Kudler Fine Foods Website Evaluation
Team A/ J. Orr, M. Hamill, C. Schwab, D. Burtch, E. Brown, K. Hubbard, & L. Sizemore
Web/240
Constantinos Rousos
5/11/2015
DETAILED ANALYSIS OF KUDLER FINE FOODS SITE BASED ON DESIGN CRITERIA
Kudler Fine Foods is known for dedicating their business towards catering specialty food choices through pleasing shopping experiences. So, after considerate analysis of Kudler Fine Foods website, we have determined that an implementation of all "alt" tags would enhance interactions with potential visitors considerably. By implementing better-selected images, Kudler Fine Foods will provide visitors with more intriguing visual content through imagery and informational media files. By using these, implementations this will ultimately enhance Kudler’s visitor’s interest more towards their actual products. With each of their locations built on 16,000 square feet, providing customers with some of the best domestic and imported specialty foods, a good enhancement within the visual concepts throughout the website should be considered as well. Also, suggestions for the creating of pop-up window hyperlinks for each item throughout the website would ultimately enhance user interactive measure. Will help provide interested customers with a great shopping experience even as they browse throughout Kudler website!
By implementing fastest content load ability through optimization for mobile browsing, Kudler will enhance it visitor respond time as well. It has been, determined through our analysis that a site map and site search panel would help visitors, and potential consumers navigate easier throughout the site's content. Which also, includes implementing lighter color tones to enhance user readability of Kudler’s site. By adjusting color tones that compliment Kudler Fine Foods concept more, Kudler will enhance customer awareness concerning the great value of the products that they provide. Focusing more of the presentation of Kudler’s specialty foods, shopping experience consisting of the world's finest selected products. And, with that type of prestigious presentation, we determined that it would be in
Kudler best interest to implement bolder text and italics to aid in the skim ability of the overall content within the site.
Kudler Fine Foods expectations for enhancing customer loyalty and commitment, include plans towards expanding services to generate revenue. So, the use of hyperlinks and roll-over text enhancements will improve visitor interest as well. Suggestions for creating stylish resource sections, consisting of owner and contributors acknowledgments, will also provide a respectable appearance for customers and visitors. Kudler could also consider creating an interface section providing memberships like frequent shopper programs, will both increase efficiency and decrease product costs for the overall corporation. Very importantly, evaluating and checking all components of Kudler website is suggested, in order to stay accurate with HTML/CSS coding standards. Using W3C coding validation checker to correct any and all errors and warning alerts. Through a few adjustments and text alterations, Kudler Find Foods site has the great potential for providing great user-friendly interface representation.
Week 4 - Design Criteria – Item 2
Is the site's design esthetically appealing?
Implement a more appealing color scheme including lighter tones to enhance user readability, also develop appropriate spacing and alignments within the sites containers. We deemed these to be important to keep the reader's attention with vibrant and pleasing to the eye color palette. If it is not successful, a reader will not stay on the site for any length of time.
Are the colors used harmonious and logically related?
Adjusting existing color patterns towards brown and tan appeals in order to compliment images more throughout the site. Keeping these patterns consistent with the already included media will enforce a sense of professional design when a reader navigates through the site. Alluring your readers is the way to keep them interested and makes them continue browsing your site for products and information.
Is the design audience appropriate? The standard text size should be readable for visitors who don’t know how to adjust their browsers.
Making adjustments to text sizes and margins areas throughout the site by increasing text format by one or two sizes will give every reader an easy on the eye design and text size. If a user gets a site that the text is too small or too big, they will become disinterested in what you are trying to convey and make them leave your site.
Are the fonts easy to read on various screen resolutions?
Enhancing font readability through optimization and different font styles such as Lucida Sans or Calibri. Including these very popular and legible fonts will make the display and feel of the site fresh and clean. Keeping the text crisp and again pleasing to the eye is the key to keeping your readers interested and engaged.
Does the site have appropriate images that support its topic?
Implementing more appealing images; including embedded alt tags within design photos for user disability and usability considerations. Keeping the images bound to the subject matter of your site will keep the reader interested and wanting to view more of your content. Including nonrelated or color/subject clashing is not a good way to keep your potential customer interested, again making your company look amateur and not researched.
