Interactive Design - Exercise 1 : Web Analysis
25/9/2025-5/10/2025 / Week1-Week2
Tan Tzu Yu / 0374460
Interactive Design / Bachelor of Design (Honors) in Creative Media / Taylor's University
Web Analysis
LECTURE NOTES
Week 1
Focus points in analysis:
Layout and navigation
Usability and user experience
Visual design and branding
Responsiveness (desktop vs. mobile)
Accessibility (ease of use for diverse users)
Week 2
[Norman Door]
Definition: A “Norman Door” is a poorly designed door where the visual cues suggest the opposite of what the user should do.(Eg: A door with a pull handle that actually requires pushing.)
[Discoverability]
- Definition: The ease with which users can identify what actions are possible within a design. If users struggle to understand how to interact, discoverability is poor.
[Feedback]
- Definition: Immediate response from the system to user input (e.g., button changes color when clicked, sound confirms action). It helps users understand what just happened and if it was successful.

Fig 1.0 : Human_Centered Design

Approach to design that prioritizes users’ needs, abilities, and contexts.
Involves empathy, observation, prototyping, and testing with real users.
Goal: create designs that are useful, usable, and desirable.
[Usability: Designing Products for User Satisfaction]
Definition: Usability refers to how effectively, efficiently, and satisfactorily a user can achieve a goal with a design.
A good usability allow users to quickly understand and navigate an interface and there is minimal need for instructions or expert knowledge.
A Bad Usability are those with confusing layouts, hidden functions, unclear navigation.
Principles of Usability
- Consistency
Ensures that design elements behave and look the same across the product.
Types of consistency:
Visual (colors, fonts, layouts)
Functional (buttons and menus behave the same everywhere)
Internal (uniformity within the product) and External (familiarity with other apps or platforms).
Example: Navigation bars on all pages should be in the same position.
- Benefits: Reduces cognitive load, builds trust, and speeds up learning.
- Examples: Adidas app, Strava app, Airbnb, ZUS Coffee app.
Simplicity
- Aim for the most straightforward path to achieve user goals.
- Avoid unnecessary complexity—each step should feel obvious.
- Use familiar symbols, icons, and terminology.
- Benefits: Faster, easier, and more enjoyable interactions.
- Example: Google homepage (clean, single search bar).
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| Fig 1.2 : Example of Simplicity |
Visibility
- Features should be clearly visible to users.
- If something is hidden, users may not discover it.
- Important options should stand out (e.g., main navigation, call-to-action buttons).
- Balance is key: too much visibility (clutter) is also bad.
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| Fig 1.3 : Example of Visibility |
Feedback
The system must “talk back” to users.
Examples:
A loading bar showing progress.
Error message when password is incorrect.
Button changes when tapped.
Benefits: Reassures users, prevents confusion.

