The purpose of this document is
to explain the business and design decisions for this project. The items that
are covered in this document are:
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Background
Research – competitive analysis for artists that are my competition and
inspiration
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Proposed
Solutions – solutions to existing problems as well as constructive feedback
•
Brand Concept –
the idea and reasoning behind the logo, color, and design decisions
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Communication
Design – explains the various mediums for conveying the overall message
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Production
Notes – user, design, and technical requirements for producing the product
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Completion
Schedule – a sequential list of tasks that need to be completed
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Summary –
final thoughts on the project proposal
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Appendices – a
list of additional assets that can be accessed online and on CD
Carrie Sucharski is
an Interactive Media Design student at the Art Institute of Atlanta. In her
spare time, she enjoys listening to music as well as creating it. Her music
alias is “Elephant Trax,” which represents a style of music that is both new
and old. Carrie Sucharski is interested in finally having a website for her
music, so that she can promote herself as a music artist as well as a sound
engineer. She would also like to use her website to encourage youth to create
their own music, as well as encourage others to collaborate with her.
In addition to
creating a website, a certain amount of time will need to be dedicated to
creating album art, music flyers, and business cards in order to promote and
sell
the music. Creating tangible items for this project will definitely add to the
project’s success as well as my own.
Competitive analysis was conducted
in order to know what my competition and inspiration has to offer, therefore
allowing me to recognize and capitalize on my own strengths and unique offerings.
I reviewed three major artist websites that I commonly visit and conducted
research on their navigation systems, features, design and layout, usability,
and overall appeal.
Esthero is a talented artist from
Toronto, Canada, whose music can be
described as a combination of hip-hop, trip-hop, acid jazz, R&B, reggae and
ska. Esthero has released 2 full length albums, Breath From Another (1998) and Wikked
Lil’ Grrrls (2005). The design of her website wonderfully represents her
persona and style, and is equally admired by her fans.
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Assessment Criteria
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Rating
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http://www.esthero.net
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Navigation
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The global navigation is simple and
easy to use. There are status indicators and page headers to tell the user
which page they are on. There is no need to have breadcrumbs as the site does
not have any additional layers of content, other than what is provided in the
main menu.
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Features
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Features include news (current
events), music videos, a Flash mp3 player to listen to songs, email
newsletter for updates, and a message board for discussion.
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Design/Layout
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Design is great because it is
consistent: global navigation at bottom, Flash mp3 player in the upper right
hand corner, and content is located in the center of the page.
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Usability
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The text throughout the site is
readable (but not selectable). The text is white for content, dark pink for
subjects and headings, and light pink for links.
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Overall Rating
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This site is
designed very well and can be used by any intermediate web browser. The
eye-catching design is appealing and grabs the user in for more exploring.
The Flash mp3 is a plus as it allows users and fans to get an immediate
impression of the artist.
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The Prodigy is a group of 3
artists from Great Britain
that make electronica and dance music. The band has released 4 full length
albums, all of which have been very successful in the mainstream and
underground music charts. This year, Prodigy’s website won Best Web Site in the
Creative Industries awards.
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Assessment Criteria
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Rating
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http://www.theprodigy.com
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Navigation
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The global navigation is easy to use
and also has a layer for sub navigation. There are no status indicators on
the page but there are page headers to tell the user which page they are on.
The website does not have breadcrumbs incorporated into the design.
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Features
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This site has great features such as
news, pictures, audio clips, downloads, a store, and a guestbook.
Additionally, the site has a section that talks about the band’s album
concept, as well as the concept for the website.
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Design/Layout
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Personally, I love the design of the
website as it ties into the band’s latest CD art. The layout is structured
and consistent, the content is always presented in the same place, and the
media is very accessible.
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Usability
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The body text is hard to read since
it all has been “graphically treated.” However, with patience the text can be
read. The navigation is intuitive for moderate web users.
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Overall Rating
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The website is
graphically appealing, hip, and very “in your face.” The site has great
features, and the content is easily accessible.
