Website benchmarking, to put it simply, is an exploration of what is out there, what is working well, and what is not. Begin by reading the article Understanding Website Benchmarking: When Is It Useful, When Is It Not?, and then begin your exploration. You might look at some websites that have the same purpose and goal as your own, but as the article mentions, you do not necessarily want to explore only competitors' websites. You can also, for example, benchmark websites that have a different purpose but the same audience demographic that you are trying to reach.
Review at least two websites. Then, post a link to both websites and write your initial discussion post, addressing the following for each website:
- Explain why you chose the websites you reviewed for the purposes of benchmarking.
- How do your chosen websites attract users? In other words, how are they marketing themselves?
- What sorts of emotions or moods do your chosen websites evoke? Seriousness? Fun? Chaos? Excitement? Serenity? Convenience?
- How have the web designers created a mood or tone? Consider color, layout, typeface, spacing, navigation, simplicity, and complexity.
- What on-page elements are lacking that you believe would help drive optimal usability?
- Would the layout of your websites be successful on other devices, such as tablets or smart phones with limited resolution?
- What ideas do those websites inspire? If you were building a dream site from scratch without client parameters, what would you include in your website?
- How can you incorporate some of those ideas in your final project within the parameters you have been given?
In response to your peers' posts, briefly visit the websites they chose for benchmarking. Based on your first impression of each website, do you interpret them in the same way your peers have? Explain. Do the websites give you ideas for your own website construction?