Module 1: Assignment 1

by Orca Journeys

Site Comparison

I have been tasked with the assignment to compare two different sites. One in which I think is well executed and one that I consider lacking in important respects. For this assignment I decided to move forward with Fitbit and Craigslist.

Fitbit.com

FITBIT

Fitbit has been my favorite site since their second tracker, Fitbit Flex was introduced in 2003. As a web designer and an active customer it’s been fascinating to see their website and mobile application evolve into a huge success.  I love Fitbit’s flat UI design elements, professional lifestyle imagery and interactive branding elements. Their product description pages combine compelling imagery and interactive elements. I find that these pages tell a great story and trigger emotional connections for users to absorb. They create lasting impressions for any fitness lover.

After regularly visiting their site you will notice that the shapes used in their branding also resembles in their products with rounded corners. Such as their scale, Aria which automatically syncs your stats and trackers.

A few other noteworthy pros,

  • Use of transparency and layout.
  • Experience from desktop to mobile app feels visually seamless.
  • Clean legible typography
  • Good use of whitespace
  • Embodies fun personality

Craigslist.com

CRAIGSLIST

Craigslist has remained relatively the same since 1995. It has a very plain and wireframe look to it. It looks as if the site launched before it got to design.

Need for improvement:

  • No branding (Colors, Logo, Voice, Typography)
  • Minimal listing customization (Listing layout)
  • No verified users or verification to post listings
  • No branding = No voice
  • Homepage not visually attractive

What I like about their layout:

  • No advertisements
  • Up front categories reduce clicks
  • Similar to newspaper structure
  • Filters / Subscription Alerts
  • Breadcrumbs
  • By pass login / Easy to post content

Craigslist.com

CONCLUSION

Although, I consider Craigslist.com lacking important points there are many reasons why it is structure the way it is today. Hence, it remains popular because products and services are categorized with the customer in mind. It takes just a few seconds to receive results from a search. In addition, you do not have to subscribe, fill out a questionnaire, or dig around to find what you are looking for.