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Inventory of Web Sites
Good Interface Design

(1)Writer's Digest
(2)iVillage
(3)Sauder Manufacturing Company

Good Interface Design/Writer's Digest (1)

Company: URL:		Writer's Digest http://writersdigest.com

Writer's Digest is a periodical focused on aiding and abetting literary authorship and commerce of the written word. For more than 75 years, the Writer's Digest family of books and magazines has informed, instructed and inspired writers. The web site for Writer's Digest is a natural continuation of that endeavor and places great emphasis on encouraging aspiring authors of all genre.

Although it is currently written in frames, the grid established presents a uniform, easy-to-read format. The layout is multi-colored, both in fonts and backgrounds, although as one migrates through the site map, these background colors and font treatments are fairly consistent.

There are ample graphics to entice the reader's eye suggesting that authors to "dare to publish" or "dare to try to publish." I don't believe I read the words "publish or perish" anywhere on the site.

Hyperlinks and great navigation take one to tons of information on subjects such as publishers and their specialty fields, who in America is writing and publishing successfully, tips on writing styles, writing seminars scheduled, a "brag board" to note accomplishments, etc.

Various chat room opportunities exist for checking in with individuals of like writing passsion and interest Multiple links carry the viewer into a variety of sites suggested for ordering specific books and writing aids.

A lengthy resource for checking out the contents of Writer's Digest latest issues, with a service provided to search and order back issues and even subscribe—all online.

I encountered very few dead links or dead-end pages. The site is so huge and there are so many hyperlinks outside of the Writer's Digest immediate site, that several small literary groups have at one time established small web sites, but have not kept their sites current or tastefully rendered. This is merely a problem of daring to "leave the Writer's Digest site"...you leave the organized and efficient focus so consistent in the Writer's Digest environment. Fine navigation appears to be paramount for Writer's Digest viewers.


Good Interface Design/iVillage.com (2)

Company: URL:		iVillage.com http://www.ivillage.com

I happened upon iVillage.com during literary pursuits. It has a strong hyperlink tie to amazon.com, so that is probably why I observed the name iVillage.com fairly frequently. Although I saw a multi-linked home page layout, not until I reviewed it carefully did I realize it was a woman's version of networking and communications. Basically, the site consists of the home page, from which a minimum of at least fifty links are directed. It reminds me of a woman's AOL...once you are in the site, there is so much information available via linking, that one just doesn't leave soon.

iVillage.com is a women's network of communications...radio, TV, web site, periodicals, etc.

Their meta tag on the site reads: "iVillage.com offers busy women a community in which to share advice. Join other women like you to talk about, books, parenting, careers, computers, diet/fitness, food, money, pets, relationships, beauty, shopping, travel and working from home."

The grid used on the home page is four-columned, with a fifth column introduced on the far right-hand side if you have browser and monitor resolution to accept that large of a display. Most table widths are between 620-640 pixels.

The color coding is consistent throughout the site. Fonts used are generally verdana and arial. I noticed a great deal of 8 pt. fonts. The site is written in java script with cascading style sheets.

The home page has at least six drop-down search areas, in addition to the iVillage.com search capability which is housed in the upper-righthand corner of the home page.

Directorywise, the main subject headings are: babies, beauty, diet and fitness, entertainment, food, health, home and garden, horoscopes, money, parenting, pregnancy, pets, relationships, shopping, and work.

I encountered no dead-end hyperlinks to the second level of hierarchy.

The site gives me a sense of safety and comfort with its design, colors, and available data.


Good Interface Design/Sauder Manufacturing Company (3)


Company: URL: Logo:	Sauder Manufacturing Company http://www.sauder.com



Upper Portion of Sauder Home Page








Lower Portion of Sauder Home Page



Soundings regarding Sauder....

If someone happened upon this site not at all intending to purchase furniture, the image the site projects has such a positive impact that one will most certainly remember the site and wish to do business with the company this site represents.
1. Site colors are subdued and placid, subliminally representing the soft wood tones utilized in the furniture being manufactured; i.e., white, tan, and a darker brown. The site navy blue used most generally depicts a business, rather than casual, environment. Pages representing the various furniture categories are color coded in conservative hues; blue for office/computer, lavender for entertainment, green for bedroom, tan for shelving/storage, turquoise for kitchen/utility, and tan for the collections.
2. Very little of the home page resides below the fold. All essential navigational tools reside in prime real estate on the left side of each page.
3. Since these products are not sold directly from the site itself, of utmost importance is to so deeply impress the viewer that he/she will pursue the products locally. A dynamic web site can bridge that gap between manufacturer and consumer, hoping that the retailers who represent the manufacturer will provide a reinforcing, rather than a distracting, consummation of the sale. Because of the confidence the site represents to me, I would prefer being able to deal with Sauder directly, but their person-to-person customer service helps to fill that void.
4. Navigation is a a surfer's dream. No broken links were detected and the site map hierarchy is reasonable, sensible, and well articulated. The wealth of knowledge when one reaches either the third or fourth level of the hierarchy is rewarding enough for the pursuit. Specific product information is wonderfully comprehensive...all measurements, wood finishes, prices, etc. contained within a single specification sheet.
5. No noticeable distracting pop-up windows, blinking images, or offensive java scripting.
6. Product searches can be conducted through a Furniture Finder page, concise, but complete and effective.
7. New products are shown on a New Products page, as well as within their respective collection grouping.
8. Photographs of room vignettes are tastefully feathered, introducing the softness shown on few sites. Conversely, product photographs show clean, clear, precise lines and details. Rendering is rapid, so I suspect all photographs have been adequately optimized for web usage.
9. The company is clearly keeping current on site technology. Rollovers, thumbnails, and magnified product shots all contribute toward ease and visual enjoyment on the site.
10. Customer service is actually a live humanoid! When I've had questions on a couple of occasions, I've been able to phone (their site lists their phone number!...most sites don't want to deal directly with the public, so they intentionally omit the phone number). On the last occasion when I phoned inquiring about the availability of a specific item, the Sauder employee answered my inquiry with courtesy and knowledge. It was extremely late at night, but someone was there to "receive" my call. Sauder is located in Ohio and I was calling from Washington state, so I was keenly aware of the difference in the time-zone element.
11. We are customers. The packaging is appropriate. The techniques and instructions are simplified, but most adequate. Our den is populated by bookcases, lateral files, coffee table, end tables, telephone stand, computing storage unit, night stands, and two armoires...all in the Heritage Hill Collection, cherry finish, by Sauder. Our room offers the comforts of Sauder's warm wood tones and our high tec equipment. It is in this room that we spend the majority of our productive working hours. Many visitors comment on the warm comfort of this room...and they end up at the Sauder web site!