As described in Lupton’s writing, today’s web users do not like to read. Instead, they want to keep browsing and clicking; people have less patience. The ABC website fulfills those expectations of the web users.
It consists of minimal writing, and it only has three main tabs—shows, schedule, and watch episodes. There are thumbnails of videos and lists of shows. Users can easily view them and find whatever they want. For example, if a user wanted to check out the schedule for ABC shows, one could simply click on schedule, and he could freely scroll through the site to find out what time certain shows are on. Furthermore, the search engine in the right corner allows users to navigate within the web site. The sections of mobile, music, daytime, and news lead web users to different links, allowing them to encounter new information with just a click.
Since the design and layout of the website are quite simple and straightforward, it enhances the user experience. The background is black, and the main colors used are white, red, and sky blue. Also, the typeface is sans serif, which allows users to read easily. The simplicity of the website eliminates issues such as not being able to access information that users are looking for. In addition, since the web site does not contain much writing but thumbnails of videos, it satisfies the needs of users.
It seems as though today’s media culture encourages less writing and simpler visual aids. With the advancement in technology, we are more accustomed to fast-paced and moving images. Thus, for displaying content in the future, there would probably be less writing. Thus, in my opinion, graphic design will play a larger role to convey message in the future.
Like what you wrote, I noticed that many sites today pull their readers in by visual images, and not by words. I like that the ABC website has a simple layout because it makes it easy to pick out which show I want to watch and is also less distracting than other show sites.
ReplyDeleteAs an avid re-watcher of "Lost" on ABC.com, I agree with your assertion that image replaces text as the primary attraction. When I go onto the site, I'm not searching for a great amount of words -- I want to watch my show. That's it. The layout of ABC's Web site allows me to do that and not be hindered by useless information and distractions.
ReplyDeletemany of the people in this class are graphic, art, or photo based. I myself am a photographer and IMAGES are what get me. the image pulls me to a certain place and THEN leads me to text (which i want to just be short and sweet) and this site is a great example of that
ReplyDeleteI also agree that the ABC site uses images, rather than words, to attract users. People don't want to be distracted by large bodies of texts, and one way to limit the amount of text is by using thumbnails that list the videos on the site. I think people like the site because it's simple and organized.
ReplyDeleteI hate the fact that no one wants to read anymore...they just want to see. Call me old-fashioned, but I like to read my news, not watch it. I guess I just like being able to hold the newspaper, or even go to nytimes.com and read it there. I can't even use CNN.com anymore because I don't feel like waiting 5 minutes for the video to load, then watching a few ads before I get to the real news. Images are great....they illustrate the story and can sometimes speak louder than words. Videos though? I'll stick to the Sunday paper and my coffee.
ReplyDeleteYeah, these days no one likes to put extra effort into reading. I agree with the comment above mine; I prefer to read to get my information rather than images.
ReplyDeleteImages or videos should enhance or support the message. But in some cases they can communicate the message better. I guess it all depends on the message and who your target audience is.
I do see a lot less text than I thought I would've seen. Although I do appreciate the images, I think the amount of images are also in a sense overbearing. Like the bottom images for instance, I think they are too big, it keeps me distracted from the main image above it. I also think that the website could use a little more text...Although it is promoting television and television does base its self around images, so I guess the website makes sense. Overall, however the website looks really easy to use which I guess was the main goal for creating the website.
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