fort christmas web site redesign

PROJECT AWeb site redesign

DIGITAL STUDIO 1 (GRDS-720-OL)Professor Sarah Adams

Amanda KernWinter 2010

REDESIGN CHOICEFort Christmas Park web sitehttp://nbbd.com/godo/FortChristmas/

The site is a historical park located in central Florida (in Christmas, FL). The name evolves around the historical movement of soldiers on Christmas 1837 to the forts that still are present from the Second Seminole Indian War. Now restored, and containing replica material for the time period, the park serves as a historical site as well as a meeting place for a variety of events.

This is a county park and the web site establishes a poor online presence for such a remarkable location in central Florida. I still consider it one of the best “hidden” locations that many in central Florida never know about.

The park has a lot of history so they do have a store that has set hours open to the public. The often times do tours and there are a variety of events held there throughout the year.

The purpose of the site is the provide pertinent information to those interested in visiting Fort Christmas park. Currently the site is poorly designed and has no true navigation or branding. I hope for a redesign of the site to establish the history and uniqueness of the park to those interested in visiting. Visitors of the site hopefully will take action by planning a trip to Fort Christmas park.

PROJECT A REDESIGN TABLE OF CONTENTS

REDESIGN CHOICE .........................................................................2

OVERVIEW OF ORIGINAL SITE USER PROFILE & USE CASE OF SITE ..........................................3-4

COMPETITOR WEB SITES ...........................................................5-8

TYPOGRAPHY .................................................................................9

COLOR ..........................................................................................10

PHOTOGRAPHY .......................................................................11-12

ROUGH DRAFTS ......................................................................13-15

DESIGN COMPS ......................................................................16-19

Project 2 - Part 2: Competitive Analysis & User Profile | DIGITAL STUDIO 1 (GRDS-720-OL) | Professor Sarah Adams | Amanda Kern | January 20, 2010

DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATIONA common user of the web site would be a caucasian female ranging in age between 25-40 years of age. This user is a mother, with children, located in central Florida.

RELEVANT ATTITUDES, BELIEFS, AND LIFESTYLE INFORMATIONThis user is likely busy as either a stay at home mother or a working mother and keeps her children actively involved in activities. It is not uncommon for her to attend local events or go out with other families on “play dates”. She seeks to find activities to keep the children entertained at a relatively low cost. This user find that educational activities for the kids are a plus.

INTERESTS, HOBBIES, AND FAVORITE WEB SITESThis user is active and uses the web as a tool to stay informed and find special activities for her family to stay involved in. She enjoys photography, especially when it involves visiting outdoor locations or experiences with her children. She visits a variety of news web sites to stay informed but also uses social media to stay connected and informed. She is a “fan” of many of her favorite web sites, locations, and businesses - in doing so this offers her a great source of information on local events and activities for the kids.

EXPECTATIONS OF OUR SITEThis user would visit our site in order to learn more about the park, park hours, costs, as well as for directions. She would be interested in learning more about the history of the park as well as learning about educational benefits for her family. She would hope to see photos so she would know what to expect of the park before visiting.

FORT CHRISTMAS PARKUSER PROFILE AND USE CASE SCENARIO


COMPUTER SKILLSThis user would be competent with the computer. She may not be an expert, however, she has used a computer for years and is well aware of how to navigate a web site. She knows how to download files, navigate back in the browser, and email links to family and friends.

TECHNICAL INFORMATIONThis user could use a mac, pc, or mobile device such as an iphone. Firefox is used most by this user. Generally she accesses the web using a high speed connection.

USE CASE SCENARIOThis user will likely hear through word of mouth of the park or an event being held at the park. She will search through google or will be emailed a link from a friend or family member to help her learn more about the park. As she visits the park web site she will begin to search for information and photos of the park. She will likely get frustrated with the current web site due to it’s lack of navigation and poor display of content. The current site leaves the user with the impression that the park may not be worth visiting, other than what she then reads about the history of the park. After learning of it’s historical significance she considers it as a location to visit with her family. If she visits the park she’ll be left with a much more positive experience than she had with the current web site.

FORT CHRISTMAS PARKUSER PROFILE AND USE CASE SCENARIO


FEATURESFeatures of the Cypress Grove Park are minimal, however, far more advanced than the Fort Christmas Park web site. They offer information about the park, how to reserve the estate house for events, and display imagery to help users get an idea of what the park and estate house is like. The web site is intended to publicize specifically the estate house located within the park. The web site is built in flash and could pose usability issues. It could definitely be done just as effectively using xhtml & css.

NAVIGATIONBecause the site is built in flash the site is within a confined size that does fill only the top fold so though navigation on the bottom of the page is typically an issue, it is acceptable in this case. However, with how most users use the web, it is easy to get bored with the top section of the web site. The navigation is also in flash so an arrow blinks as it is hovered. It is fairly easy to use despite being in flash.

