Joshua Tree Moment

With the number of times a week I have to access the Graduate School website, I have begun to notice the design flaws that break all of the basic principles, and I now have a better understanding as to why so many people call to ask questions. The Clemson Graduate School website I think is entirely confusing, and when you look at it trying to identify the basic principles that usually define a good site, they’re far and few in between. There are issues with proximity, alignment, repetition and contrast, as well as design centered issues, all of which are obvious on the homepage. It feels entirely cramped as there is little use of white space and the colors purple and orange are used excessively. Whereas the color purple for links is repetitive, their size and weight is not. The links are centered in the left navigation menu which makes it look disorganized. What stands out to me the most is that the site is trying to appeal to two very different audiences: it is trying to recruit students, and yet, it also tries to serve the interests of current students, but it never quite satisfies either way. It is also confusing as most people would assume the “Welcome” page would be the home page, but it’s not, and there is no link for the homepage until you realize that the logo is the link.

Based on this, I would have to say that I am really starting to focus on and notice good and bad examples of user-centered design. It just makes things much more appealing and much more practical. If you can get inside the head of your audience and find a target audience, you will be much more successful and organized than trying to please the masses. What I think I am starting to really understand is that you do not need to reinvent the wheel, especially with websites. The "L" shape and the tabs created by Amazon were (are) excellent methods and it is entirely possible to conceptualize what one considers a cluttered or disorganized site as organized and elegant if you can look past the design flaws and better understand what the designer is trying to accomplish and more importantly, which target audience he is trying to reach.