Learning Team Instructions Website Evaluation Work, WEEK 2 Please find below Team A's compiled list of our essential design criteria for evaluating Kudler Fine Foods. This list has been, presented in table form consisting of 29 items separated by their appropriate categories. We have included questionnaires and in-depth descriptions of all 29 specific design items listed.
KUDLER’S Website Evaluation Work, WEEK 3 After further evaluation of a list of 29 top priorities for Riordan and Huffman Trucking web sites, we have compiled an in-depth detail list presented below on proposed recommendations that will enhance overall efficiency within Kudler existing site. Please read far right column for recommendations. Please contact ‘TEAM A’ for clarification of recommendations. # | CATEGORY | QUESTION | IN DEPTH EXPLANATION & DESCRIPTION | RECCOMENDATIONS FOR KUDLER | 1 | Accessibility | Is content structurally separate from navigational elements? | Accurately implement needed spacing and placement between elements within the design. | Adjust existing design layout by relocating all navigational links horizontally on the left side of the site and adding a sidebar solely for links. | 2 | Accessibility | Is the website cross-browser compatible? | Implement every page successfully through testing patterns of ALL desirable browsers. | Existing site requires optimization for mobile browsing capabilities and quick content load ability. | 3 | Accessibility | How compliant is the website with W3C coding standards? Valid HTML/CSS? | Evaluate and check that all components of desired website have been created with accurate coding standards with HTML/CSS. | Run the current site through W3C coding validation checker and correct all errors and warnings implicated by the returned test results. | 4 | Accessibility | Are ‘alt’ tags in place on all significant images? | Evaluate for correct element commands within the desired website. | Site requires Implementation of all “alt” tags on all content images within the overall design. | 5 | Accessibility | Are text-based alternatives in place to convey essential information if this is featured within images or multimedia files? | Photos need to have a descriptive label also. Which include, user-friendly detail for successful operation with the desired website. | Implement more appealing imagery and descriptive bullets that are user-friendly interfaces to Kudler items for sell. Include different versions of the text for all rotating images within the overall content. Also, include hyperlinks for each item type that would provide pop-up windows for each item. | 6 | Navigation | Are links labeled with anchor text that provides a clear indication of where they lead without over using exact match anchor text? | A re-evaluation of maintaining user-friendly detail for successful operation within the website. | Visited hyperlinks should show past use. Past use could be colored slightly different and not have the default color. | 7 | Navigation | If a splash screen or navigation feature is provided in Java/JavaScript/Flash format, is a text-based alternative also available? | Accurately provide text-based alternatives for Java/JavaScript/Flash formats provided on the website. | The text-based version will need to be added for ease of use when a browser does not support flash or latest version of Java is not installed. | 8 | Navigation | Responsive to click feedback – Is a response given immediately (0.1 seconds) after a click is made on a hyperlink? | Ensure accurate coding standards that will provide immediate access within the hyperlink. | Load time after clicking the link is optimal. | 9 | Navigation | How intuitive is it to navigate? Are signs obvious or obscured? Buttons/Links Like Text, which are not clickable and vice versa, links/buttons that cannot be identified as such | Provide accurate and user-friendly navigation links within the desired website. | Survey section needs to have a close or back button if the customer does not want to do a survey. The only option available is to complete the survey. Remove the option of having the links to news, promotion, survey, terms, & condition on the main part of every subpage. This information is already in the footer of every page and is redundant to have in the middle of the page. | 10 | Navigation | Is it readable? Consider typeface, font size, color contrast. Contrasting? Size? The font that is readable? | Accurately provide valuable content easily accessible through readable user-friendly interfaces throughout the website pages. | No change necessary. Links are easy to read. | 11 | Navigation | Is a logical site map available? If not, is a keyword-based search feature available? Note: Large (multi-thousands of pages) sites should have a search form. | Provide an accurate, user-friendly search engine within the desired website. A search option that will present easy access to content and other valuable material. | No site map or search feature is available. There is no way to find information without clicking on each link. Implementation of a search feature will ease in finding information quickly. | 12 | Design | Is the site's design esthetically appealing? | Create the desired website with a pleasing appeal. | Implement a more appealing color scheme including lighter tones to enhance user readability. Also, develop appropriate spacing and alignments within the sites containers. | 13 | Design | Are the colors used harmonious and logically related? | Implement complementary colors within the design of the website | Adjust existing color patterns towards brown and tan appeals in order to compliment images more throughout