://www.yola.com/blog/what-makes-a-good-website/>.
Research
Source/Page
Information
www.smallbiztrends.com
This website provides the seven best website builders that are free. From the seven I shall only select the top three as candidates that could be used for my product. The first top website builder is Google Sites, second is DoodleKit and their third one is Wix. The three website builders are all generally the same, they provide robust features and functions. The websites can be designed and operated within 5-10 minutes depending on the user. What sets them apart is that GoogleSites are more focused towards wiki projects, DoodleKit has a slightly wider design variety, while Wix is the most common website used. It is used by over 5 million users and is easily operated.
http://www.1stwebdesigner.com
This website provides a total of 45 best website builders. Much more in quantity compared to the first website. The top three best website builders were Wix, GoogleSites, and then Windows Live Spaces. Wix and GoogleSites have already been explained above, it generally is the same. The three website builders definitely have superior ratings in all criterias. It’s just a matter of which website builder is used more, in this case it’s Wix.
http://www.top10bestwebsitebuilders.com/
This website is rather much more simple compared to the other two websites. It states the top 10 website builders in 2013 alongisde with some of the ratings. The top three website builders are Wix, Webs, and Webs.com. Again, Wix is found in this website which clearly states that Wix is a viable website builder. The three website builders have top ratings. Wix just offer more features eventhough it has less template designs. However, I don’t mind because I wouldn’t need a enormous amount of design templates anywa.
http://www.top10bestwebsitebuilders.com
/WixUSReview
Since from the three websites above it is obvious Wix is the most viable choice for me, I decided to find a review on it. The review ratings were divided to five categories: features, credibility, safety, ease of use, and help & support. All the categories were rated five stars except for safety and ease of use, they received four and a half stars. However, the website builder has astounding performance. I am sure it will be a perfect medium for my personal project.
http://www.spritzweb.com
The website states that there are five keys in building a effective website: appearance, content, functionality, website usability, and search engine optimization.
For appearance, it’s obvious that a website must be superior visually, not only with the content because if the appearnce isn’t appealing the reader wouldn’t even consider reading the information . In appearance, there are five components which are color, text, pictures, quality photography and simplicity. There should be 2 or 3 primary that blend well with each other. However don’t overdo the color or it will distract the text.
For the text, it definitely should be easily read. Therefore the color of the text must be contrast with the background. As for the size, keep text in paragraph around 10-12 pts.
Pictures or graphics are very important in a website because they will keep the reader attracted. They won’t get bored while reading information and it will also give them a clearer view of the content. However do not overload a page with too many pictures, don’t put more then 3-4.
Inserting quality photographs will increase visual attractiveness. People love to see quality photography, if there are those relevant with your content, it will assist your website.
Simplicity is the last component in constructing a fine website. Website must be kept simple and there should have space within the pages.
http://www.ehow.com
Ehow.com also has five major components when contructing a good website page which are : legible text, compatible colors, good animation, minimal advertising, and intuitive navigation. The first two are very much the same like the site above. The text musn’t too be small or big. The color should be contrast with the text and no more then 4 major primary colors. The third and fourth component isn’t so useful because it won’t probably won’t be used in my website. I shall not have advertisements since it’s just a website presenting health and social information. As for animation, eventhough it states that animations are more attractive than pictures, I guess I would insert pictures. The last component is navigation, I would need to make the website easy to navigate. This way, people won’t have trouble seeking information.
Htttp://www.yola.com
This is another site proving on what makes a good website. Yola.com has four major components when building a good website which are strong and clear message, easy navigation, content, and community. The first three have already been state and has the same meanings. Message must be clear, must be kept simple yet understandable for the audience. Select a particular font and make sure it’s color is contrast with the background. The content must also be meaningful and beneficial towards the audience. It should be written well. The component that is rather different is community. Community is getting the website involved with the reader a little more. This includes inserting facebook or twitter features within the website. It acutally might help with my project.
http://www.top10bestwebsitebuilders.com/choosing-website-colors-Article
As stated in the site above, color is a major part when building a website. You should always refer to the color wheel when selecting colors. From the color wheel, there are four basic website structures: monochromatic design, analogous colors, complementary, and triadic colors. Selecting one of these designs should form a visually fine website. Different colors also have meanings. Here is a chart derived from the website:
China
USA
India
Europe
Red
Good luck; celebration
Christmas, Valentine’s Day
Purity
Passion, love
Blue
Immortality
‘safe’ color
NA
Soothing; ‘something blue’ tradition
Yellow
Royalty, nourishing
NA
Merchants
Happiness, hope, joy, hazards
White
Mourning, death
Purity
Unhappiness
Marriage, angels, peace
Green
Exorcism; cheating
Money; also see Europe
Islam
Spring, new birth
http://www.top10bestwebsitebuilders.com/choosing-website-font-Article
The website states about font and text in a website. It states on how to decide on fine text/font. For the font size, as already stated above the recommended size is 10-14. The title would probably be 14 while the paragraph will could be 12. Note that the size of the font can vary depending on the audience. If the audience is of old age, the size should probably be enlarged. While if the audience is of young age, a smaller font would be more suitable. Also, make sure the font for the paragraph is dominant and won’t be altered within the paragraph. This is to make the audience not distracted, the title though may have a different font.
