Paper Example: Website Final Paper

Millennials between the ages of 18-29 have, in varying platforms, been defined as a generation that is easily bored, hard to focus, and generally lazy (Yogyakarta, 2018). The belief is held even on the issue of reading. On the contrary, PEW research, 2016 identified that millennials are more likely to read than adults, whether they read for pleasure, research purposes, school purposes, work, or to keep up with recent events (Brown, 2019). My website, the My Peer Book Club, will set to dwell on this pronounced culture and provide even more millennials with a platform to access, review, rate, and recommend books.

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This website will aim to avail of an efficient platform that has been lacking in many reading and book sites and applications. Unlike in most available ones, My Peer Book Club will foster a support system among peers allowing them to access the high-rated, much-sought-after books despite their location. Through the website also, members will be in a position to review, discuss, rate, share, request, and recommend books amongst themselves. This way, the millennial reading culture will not only be enhanced but broadened, transforming the readers into editors of their reading scope.

Extension of Research and Learning

When I decided to create this website, I was first focused on improvising a platform that availed content for millennials to read. Then, curiosity diverted my focus to a different path, understanding how content review among Millenials influences their content consumption. After observing how youths share content through online platforms such as social media, I was intrigued to study how content sharing would shape what the members of a group consume. What topics and genres they are most likely to pick over popular ones based on what they share.

In addition to this trend, I also sought to decode the patterns in content preference in a generation spiced with curiosity and adventure. Millennials have been noted to be a generation that dominantly pioneers its own culture, opinionated, and boldly proclaims its culture (Mehta, 2020). Allowing them to review the books they read, will be a way to understand the genres and content this generation is inclined towards, and that which it is against. Analyzing their reviews has impeccably outlined these aspects. I can now choose drama, epic, romance, and crime books for the audience because I know now that they more intrigued by them.

Visual Communication and Design

Bigman, 2019 states that even as the display of content evolves, arranging content remains a primary goal of any design. Bigman concurs with the propositions of designers such as Author, 2016, and Vaughan, 2011 who say that for material to be explicit, the visual elements in the presentation ought to flow chronologically concerning their visual hierarchy.

It is for this reason that the content on the website flow in a specific order of importance. First is the logo and site statement/tagline at the very top, welcoming the readers to the website. These identify the website the viewers are on, a critical step, and marker that not only notifies traffic of the site they are surfing but also prints a name they will recall if they want to read in the future. As image 1 demonstrates, websites that use bold logos and headlines are easy to identify and remember.

The website also applies different font sizes to create interest and emphasis, drawing attention to particular essential segments. Folders with the "HOT TOPICS" for instance are in bolder and bigger fonts of the Aerial typeface used throughout the website. Such sections are also in red to draw attention, mainly because they stand out from the dark shades of royal blue in the background.

After analyzing the likes of WordPress and Wattpad, among other reading websites and applications, the site was created with a combination of fresh yellows and dark shades of royal blue. This is because yellow illustrates joy and warmth, while blue radiates vibes of calmness much-needed in reading (De Fiore, 1988).

Also, the website uses color and tint to create and further emphasize the hierarchy of topics, books, and ideas on the site. Bright colors make selected books and topics stand out from the darker tones in the background, just as the example in figure 2 demonstrates (Bigman, 2019).

User Interface Design

The audience My Peer Book Club targets are millennials who have been identified as impatient and with reduced concentration spans. The most easily run out of patience and will hardly search through cumbersome interfaces in search of content. It is for this reason that the website makes use of a simple and user-friendly interface with an emphasis on the ease of access.

Menu Bar

Immediately following the bold logo and tagline, the bar stands as an access point from which the audience can fast skip to the areas they want. Because the interface is built on simplicity and ease of operation, the menu bar opens up clickable sub-options that redirect the audience to either of the "About, " Recent," "Most Viewed," "High Rated," and "Genres" whenever the cursor is on the menu bar. This is borrowed from sites such as Pinterest and Instagram.

It is for this reason that the content on the website flow in a specific order of importance. First is the logo and site statement/tagline at the very top, welcoming the readers to the website. These identify the website the viewers are on, a critical step, and marker that not only notifies traffic of the site they are surfing but also prints a name they will recall if they want to read in the future.

Adding to utility, the website comes with "Library" and "Friends" icons at the bottom. When clicked, these two open the folders where one can save their favorites or current reading collections and connect with other readers, respectively.

