Client:
Green Child of Mine.
Description:
Online shop for a start-up internet business.
Technology:
XHTML, CSS, Flash, JavaScript, Spry
Visit:
Note:
Client has taken partial control over website content / design.
Exceptions: a few bits of code necessary for backward compatibility in older browsers.
The Brief:
- Design a web site for a new online venture.
- The site should be clean, pure and modern in design in order to reflect and attract the type of client that would be interested in the products offered.
- Easy navigation with multiple routes to each product page to ensure visitors would find what they were looking for.
- A safe and secure payment system to encourage worry-free sales.
Details/Discussion:
Design.
Finding a balance between appealing to the adult purchasers and the child recipients was of primary importance.
A white background was used to create a clutter-free environment. Big, bold, solid lettering for headers and titles; along with a large footer and subtle, rounded cornered boxes give a classy, modern, "Web 2.0-ish" feel to the site.
The flower logo and field footer used throughout the site convey a green, environmentally sound image.
Other colours used are strong and bright, and indicate that the site is for children's products.
Layout & Structure.
The navigational structure is a key component of this site. Having both narrow and broad product categories caters for both the focused searcher and casual browser.
The decision was taken to have a site that was 950 pixels wide. The reasoning's behind this were down to aesthetic, practical and technical factors.
The payment process is handled by a form on each product page and is processed using Mal's E-commerce Shopping Cart (www.mals-e.com), where personal data is also collected. The actual credit card processing is securely handled by PayPal©.
Extras:
Other elements of the site include a Flash generated slide-show on the home page and some roll-over, image swapping effects.
A news blog, and a form to sign up to an email newsletter add a social network element to the site. This extra level of interactivity with the website visitor is an important tool for modern websites.
Discuss
Further discussion of the styles and techniques used to create this website can be found on my blog. Please feel free to leave any comments of you may have.