USE OF TEXT & IMAGESThe imagery displays the location nicely and is at a fair size within the flash web site. However, the text is absolutely awful. First we’re greeted by the tag line, “where contemporary elegance meets the charm of the old South”. As I navigate through the web site the text turns neon green against a dark green background. These color changes make the text less legible.

USE OF COLORThe color scheme consists of greens, yellow, and black. I envision a less harsh scheme needed for this site. The current colors are less inviting and pose issues with legibility.

http://www.cypressgrovepark.com/COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS: CYPRESS GROVE PARK


FEATURESThe web site for Leu Gardens is primarily to offer information to those interested in visiting Leu Gardens. Leu Gardens is often used for wedding and events and so information is available on how to reserve the location. Additional information is available about tours, the museum, the butterfly garden, and membership.

NAVIGATIONThere are multiple navigational elements for this web site. On the top there is an orange bar containing “city of orlando” navigation. One the left there’s the main navigation for the web site. It is a vertical navigation that goes below the top fold. Sub navigational elements are accessible under the facility rental section. There are no rollover effects to help add an interactive element to the page.

USE OF TEXT & IMAGESConsidering how impressive the location is, the photography and use of imagery is poor and lacking where it could be. Some imagery on pages have a bevel/emboss style applied to the pictures which leaves a less than desirable look. Text is formatted, but not well designed. Headings, paragraphs and lists are formed, but they lack consistency in styling. Some pages the text is center justified and they even use default bright red at times to try to draw attention when really this screams that an amateur web designer designed and built this as I click through the pages.

USE OF COLORThe color scheme is inconsistent. A primary green and orange appear with the identity. Links are blue. Headings are green. Some type is red. The body copy is black. The color scheme needs a little more unity.

http://www.leugardens.org/COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS: LEU GARDENS


FEATURESPeace River is located in Southwest Florida and though this is not the location’s web site it is intended as an educational and informational tool for students to learn more about Peace River. The design is certainly inspiring and worth visiting as an example moving forward. The features are primarily informational where photos and text is shared online. A video about restoring the river is also accessible.

NAVIGATIONThe navigation is very straight forward. The home page is more of a “splash” type of page where it is image heavy with minimal information. Users choose to “begin”, must like they’d do opening a book. As they move forward into the web site the navigation remains consistent and easy to use throughout the site. As you click through the pages they remained “checked” so you know you’ve visited them.

USE OF TEXT & IMAGESThe imagery is impressive, not just of the location but also the imagery used to create a style and look and feel for the web site. The site has a tactile approach in it’s composition so when viewing the site we feel almost as though we could physically touch it.

USE OF COLORThe colors are earth tones, which represent the nature theme well.

http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/education/interactive/peaceriver/COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS: PEACE RIVER EXCURSION


FEATURESBok Tower is by far one of the most impressive locations to visit in central Florida. The web site is equally as impressive considering it is considered a national park. The site is loaded with information about the park, the gardens, and various events held throughout the year. Bok Tower maintains a social media presence as well so throughout the web site there are ways to keep updated. There are easy ways to search and locate information at the top of the page throughout the site as well.

NAVIGATIONThe navigation is easy to find and easy to use. It remains consistent on all pages, though on the splash page it is slightly lower to compensate for the imagery differences. At the top there are links to find out more information, search, faq’s and access a site map.

USE OF TEXT & IMAGESThe imagery is incredibly amazing. Both the imagery of the location and the imagery that sets the mood and style for the web site are great. The only concern I see is on sub pages I click to a section such as “the tower” and I really envisioned seeing more of the tower in that header image. Every page instead seems to focus more on floral imagery from their gardens. Imagery is in the content sections, however, it’s often cut off into the bottom fold of the page. The typography is right on with appropriate use of type for identity, navigation, headings and body copy. The type helps the user flow seamlessly through the page.

USE OF COLORThe colors are earth tones mixed with a blue and sienna color. The colors offer an inviting atmosphere with just the right amount of contrast to grab the user’s attention.

http://www.boktowergardens.orgCOMPETITIVE ANALYSIS: BOK TOWER GARDENS

Project 2 - Part 3: Identity, Sitemap & Rough Drafts | DIGITAL STUDIO 1 (GRDS-720-OL) | Professor Sarah Adams | Amanda Kern | January 27, 2010

LOGO DESIGNCurrently no logo or form of identity is established for Fort Christmas Park. A typographic identity will represent the park and help emulate the style of the time period the park’s history is known for.

TYPOGRAPHYThe logo uses the fonts Geometric slabserif 712 and Futura Medium condensed. This font will be continued minimally in imagery graphics throughout the site. Heading and subheading fonts of georgia and arial will be used. They will be letterspaced and Georgia will be bold and italicized. Body copy will be arial and set with appropriate line height to help with legibility.