Fig 1.4: Example of Feedbacks
Error Prevention
Anticipate and reduce user mistakes.
Techniques:
Confirmation prompts (e.g., “Are you sure you want to delete this file?”)
Input restrictions (e.g., password strength indicators, format check for email).
Undo functions to easily recover.
Acknowledges human error as natural and designs around it.
Fig 1.6 Example of Error Prevention
[Common Usability Pitfalls]
Overly complex interfaces (too many steps, cluttered UI).
Confusing navigation (users don’t know where to go next).
Poor or missing feedback (users don’t know if action worked).
Weak error handling (unclear error messages, no recovery options).
Week 3
[Evolution of Web Access]
Originally: keyboard, mouse, monitor only
Now: includes mobile touch devices, voice or audio interfaces (important for accessibility)
[Diversity in Browsers, OS & Screen Sizes]
Browsers: IE, Firefox, Chrome, Opera, Safari
Operating Systems: Windows, macOS, Linux
Screen resolutions: e.g. 640×480 up to 1680×1050+
[Role & Importance of Web Standards]
Web pages may render differently across devices and browsers
Standards help ensure content is accessible and consistent
The W3C defines and maintains standards (HTML, CSS, etc.)
[Benefits]
Developers can read and maintain code easily
Less need for browser-specific hacks or rewrites
Better experience and reliability for users
[How the Web Works]
User connects via ISP
User types a domain name into browser
Browser queries DNS to find the server’s IP address
Browser contacts the web server using that IP
Web server sends back the web pages to the browser
Structure of a Web Page (via HTML)
[Why Structure Matters]
Helps users navigate and absorb content
Mirrors structure in printed media (headings, sections, etc.)
[Key HTML Concepts]
HTML (HyperText Markup Language) is used to define web page structure
Tags / Elements: enclosed in
< >, e.g.<p>Hello</p>Attributes: extra info inside opening tags, e.g.
<p lang="en">
[Main Sections of an HTML Document]
<head>: holds metadata, title, etc.<body>: contains the visible content
[Headings & Paragraphs]
Headings:
<h1>through<h6>Paragraphs:
<p>Some text here.</p>
[Text Styling]
Bold:
<b>bold text</b>Italic:
<i>italic text</i>
Lists
[Ordered list (<ol>)]
[Unordered list (<ul>)]
[Nested list]
[Links]
Use an anchor tag
<a>withhrefattributeExample:
<a href="http://www.example.com">Visit Example</a>Links can point externally, internally (same site), or to sections in the same page
Exercise 1 – Web Analysis
Task Overview
In this exercise, we are required to select five (5) websites from the provided link and conduct a detailed review of each website. The analysis focuses on the website’s design, layout, content, and functionality, with an aim to identify both strengths and weaknesses and understand their impact on the overall user experience. The findings must be compiled into a structured report that has a clear formatting with headings and subheadings for readability and then be uploaded to our e-portfolio. Each review should have the minimum of 200 words and each review must summarize the findings and include some recommendations for improvement. Additionally, we should also provide screenshots of the key pages or sections in order to illustrate our points.
Key Areas of Analysis
Purpose and Goals
Each site was examined to see if its main intention was clear. A well-designed website should quickly show what it offers and why it exists.
Visual Design & Layout
The website’s design is evaluated by looking at its use of color, typography, and imagery, as well as how these elements work together to create balance, readability, and overall aesthetic appeal.
Functionality & Usability
This step involved testing how smooth it was to move around the site. I looked at menus, links, and interactive features to see if they made the experience intuitive or frustrating.
Quality & Relevance
We need to evaluate whether the information was accurate, well-organized, and relevant to its audience. Clarity and tone played a big role in how the message came across.
Website's Performance
Technical aspects such as loading speed, mobile compatibility, and browser performance were also considered , which all directly influence user satisfaction. They are all measured across all kinds of devices and browsers.
I chose 5 different websites each representing different category including fashion, portfolios,events,food and drinks and music. All of these sites are award-winning examples featured on CSS Winner, which made them especially interesting to study. Each website gives out different kinds of style and aesthetics , reflecting the distinct identity of its category, and it made me want to know more about it.
Website 1 : The Etiquette by Moon-Moon (Fashion)
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| Fig 1.0 : The Etiquette |
- Purpose and Goals :
- Visual Design & Layout :
![]() |
| Fig 1.2 : Fonts used in website |
- Functionality & Usability :
![]() |
Fig 1.5 : Navigation_laptop view |
- Quality & Relevance :
- Website's Performance :
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| Fig 1.7 : Performance score_Mobile |
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| Fig 1.8 : Performance score_Desktop |
- Conclusion :
Website 2 : Lydia Amaruch's Portfolio by Lydia Amaruch (Portfolio)
![]() |
| Fig 2.0 : Lydia Amaruch's Portfolio |
- Purpose and Goals :
- Visual Design & Layout :
- Functionality & Usability :
- Quality & Relevance :
- Website's Performance :
- Conclusion :
![]() |
| Fig 3.0 : People Inspired* |
- Purpose and Goals :
People Inspired* is the Senior Graphic Design & Interactive Media showcase for the Fall 2024 class at UW-Stout. The site’s goal is to exhibit student works and communicate themes around human connection, culture, and identity—how design is shaped by people and vice versa.
It aims to present the graduating class’s collective creativity, offering a platform to share their work with broader audiences (faculty, peers, public).
- Visual Design & Layout :
![]() |
| Fig 3.1 : Colour palette of "People Inspired*" website |
The images are consistent in quality and framing, which helps maintain a curated, gallery-like atmosphere. This consistency makes the browsing experience feel polished and intentional.
- Functionality & Usability :
[ Interactive Elements ]
- Quality & Relevance :
[ Relevance ]
- Website's Performance :
[ Responsiveness & Compatibility ]
- Conclusion :
- Purpose and Goals :
- Visual Design & Layout :
[ Typography ]
![]() |
| Fig ? : Website imagery (recipes) |
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| Fig ? : Website imagery (glossy jars) |
![]() |
| Fig ? : Website imagery ( 3D jars) |
- Functionality & Usability :
![]() |
| Fig ? : Website Navigation & Website in mobile layout |
- Quality & Relevance :
[ Relevance ]
- Website's Performance :
[ Responsiveness & Compatibility ]
- Conclusion :
Website 5 : HiKeys-1997 by ++hellohello (Music)
- Purpose and Goals :
- Visual Design & Layout :
[ Typography ]
[ Layout ]
- Functionality & Usability :
- Quality & Relevance :
[ Relevance ]
- Website's Performance :
[ Responsiveness & Compatibility ]
- Conclusion :
Reflections













































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