A website may have a collection of related images, web pages, and so on. The website has a domain name and it is hosted by a web server. The website is accessible through the internet or a private local area network.
Websites are designed to give viewers specific information and the design of a web’s main page reflects its purpose and target audience. This paper will compare the main web pages of two websites and reflect on the design decisions that influence the readability of the websites. The two web pages that will be discussed are Wikipedia and Britannica.com.
Wikipedia and Britannica.com website’s main goal is to provide information to their readers. Its intended readers are academicians.
Britannica’s.com main page is designed using various graphics. It communicates its purpose clearly. It is a site that provides information and the information is organized into various categories. Each category has specific kinds of information that are related. The categories are arranged at the top of the page and this makes it easy for a viewer to find the kind of information they are looking for. For example, anyone interested in arts and entertainment will just click on the bar that contains that information. At the top of the page, there is a search button that enables viewers to search for specific information. The arrangement of the information that can be found on that website is arranged well and the color used is very appealing. This makes the website interesting. The layout and the design may hold the interests of the reader as the site is very user-friendly. Therefore, the presentation and layout of the materials on the site are appropriate for the purpose of the site and the kind of information the site gives to the reader.
The site uses color consistently. This makes it easy for the reader to find the information they are searching for. The site is organized and the reader is likely to find the information they are looking for fast. On the other hand, there are advertisements on the site but they are unobtrusive. Thus, a reader will not be attracted by the advertisements lose track of their visit to the site. The site enables users to blog and this makes it easy for readers to share information.
The information on the site is written with a good level of formality that is appropriate. However, with registration and subscription readers cannot access premium information.
The other website is Wikipedia. The main page has a lot of text. The text is written in various languages. This is very good because it makes the website relevant to nonspeakers of English. The main purpose of the website is to pass information to the general public. There is information on almost all topics under the sun in Wikipedia. The layout and the design of the main page are not interesting. The page has failed to use color to its advantage. A visitor to the site may be put off a large number of text at the top.
Information is organized at the bottom of the page. This makes it easy to search for a specific type of information. On the other hand, the main page does not attract the attention of the intended reader because one cannot tell what the site is all about a first glance. The design needs to be improved to make the page attractive. This can be done by adding images, color and reducing the text. The web page needs to be upgraded to arouse the interest of its intended audience.
The information on Wikipedia is easily accessible through the search button. The content is written a simple language. On the other, the information provided in Wikipedia can be edited by anyone and this reduces the credibility of that information. The site should enlist professionals to provide information and remove the editing option to improve the authority of its information.