Fort Christmas ParkSITE IDENTITY

CHRISTMAS

GEOMETIC SLABSERIF 712

H I S T O R I C A L P A R K

F U T U R A M E D I U M C O N D E N S E D

Heading fonts - GeorgiaHEADING FONTS - ARIAL

Body copy - Arial

Long before the coming of the Spaniards, central Florida was occupied by the Timucuan Indians, who numbered about 14,000 at the time of contact with the white man. The Timucuans, along with the other Indians which lived in Florida at the time of European contact, eventually died out from diseases, warfare and slavery.

The Indians who later became know as Seminole began migrating into Florida in the early 1700s. These were tribes which had broken away from their own nations, made up of Creek, Hitchiti, Mikasuki, Muskogee and Red Sticks, Oconee and others who moved into the sparsely populated areas in northern Florida. The Seminoles raised crops and cattle and had citrus groves. The Government wanted to move the Indians south onto a reservation. This led to the Treaty of Moultrie Creek in 1823. In less than 10 years, the settlers wanted that land, too.

FORT


COLORI’ve explored a few color schemes that may help give the Fort Christmas park a strong vintage feel. The colors help represent an authentic “old” feel that is representative of a lot of the older styled design and artifacts from the time period. The colors are also inspired by the wooden forts and homes located in the park.



PHOTOGRAPHYI took a trip to Fort Christmas park and took hundreds of photos that could potentially be used throughout the web site. The photos reflect the entire park as well as capturing an upclose perspective of the historical nature of the park



PHOTOGRAPHYClose up views of elements can add visual interest to the park’s web site.



MESSAGING GOALSThe Fort Christmas Goals would benefit from messaging that entices users to visit the park for it’s events and historical signifigance. It can be considered one of the great hidden treasures in central Florida and most would enjoy the heritage found at the park.

FEATURESThe home page will contain the most recent upcoming events listed, fast facts, and park hours. The home page will act as a visual portal to help users go to useful parts of the web page to learn more about the park and it’s history, events, see photos, and get directions.

OVERALL VISUAL EFFECTThe overall visual effect will be organized and authentic. It will professionally display information about the park. Imagery will help give the user a good impression of the park’s historical signifigance. The style of the site will excite the user about the location’s history and interest the user to visit the park.

NAVIGATION Navigation will be clearly identifiable and highly usable. It will be interactive and have useful rollover features for users to sense the interactivity of the site. Some image links may be used as navigation, however, textual links will be included to ensure the site maintains a high sense of usability for all users.

Fort Christmas ParkGOALS & SITEMAP


Fort Christmas ParkROUGH SKETCHES

Project A - Part 4: Computer Roughs | DIGITAL STUDIO 1 (GRDS-720-OL) | Professor Sarah Adams | Amanda Kern | February 13, 2010

Home page notesThe concept for the Fort Christmas web site is centered around imagery and typography that helps convey some of the style I experienced while visiting the park. The wood background is reminicent of all the wood forts and homes and helps set the mood for the web site. The old textured paper helps give a three dimensional quality and a slight amount of depth to the page.

The navigation is at the top and on hover will change color and display a line above and below the text. The active page will have only a line above and below in the same color to help indicate which page the user is on.

The Fort Christmas home page contains the most relevant information that users would be interested in including quick information about the park, gift shop, the most recent event, park hours, and letting users know the park is handicap accessible. Headings, subheadings and copy is formatted to help the user read through and find the information they’re looking for.

Fort Christmas Park Home PageCOMPUTER ROUGHS


Events page notesThe events page lists the annual park events. Because the park doesn’t have the funding to update the web site constantly with each new event, only annual events are listed. The park holds the events on specific weekends of the month which in turn makes the web site easier to update. Events are listed with their approximate time of the year that they’re held and a brief description. The main image and tag line were changed for the page to add a bit of variety between pages.

Fort Christmas Park Events PageCOMPUTER ROUGHS


Photos page notesThe photos page will feature some photos of the park that I’ve taken to help give users a sense of what they could expect to see visiting the park. Square thumbnails 100px sized can be clicked on by the user to preview a larger photo. I will likely use lightbox2 to display the photos. The user can then click the “close” button to go back to look at the rest of the page.

Fort Christmas Park Photos PageCOMPUTER ROUGHS


Contact page notesThe contact page will contain any contact information for the park. If this were for a real client I would likely have a google map included in the page, however, this requires use of the actual URL to make it fully function so for now just textual information is displayed.

Fort Christmas Park Contact PageCOMPUTER ROUGHS

fort christmas web site redesign

Documents

professor

favorite web

competitive

fort christmas

2010 competitive

estate house

leu gardens

sitemap amp