the site. | 14 | Design | Is the design audience appropriate? The standard text size should be readable for visitors who don’t know how to adjust their browsers. | The website should appeal to all desired audiences with various considerations in, appropriate material and content. | Make adjustments to text sizes and margins areas throughout the site by increasing text format by one or two sizes. | 15 | Design | Are the fonts easy to read on various screen resolutions? | Implement readable content that is compatible with all desired screen resolutions. | Enhance font readability through optimization and different font styles such as Lucida Sans. | 16 | Design | Does the site have appropriate images that support its topic? | Implement images that complement the actual tone and subject of the website. | Implement more appealing images; including embedded alt tags within design photos for user disability considerations. | 17 | Content | Are bodies of text constrained to <80 characters per line? | Use accurate text standards within the website. The general rule is 50-70. | Make no changes to the existing user-friendly readability format. Continue with the use of white text on black background concepts throughout Kudler web design. | 18 | Content | Can text be resized through the browser or do CSS settings restrict size alteration? | Define user restrictions concerning if the text is easily altered in size. | Continue to abide by text constrained of <80 characters per line, which is suitable for both font and background compatibility. | 19 | Content | Is the contrast between text and its background color sufficient to make reading easy on the eyes? | The contrast of text to the background is easily on the eyes, in all browsers. NOTE: MAC and HP computers have different defaults also. | Implementation of bold text and italics to aid in the skim ability of the overall content within the site. | 20 | Content | Is text broken into small, readable chunks and highlighted using headings, sub-headings, and emphasize features where appropriate to assist in skimming? | Readers “scan” text. First sentences should attempt to contain paragraph summary. | Provide overall enhancements through the use of hyperlinks and roll-over text when presenting article content within the website. Links to product pictures or facility could aid to attract the reader's interest even further. | 21 | Content | Within articles, are there links to more detailed explanations of subjects, or definitions of jargon terms? | Consider hyperlinks and roll-over text when providing article content within the website. | Implement a resource section including content that identifies owners, authors and contributors of actual content to give a more respected and noteworthy platform to compare to competitors. | 22 | Content | Do you have an “about page” that identifies the author of the content, credits to source for content that was not written by the site owner himself? | Implement a resource section including content that identifies owners, authors and contributors of actual content. | Implement user-friendly sections including customer testimonials of services and products. | 23 | Content | Do you have testimonials and publish them on the site? | Implement user-friendly sections including testimonials of services. | Make adjustments to existing survey page, background and appeal of the site in order to match the sophistication of the overall design. | 24 | Content | Do you update the content regularly and don’t live by the phrase “set it and forget it”? | Maintain an up to date version of the system. Maybe consider a “modified on…” line. | Re-evaluate user restrictions pertaining to text size alteration and capabilities. | 25 | Other technical considerations | Does the site load quickly – even for mobile users? | Especially home page, loads in under 9 seconds on all browsers at all connection speed. | No changes are required or needed to current website load ability. Existing format loads quickly and works smoothly on laptops, as well as tablets. | 26 | Other technical considerations | Are all links (internal and external) valid and active? | Evaluate all navigational and operational links and make sure they are current. | All existing operational and navigational links are valid and active and require no further adjustments. | 27 | Other technical considerations | Are scripts free from errors? | Evaluate and eliminate all logical errors concerning scripts within the website. | Existing scripts require no changes but, lean towards suggestions on making adjustments to current home page and cheese navigational images. Recommend implementing slide show hyperlinks attached to each slide for easier access to users. | 28 | Other technical considerations | Privacy Policy up (especially if you collect data, email, names, and web analytics tracking cookies)? | Accurately implement Privacy Policy awareness through descriptive sections of data. | Existing Privacy Policy is thorough and requires no changes. | 29 | Other technical considerations | Did you include a Contact Us page with real address, phone number (toll-free for businesses) and contact form or email available, basically a clear and easy to use feedback/contact mechanism? | Accurately implement a Contact section with the website that is easily readable and user-friendly. | Implementation of contact information within content to ensure client connections and interactions. |
By going over the current Site for Kudler Fine Foods, we were able to distinguish many vital details about the company. We were also able to distinguish the purpose and preferred audience of the company.