Evaluation
a. How the information suits to the project?
Does the information help me respond to the inquiry question?
Yes it does because now I know which website builder I shall select and what are the major parts in building a fine website. The information have certainly responded to my inquiry questions.
Does the information belong to my topic?
Yes it definitely belongs to my topic because it is research on the product of my topic. With this information I have a clearer view on how my product for my topic will look like.
Will the information help me to develop my personal project?
Yes it will most definitely help me develop my project because now I am sure about my product. The choice of website builder and what features will be in the website is now clear.
Does the information connect clearly with the area of interaction or aspects of it?
It doesn’t really connect clearly with my AOI because my AOI is health and social education. This is just research on the product which a website. It can somehow be related to social education but this particular research fits in more with human ingenuity. However, I am sure my other sub topic research will be relevant with the AOI.
b. Is the information source reliable? Where deos the information come from?
Yes it is reliable, it comes from various viable resources. I used two sources for this research which are websites, survey and interviews. The websites are valid, it is not derived from sites like wikipedia or wikianswers. The survey is indeed valid because I got at least 20 people. The people interviewed are also valid because they are experts on this particular field.
c. Is the information accurate? Can the information be verified with another source?
Yes it is accurate because the information from the websites are confirmed by at least 3 sources. This also applies with the people I interviewed and the survey results.
d. Is the information up to date? Is it current or old?
All the information that I have gathered are current because it is all within 5 years.
e. Is the information objective/not biased?
No the information is not biased, it is derived from proper sites and is verified by other sources.
f. What information do I still need?
I would need to research on the other subtopics, also finding sources from books for this sub topic would be awesome.
g. What new questions does my research bring?
How will I arrange the information about my topic?
How will I bring facebook/twitter features in my website?
How will I navigate the information easily for the target audience?
Application of Information
How is this information useful throughout the project to achieve the goal for:
1. Specifications of the product/outcomes:
It will definitely be useful for the product because this research is specifically for the product which is a website. It gives me details and a better view of my product in the future.
2. The techniques chosen in different stages:
a. Design: I researched on the design for a web page, it will help me with the designing process.
b. Plan: --
c. Create: This will help me with creating, since it is research on the website itself.
d. Evaluate/Testing Method: It can help me with testing method because the sources state about applying social media features like facebook in the website. That may be useful for testing method.
Resources
"Articles." Good Website Characteristics. Spritz Web Solutions, 2012. Web. 13 July 2013. <http://www.spritzweb.com/resources/good-website-characteristics.html>.
Artman, Jason. "What Makes a Good Web Page Design? | EHow." EHow. Demand Media, 26 Apr. 2011. Web. 15 July 2013. <http://www.ehow.com/info_8298451_good-design.html>.
"Choosing Website Colors." Choosing Website Colors. Top10bestwebsitebuilders.com, 2009. Web. 14 July 2013. <http://www.top10bestwebsitebuilders.com/choosing-website-colors-Article>.
"Choosing a Website Font." Choosing a Website Font. Top10bestwebsitebuilders.com, 2009. Web. 14 July 2013. <http://www.top10bestwebsitebuilders.com/choosing-website-font-Article>.
McCue, TJ. "Small Business Trends." Small Business Trends. Small Business Trends LLC, 31 Aug. 2010. Web. 11 July 2013. <http://smallbiztrends.com/2010/08/7-free-website-builders-small-businesses.html>.
"The Top 10 Website Builders Of 2013." Top 10 Best Website Builders. Top10bestwebsitebuilders.com, 2013. Web. 11 July 2013. <http://www.top10bestwebsitebuilders.com/>.
Thompson, Mark. "45 Web Builders to Create an Insanely Awesome Free Website." 1stwebdesigner. 1stWebDesigner Ltd, 2010. Web. 11 July 2013. <http://www.1stwebdesigner.com/design/best-web-builders-create-free-website/>.
"Wix Editor Review." Wix Editor Review. Top10bestwebsitebuilders.com, 2009. Web. 11 July 2013. <http://www.top10bestwebsitebuilders.com/WixUSReview>.
"Yolataking Business Online." Yola. Yola Inc, 4 June 2013. Web. 15 July 2013. <http://www.yola.com/blog/what-makes-a-good-website/>.