Step 9 - Reevalute Design

I feel my website as a finished product works well in meeting the brieg in creating an entertaining and informative childrens website. The site adopts a fixed colour scheme which would be appealing to the audience and the theme of healthy eating is consistent throughout.

On reflection, I feel that perhaps parts of my website could have been more interactive, this was also a view shared in the user testing. The quiz page on the website was the main feature and I feel that this section of the site would be the most popular amongst the chosen target audience. However, the other pages on the site where mainly text based and therefore could lose the interest of the target audience as young children would not want to be just reading information off the screen. Simple features such as animation on the navigation and banner were helpful in entertaining the audience and keeping their focus and interest throughout. 

Based on my user testing, I found that most aspects of my website were succesful. I had to carefully consider text size and colour scheme and these turned out to be the most appraised elements of my site in the user testing. 

The following table was completed by a friend of mine to gain his views on the website. For the rest of the user testing please follow the link at the top.

Name:	Alex
Content clarity: (please bold your choice)	1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5
Font size: (please bold your choice)	1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5
Usability: (please bold your choice)	1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5
Design: (please bold your choice)	1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5
Navigation: (please bold your choice)	1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5
Other comments: (please keep comments to a maximum of one paragraph)
I liked the game part of the website but I think the audience would lose interest after that because the following pages only contained text.

Step 8 - Development

The next step of the process was to link the pages together make sure that the site was fully functional and interactive. When I had tested the site and checked that everything was working correctly I could then begin user testing in order to find out other peoples views and feedback on my website. This is an important part of the process as I need to know if my site would be appropriate and appealing to the target audience.

Step 7 - Construction

The next step was to begin constructing my sketches and ideas in Flash. I added my images to the library in Flash using the Photoshop mock-up I had already produced. I converted my navigation images into buttons in order to add action script code to them to make the site navigable. I created a seperate layer in the timeline for actions and I added the content of the site in individual layers based on the page. I decided to do the site in one scene which meant my timeline would become quite busy as there would need to be a lot of motions tweens and navigation using labels.

Game/Quiz Concept

After making my design considerations, I had to decided upon the content for my website. I thought it would be better to aim my site at younger children with the aim to get them involved with eating healthier. I felt that the most appealing feature to have for this age group would be a game of some sorts. So after sketching out a few initial ideas I came to a final concept, this being that the user would see a series of images and they would have to click on the correct button to determine if they are healthy or unhealthy. I thought this would be fairly simple to execute but would still be enjoyable for the user. Another idea I originally considered was to have the images on screen with the option to drag and drop them into a basket, one being for healthy foods and one for unhealthy foods. I dismissed this idea however as I felt it would be too time consuming considering the fact that I have limited experience in Flash.

I came up with the plan for the quiz game in my sketchbook then began to design it in Photoshop to see how it would look as a final product. I wanted to give the images a cartoon feel to them as I believe the target audience would find them more enjoyable. The 'yes' and 'no' buttons would appear green and red respecitvely when clicked to give the game a bit more attraction. When I was happy with my design I began to code the game in Flash.

Step 6 - How to build an interactive product

Step 6 - Design


After generating some ideas and plans in my sketch book, I began to bring the design into Photoshop. I visited Adobe Kuler to find a suitable colour scheme which would be eye catching and appealing to the target audience. I wanted to make the design as true as possible to my original wireframe, as this would make structure considerations easier and I could use my full focus on design. I worked on the logo of the site and used a simple graphic of an apple behind the main text. I thought about how I could animate the apple in Flash so this would be a good feature to have. My navigation looked simplistic but it was clearly readible and understandble and this was important to consider as the site is for children. I was pleased with the outcome of this design and was now ready to develop it into Flash.

Step 4-5 - How to build an interactive product

Step 4 - Written Outline

I had came up with the ideas for the home page and quiz page and after designing these I had to consider the content for the next two pages. I felt that it would be helpful for one of the sections of the website to be a little more informative, as although the quiz would be a fun feature for the user, I does not state the benefits and importance of eating healthy.

I decided that the third page of the website would be a guide, where the user could find information about the '5 a day'. I thought this would be helpful for children as they would need to know this information but I realised that the language used would have to be quite informal for the audience to understand. 

The final page of the site would simply be a contact page with an email address for users to contact the site admin for more info on healthy eating.

Site Structure


Home - Introduction to site, some healthy eating info.
Quiz - Interactive game which helps the user to seperate healthy products from unhealthy products.
Guide - More info on healthy eating and information of five a day.
Contact - Small contact section including contact details of the website.

Step 5 - Wireframes 

When I had decided upon the pages and content of my site I could then begin to sketch out wireframes to give me a clear idea of layout and structure.

Steps 1-3 - How to build an interactive product

Step 1 - Research

One of the websites I looked at for my research into children's healthy eating was 'Food Dudes'. I immediately noticed that the site used a flash animation in the header for moving clouds. The site looked effective in appealing to the target audience as it uses bright colours and cartoon characters. I felt that the website was aimed at older children rather than the younger target audience I would be leaning towards. This was due to the site being more informative than interactive and plus the cartoon characters on the site looked older. 

Step 2 - Brainstorming 

After completing my initial research a began to formulate some ideas in my sketch book. After I had considered the target audience, I thought about a suitable name for the site and eventually landed upon 'an apple a day'. I began skecthing out wireframes and considering page content before I went straight into Photoshop or Flash. This was an important stage of the production of my site as I was able to gain a better understanding of what the site would have to include and how I could make it appeal to a selective audience. 


Step 3 - Technical Requirements

I had to consider the technical aspects or my site and what I would need to create it. I realised that it would be a small site so a CMS would not be required, but I would have to create the site in Flash to ensure interactivity. I would have a timeframe of around 5 weeks to create the flash website so it is important to organise time wisely when working to such constraints. The final product should be successful in informing and entertaining the target audience of young children.