Virtual Organization
Kudler Fine Foods Is an upscale specialty fine foods store. Having several locations in the San Diego Metro region in La Jolla, Encinitas and Del Mar with approximately 8,000 square feet a piece in retail space in fashionable shopping centers. Carry the very best in both imported and domestic products. They carry a variety of fine food products such as Bakery and Pastry Products, Fresh Products, Fresh Meat and Seafood, Condiments and Packaged Foods, also Cheese and Specialty Deli Products.
Purpose
The mission of Kudler Fine Foods is explained in their current site as in being; “To provide their customers with the finest in foodstuffs, wines, and related needs in an upscale unparalleled consumer environment". With this being said, it is expected that this store would be a high-end grocery store. Kudler Foods shop the world for their products so you do not have to so there will be many import items. Including Wines, Cheeses, and prepackaged items.
Audience
The Audience that Kudler Fine Foods is reaching for is going to be a more mature crowd with fine tastes. We will say the 35+ crowd, who live in higher class areas, with high-class tastes. Bankers, Businessmen, people with a good income shall we say.
After comparing the Kudler site to the other sites, we have determined that the Kudler site falls flat compared to the other two sites. Both the Huffman Trucking and Riordan site are more up to date and have more visually appealing user interfaces. The Kudler site has a lot of design elements that have not been updated for several years and by comparing the site to the other two sites the observation is painfully obvious. Kudler site is full of repeating information and dead end links, whereas the Riordan and Huffman Trucking sites both provide flowing easy to find information and always give you the option to go back to wherever you want to the site. The Kudler site was the only one that had a survey feature on the site to let the company know how they were doing. Unfortunately once you clicked on the survey, there was no way to go back to the website. You either had to do the survey or exit out of the web page.
On the intranet side of the site, Kudler site fell short again. Both Riordan and Huffman Trucking had intranet sites with a nice drop down navigation menus, whereas Kudler just had links that you had to keep clicking on to try and find the information you were looking for. On Kudler Intranet site, there just seemed to be too much information crammed in too small of one place in an un-organized manner. Another downfall of the Kudler site was the inability to perform a search function. All information had to be sought out by clicking on links, rather than being able to search for the selected material. A lot of the links in the HR category also were dead end pages, once you clicked on the link, you were unable to go back, you had to close the browser and start all over again. So was the case with the job description portion in the HR section.
Most people take for granted having the ability to see things with their eyes. It is not that easy for people who are blind or have physical disabilities. Team A has identified several items that we feel hinder the accessibility of the Kudler Fine Foods site. We have put together a list of recommendations, and we have a proposed group of changes that will be explained in the paragraphs below.
The current layout of the Kudler Fin Foods site has two separate navigation bars. A page scanner would be able to identify all the navigational links but someone with a physical disability may struggle with moving the mouse pointer halfway across the page. Team A recommends that a one-piece navigation bar be constructed and located in the left column of the site. It will allow for all navigational links to be located in one area. Team A determined that most of the page content worked on the three primary web page browsers, but the site is not optimized for mobile content. A large portion of today's customers uses mobile technology so pages that are not formatted properly for mobile viewing will be abandoned quickly. Formatting needs to be done in such a manner that allows both mobile and desktop viewing. Team A plans to optimize the site through the use of DreamWeavers features that allow you to preview and modify the site in a simulated mobile environment.
Team A evaluated the Kudler Fine Foods site with a W3C coding checker and found several issues that need to be improved. Team A will modify the code to answer those specific issues and recheck the site to ensure that all W3C issues have been fixed. Several of the items identified were in regards to the lack of "alt" tags on the images. A scanner cannot identify images on a page without an "alt" tag, and Team A intends to make sure each picture has the required information.