Reviews

Because among the features of emphasis on the website is the provision for readers to review and rate the content they read, the site provides the options in two variations. First, like most apps and sites, after a visit, the website pops notifications reminding the audience to view and rate the book they are reading. They get to evaluate the content on the popular five-star scale, with five stars symbolizing excellence and liking of what they read and one star symbolizing the very opposite. Also, at the foot of the reading page is the option to review. When clicked, the audience is redirected to a mini writing page where they can write up their opinions on the book, chapter, or any particular segment of their read.

User Experience Design Across Digital Platforms

Social media has proven to be one of the instrumental and effective ways to reach millennials across the globe (Mehta, 2020). This is primarily because they are constantly in use of the various social media platforms, either on their phones, tablets, or computers.

It is to this effect that My Peer Book Club incorporates the use of various social media platforms to engulf a more extensive audience scope. The first social platform it makes use of is Facebook. With a user count reaching well over 2 billion people around the globe, Facebook was a prime platform to spread the word. With linked icons on the website, users can join the My Peer Book Club community on Facebook with the click of a button. In this group, members are allowed to comment, review, rate, and recommend books to each other. There are also timely posts of new additions and high-rated books that highlight pieces that members can explore.

On Instagram, members are notified of new arrivals and hot pieces too. The reactions and reviews that members give on these platforms form the database and collection of opinions used to gauge content preferences, opinions, and suggestions.

Audience Metrics

The website has not limited the type and demographics of audience traffic that flows through it. But since the audience scope is millennial, few gauging steps have made it possible to examine and understand the size and type of audience flowing through the website.

New users are supposed to log in and are only allowed if they have a relatively old social media account. In the registration panels, they fill in their preferred user names, ages, and sex. This way, it is easy to tell how many males and females and of what age subscribe to the website.

Also, the number of users that either view, like, or comment on the posted images, captions, and stories on either Facebook or Instagram give a good demonstration of the metrics. Whenever a particular book is published, those that respond illustrate just how many of the users have read that specific piece giving a more compulsive detail of the audience interaction with the availed content.

Future Directions and Development

There's the adage that the future is bright. Having created and successfully established My Peer Book Club, I envision a time when this website becomes a leading provider of content to the millennial generation across the globe. It has not been hard to get subscribers as most that kicked it off was my classmates and friends. Moving forward, however, I am hopeful of a time when new subscribers come as individuals to whom members recommended the website as a prime source for content.

I am also hopeful that I can broaden and enhance the incorporation of social media platforms to add apps such as LinkedIn, Twitter, and TikTok to the list. Also, the time-to-time posts is to be more timely, with at most four days spacing between two posts. By making the posts timely will hopefully enhance feedback and increase traffic and participation.

Lastly, I am hoping to give the website a more professional touch and add a classics collection to the already present categories.

References

Author I. (2016). Five key design elements to incorporate in your eBook -. [online] Impelsys.com. Available at: https://www.impelsys.com/blog/five-key-design-elements-incorporate-ebook/ [Accessed 21 May 2020].

Bigman, A. (2019). 6 principles of visual hierarchy for designers. [online] 99designs. Available at: https://99designs.com/blog/tips/6-principles-of-visual-hierarchy/ [Accessed 21 May 2020].

Brown, B. (2019). INFOGRAPHIC: The Surprising Reading Habits of Millennials - The Expert Editor. [online] The Expert Editor. Available at: https://experteditor.com.au/blog/infographic-surprising-reading-habits-millennials/ [Accessed 21 May 2020].

Chaffey, D. (2020). Global social media research summary 2020 | Smart Insights. [online] Smart Insights. Available at: https://www.smartinsights.com/social-media-marketing/social-media-strategy/new-global-social-media-research/ [Accessed 21 May 2020].

Mehta, D. (2020). 7 ways to reach and influence millennials using social media marketing | Smart Insights. [online] Smart Insights. Available at: https://www.smartinsights.com/social-media-marketing/social-media-strategy/7-ways-to-reach-millennials-through-social-media-marketing/ [Accessed 21 May 2020].

Vaughan, P. (2011). 11 Essential Elements of a Well-Designed Marketing Ebook. [online] Hubspot.com. Available at: https://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/32232/11-essential-elements-of-a-well-designed-marketing-ebook.aspx [Accessed 21 May 2020].