1. Task 1 Understand the uses and features of websites Sophie O’Rourke

2. HTTP://WWW.COOLMATH- GAMES.COM/ Website 1

3. Purpose The main purpose of this website is to entertain. For example, the website is full of loads of different games to play. However there is another purpose, which is to educate. I think this because there are subheadings at the top of the website, showing different types of educational games you can play, such as, geography science etc. This is so you can have fun playing games, however you are learning at the same time as well. This is a screenshot showing some of the games that this website do, however they do loads more! This is a screenshot showing some of the subjects which they have games that you can play

4. Target Audience The target audience of this website, ranges from around 5-12 both boys and girls. This is because I am 14 years old and this does not appeal to me and I wouldn’t games on this website, however I have a younger sister who is 9 years old and she likes to play on this website. In addition, this website uses features to encourage kids to play on their website, for example they use slang such as ‘coolmaths4kids’. Another example is the font that they use, the font is funky and bold, which young kids will like. This is a screenshot of their slang which younger kids may see this as cool This is a screenshot of the font that they use, it is funky and bold

5. Construction Features The website has many hyperlinks, so the people using the website can access what games they would like to play quicker than if the website did not have hyperlinks. This website also has hotspots. Hotspots are hyperlinks on pictures, on this website there logo is hyperlinked, so that when you press it, it automatically goes straight to there homepage. This is a screenshot of there logo, and if you click on it, it will take you to there homepage

6. Interactive features I have looked at this website for any interactive features, such as registration, email links, e-commerce and online forum and this website doesn’t have any of these features. In order to improve their website they could add some of these features, for example, they could have an online forum so people can discuss what games they like and how good or bad that are at them.

7. Aesthetics The colours of this website are bright and colourful and they stand out from the black background. The layout is also quite crowded and it seems very busy so any important information doesn’t stand out. It also has a few adverts. The media on this website is good as there are loads of games and all of them are well designed and don’t crash the computer. The text on this website is colourful and quite clear as the font is suitable and is at a suitable size. This is a screenshot of the homepage, it has bright colours and bold writing

8. Accessibility Some users may need to use text readers as they are unable to see what is on the screen, therefore this website has provided an alternative description to non-text items, such as images. This means that when the user scrolls over an image or text the website will speak out what they are hovering over, so that they know what they are going on. This is a screenshot of what is said when you hover over the image if you are unable to see what is on the screen

9. Improving user experience This website is a dynamic website, which means that the website is unique and because of this it encourages users to revisit there website. For example, this website has style sheets, which means that all the webpage's have something in common to relate to there house style. This website has the colour black as a background and ahs loads of bold colourful writing, which relates to there house style. Another example is that this website has embedded digital assets, for this website has loads of different games that you can play, which makes the user want to keep returning to there website to play new and different games each time. This is a screenshot of some of the games that they have, which is an embedded digital asset

10. Strengths The strengths of this website are that there are plenty of games to play, this means that you can play any types of game genre you want, from strategy games to skill games and memory games. This is a strength because it will keep young kids constantly entertained and keep them playing games on your website. Another strength is the mouse that the website has, it is a bunch of shapes that follows where you move the mouse. This is a strength because it appeals to the target audience, as they will find it different and unique. Another strength is the colours that they use in their writing. This is a strength because the target audience will like the colours, as they stand out and the colours and they catch your attention, when you go onto their website. This is a screenshot of the font that they use, it is bold and the colours stand out. This is a screenshot of the mouse, it is unique and different

11. Weaknesses On the other hand the website does have some weaknesses as well. For instance, their layout, it is old fashion and doesn’t match the target audience. For example, they have a black background with a thin red border around everything. If they take out the red border, then their website will be more modern and have a better layout. Another weakness is all the adverts that there are. This again doesn’t appeal to the target audience as they may not have a phone to get a sim contract. This means that the adverts are completely y irrelevant. This is a screenshot of an advert on there website, which is irrelevant This is a screenshot of their layout, which has a black background and red borders

12. Conclusion In conclusion, one thing that I liked about this website was that the colours matched it’s target audience. For example, the colour of the writing was bold colours that stood out and these colours appeal to younger children. Another thing that I liked about this website is that there are loads of games and loads of game genres. This means that they have reached there purpose which is to mainly entertain. However, this website does have some bad points as well, for example there layout is really old fashioned and doesn’t quite reach there target audience as it is quite 1970’s. This means that in my website I will try and make the layout look modern and for it to match my target audience. Overall my thoughts of this website was that it was good, as it met it there purpose which was to entertain, and the colours matched there target audience, however they just need to change the layout of there website in order to get full marks.

