Cheng Hong’s presentation taught me a lot about user experience. She went over the many ways to research user experience methods and I learned about methods like tree testing, in which a user will look at individual stages of the website before it is actually created to make sure everything flows smoothly. From the roots to the branches, just like a tree. I also really enjoyed learning about Chinese twitter, and the censorship laws they have there and how it affects social media and the flow of information.
The goal of my website is to gain recognition of my work by experts in the field as well as newbies that need some inspiration. I want my website, as well as the work that’s on it, to stand out. That’s what this business is all about, right? The biggest problems I’m facing so far are pretty simple fixes. I need to become a master wix user so that I can style my website and transform it from the lame template look it has now. Another hurdle I have to cross is condensing the work I want to show and posting it on my website in a aesthetically pleasing and user friendly way. I’ve been looking at Brandcenter students’ website portfolios and I always get a rush of both inspiration and self-doubt because those things look very professional and nice and I don’t have the skillset (yet) to build such beautiful portfolios. But, I’m sure after a few Youtube videos and some trial and error, I’ll have a beautiful baby that i’ll be proud to show off to the world.
As I mentioned before, I hope to target higher-ups in the advertising world in hopes of impressing them with not only the work on my website, but the website itself. I want to know what’s been done already so I can do something new. I want to know what the portfolios of senior strategists look like, what kind of information they include, which ones stand out?
I also want to attract other creatives and strategists that are also just starting to get out there in the adult world. I want to meet people who are on the same page as me so that we can collab, help each other network, bounce ideas off each other, offer constructive criticism and praise when needed. Maybe make a new pal. I think this would be constructive because I would be able to get a look at my website from the eyes of someone at the same stage of life as me, but they may see things completely different from me. We may have a different sense of humor, and some things on my website may not make sense to them, and I would want to know that because I want people from all over the world to be able to read what I have to say and look at my work and really understand it. The ways I could test this are user testing because I want to get a first hand look on what other people see and feel when they go on my site, a survey to see what people usually expect out of a website portfolio and lastly A/B testing because I am still picking between a few layouts and themes for my website.
Execution:
User Testing: Have a few friends look at my website and tell me their thoughts, using Cheng Hong’s usability test class activity as a reference for questions.
Survey: Send out a survey about users’ preferences about website layouts and mapping/what’s easiest and most convenient for them/what’s most aesthetically pleasing
A/B Testing: Because I’m currently choosing between two layouts for my website, I will have users look at two prototypes, one older and one new, for my site and have them choose which they like more and for what reasons, and then compare the two.
Results
User Testing: I had fellow VCU Ad Alum and good pal Thomas look over my website and tell me his thoughts. For obvious reasons, he said I had a lot to work on. My site so far, has nothing on it, and many things are still set on default. I have a lot of work to do.
Survey: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ no responses
A/B Testing: The newer layout caught the eye of more people compared to the older, original layout theme I had for my site. It was also my personal preference as well.