The Kudler Find Foods site has many images, but very few have a text-based alternative to providing information about the picture. Team A will ensure that each picture on the site has some form a text describing the images seen in the photo. The visually impaired viewers may see a blurry image so adding the text-based alternative will allow their scanner to explain the information the picture is trying to portray. The Kudler Fin Foods site has several lists of information that are only shown in paragraph format separated by commas. The site lists many different food types, but we have no way to navigate through the items in a picture or description of the item. Team A feels that each of these items should become a hyperlink with a pop-up window that provides a small picture and a few words of text to describe the item. Team A will implement this process on all pages of the site. Team A has determined that the site does not have a text based version. If a visitors browser does not have the latest Flash plug-in or it does not have the latest copy of Java, they may have problems navigating the site. Team A intends to create this text-base version so the site can be accessed and navigated by all who enter.
Team A has identified two items that need to be adjusted as it relates directly to site navigation. The Survey section needs to have a close or back button if a customer does not want to do a survey. The current opinion is to either complete the survey or close the page that exits you out of the site. Team A intends to add the same menu bar that is used on all other pages. This will allow users to get back into the Kudler Fine Foods Site. Team A also identified a duplicate copy of links for news, promotions, survey, and terms and conditions. Team A intends to remove the duplicate set of links and maintain the set of links at the bottom of the page. The Kudler Fine Foods site does not have a Site Map. A Site Map is a quick, easy way to get access to all the links on a site, and Team A feels a Site Map would be a useful feature on this site. Team A intends to build a Site Map with links to from all pages within the site.
The design of the internet site has a fairly new look to it, but it needs some upgrades. Team A intends to modify the color scheme with a lighter tone to enhance readability. The dark brown background with the bright white letters can wear on your eyes. Team A intends to lighten the background color and potentially use black letters that should be easier on the eyes. The background color will be modified to something that compliments the images throughout the site. We intend to color coordinate the site if you will. Team A feels the text size on the site is a bit too small. We mentioned earlier that we intend to optimize the site for mobile browsing and the team feels that the current text size will be too small for viewing in a phone. The team's intention is to increase the text size by one or two sizes. The team also intends to modify the font style to increase readability. The use of web fonts that are specifically made to work with CSS will be used. The team intends to find something similar to a Lucida Sans font.
The image selection on the site needs to be improved. Many of the images are generic and do not speak to the image Kudler Fine Foods is trying to impress on its customer. Team A intends to add images that reflect the image of the company and better identify the items the company is trying to sell. The current site only has one image per food group but lists many different food items. It is our team's intent to display a photo of each food item on the site. The team will ensure that all images have "alt" tags for accessibility considerations.
Team A has identified several areas of the content that need modification. There are a few areas the team thought suitable and planned to let those areas stand. The current site maintains a text constraint of 80 or fewer words. The team feels that this is a good standard, and we will keep the content within these same constraints. The team does feel that the use of bold text and italics could aid in readers ability to skim the page for highlighted information that will allow them to find what they need quickly. Team A will bold key categories and italicize descriptive words for items that we feel need to be highlighted. The team feels there is a lack of hyperlinks to either activate a pop-up window with a photo and text or to send the viewer to another page with more detail information about a product. The site currently has a large list of items that you do not get introduced to through photos and text. Team A intends to fix this by adding hyperlinks to each food items which provides the viewer detailed information on that product. The Kudler Fine Foods site does not have a resource section to help their viewers understand specific content, jargon, or technical terms associated with this industry. The teams feel that such a page is necessary, and we intend to add a page with this type of content. Along those same lines we feel the site should have an area with customer testimonials of the company's service and products. These testimonials can have a great impact on a first-time buyer's decision to use their service.
Finally, Team A believes that the current site should have a Contact Us page. The purpose of the Contact Us page is to get your customer to provide feedback. The feedback can be positive or negative but nonetheless it allows them to tell you how they feel which can affect change in your business. The Contact Us page could also generate your business. A potential customer may have a question prior to making a purchase, and a speedy reply may win their business. A site Contact Us page may seem inconsequential, but it can be used as a gateway for those customers that prefer not to use a phone. Team A intends on adding a Contact Us page.