13. HTTP://WWW.READINGFESTIVAL.COM/ Website 2

14. Purpose The main purpose of this website is to promote Reading festival. For example, on the website there is a slideshow advertising all the bands that are going to be performing at the next reading festival, this would encourage people to buy tickets as they would want to watch there favourite bands. Another purpose of this website is to inform. I think this because it informs you all about the reading festival and tells you what bands are playing there and what days the reading festival is on. This is a screenshot of the slideshow that advertises the bands that are going to play at reading festival This is a screenshot of informing you about reading festival

15. Target audience The target audience of this website ranges from between 14- 20 year olds, both boys and girls. This is because I am 14 years old and the type of music that reading festival have appeals to me, however I have a younger sister who is 9 and the music that they have doesn’t appeal to her. Furthermore, reading festival is aimed at people who are old enough to go be allowed to go by themselves, as you would rarely see a 40 year old women there.

16. Construction Features This website has many hyperlinks, so the people using the website can navigate around the site easier and can find what they like quicker than if the website did not have hyperlinks. This website also has hotspots. Hotspots are hyperlinks on pictures, on this website there logo is hyperlinked, so that when you press it, it automatically goes straight to there homepage. This is a screenshot of a hotspot, if you click on there logo, it will take you to there homepage

17. Interactive features This website has email links, so that if you click on the link it will take you straight to there email and you can email them quicker, instead of having to type in there email address. This website also has forums, so that if you have any queries you can ask a question, or if someone else has asked a question and you know the answer, you can reply to the question by answering it. This is a screenshot of the email link, which is a quicker alternative to emailing them if you have any queries This is a screenshot of the forum link, which you can post any questions that you may have

18. Aesthetics The colours of this website are mainly yellow and red, which match their logo, there is also black and white. The layout of this website is different compared to other websites as the navigation bar is slightly hidden. The media on this website is good as there are links on the top right corner, that link you to various types of social-networks. The text on this website are four different colours, red, yellow, black and white. The font is clear and is at a suitable size. This is a screenshot of some of the colours of this website, yellow, black and red

19. Accessibility Some users may need to use text readers as they are unable to see what is on the screen, therefore this website has provided an alternative description to non-text items, such as images. This means that when the user scrolls over an image or text the website will speak out what they are hovering over, so that they know what they are going on. This is a screenshot of reading festival’s logo, when you hover over it this is what would be said, if you can’t see hat is on the screen

20. Improving user experience This website is a dynamic website, which means that the website is unique and because of this it encourages users to revisit there website. For example, this website has style sheets, which means that all the webpage's have something in common to relate to there house style. This website has the colour red as a background which relates to there house style. Another example is that this website has embedded digital assets, for this website it is a slideshow on the homepage, which catches the users attention as it is the first thing that they see. This is a screenshot of the slideshow on the homepage, which is an embedded digital asset

21. Strengths There are many strengths of this website, for example on the homepage there is a slideshow that shows the main bands that are going to play at the latest reading festival. This is a strength because when people go onto the website that is the first thing that they notice and if they realise what bands are playing at the reading festival they will want to buy tickets, which matches there purpose. Another strength of this website is that there are hyperlinks in the top right hand side of the page. These hyperlinks help get users of the website to well-known pages quicker, as you just click on the link then it will take you to the page. This is a screenshot of the hyperlinks, that take you to well-known pages quicker This is a screenshot of one slide on the slideshow that is on the homepage, which show the headliners of reading festival

22. Weaknesses On the other hand there are some weaknesses as well. For example there is no search bar, this means that if a user wanted to look at something specific they would have to go through all the subheadings, whereas if there was a search bar the user will find what they want to find a lot quicker. Another weakness is that you cannot see every header. Instead you have you click onto menu, in order to see what the other sub headings are. Another weakness is that the reading festival logo to the left hand side doesn’t fit in the screen, this can be easily changed by making the logo smaller so that you can see all of it. This is a screenshot of the headings are, to see more you have to click onto the menu and a drop down will appear This is a screenshot of there logo, and not all of it fits in the screen

23. Conclusion In conclusion, one thing that I liked about this website was that there was a slideshow on the homepage, this meant that someone could go onto the website and straight away see what bands are headlining at the next reading festival. Another thing that I liked about the website was that the colours stood out and matched their logo. However, this website does have some bad points as well, for example, there isn’t a search bar, meaning that if someone was in a rush and just wanted to see if a particular band was playing, they have to look at each individual subheading, instead of being able to quickly search it and finding out. Overall my thoughts of this website was that it was good as it met it’s target audience and if different than most other websites, however if they added a search bar, to make navigation quicker, then they would get full marks