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Bjork is an extremely talented
pop/electronica singer and artist from Iceland. She has been singing since
the age of 12, when she released her first solo album. From there, she went on
to sing for a band called The Sugarcubes, who released a string of successful
and popular albums. In the early 1990s, Bjork left the band to begin her solo
career and was greeted with immediate success. She has released 8 full length
albums and has received many awards and praise throughout her career.
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Assessment Criteria
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Rating
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http://www.bjork.com
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Navigation
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The global navigation is simple and
easy to use as it sits on the left hand side of the screen. There are status
indicators and page headers to tell the user which page they are on.
Additionally, this site uses breadcrumbs on all the pages, especially since
this site is very deep and informative.
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Features
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Features include up-to-date news,
dates and events, photo gallery, video gallery, lyrics, gigography,
discography, message board, shopping, and mini-features for each album and single.
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Design/Layout
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The design of this site is excellent.
For the homepage, the navigation is on the left with text links. For each of
the other sections in the site, they have their own style, which is
consistent with the site overall. Each of these styles also includes bread
crumbing and text link navigation. Other feature pages do not need links as
they are presented in a vertical fashion, as if one was reading a newspaper
article.
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Usability
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This site is very intuitive in terms
of navigation and access to information. Additionally, the information
hierarchy is excellent and the layout is straightforward.
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Overall Rating
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This site also
receives a low rating because it forgets to “preach what you teach.” It is
also hard to immediately tell what the site’s goals are.
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Upon presenting my project to a board
of industry professionals and critics, I received excellent feedback regarding
what works on my site, and what doesn’t. Taking this feedback into
consideration, it is apparent that a few areas of the site will need to be
re-worked and finalized. These solutions include:
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Problem:
Is the site about myself or the community? Solution: Rework the site to focus
on Carrie Sucharski as an artist.
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Only
show the logo/name one time on the page
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Move
the logo away from the navigation
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Compress
the design so that the majority of the information is above the fold
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Reconsider
the use of a black background for the site
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Explain
the types of music genres that my music fits into on the “Roots” page
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Rework the music “mix-n-match” interface to allow more music
integration, and also make it look less “techie”
Elephant Trax represents a style of music that is both new
and old. The base of the music stems from tribal beats, which is then
transcended into a modern composition. The name Elephant Trax can be broken
down into two parts:
Elephant: represents the very nature of
the animals – wild, captivating, and mesmerizing. They are also creatures that
make loud noises with their feet stomping and vocal calls. Some elephants are
known to mimic the sounds of urban life, such as truck motors and chirping
birds. This very idea is conveyed through Elephant Trax’s music in that what
may sound like one thing may actually be something different. Some elephants
live in jungle environments, so it’s only natural that some of Elephant Trax’s
music contains those themes – whether it’s literal jungle noises, or those of
the actual music genre/style.
Trax: this represents the word
‘tracks’ in the sense of a music track on a CD. Trax also represents the
footprints that elephants leave behind when they walk. Where ever they go, you
can follow them as they are natural leaders.
Communication Design refers to
the message that it being presented through the work. The main idea (or
message) must be communicated through channels that are strong, clear, and
captivating. The role that communication has on this project has been divided
into four major sections: navigation, interface, media, and copy.
The website will have an easy
navigational system. There are only really 4 pages on this site, so the
navigation will be intuitive, appealing, and small. This approach will be more
inviting to the user, and make it easier for them to choose a path.
Audio and pictures are going to
be the most dominant media on this website. Upon entering the site, the user is
immediately going to be saturated in music. An MP3 player will be present
throughout the site. Additional audio will also be provided on the music
“mix-n-match” page. Imagery will be used to create a visual message that the
music delivers, such as bold and loud energy, organic vs. structure, music
instruments and notes, and my personality.
The role that text has on this
site is to provide background information on Carrie Sucharski as an artist,
musician, student, and person. The majority of this background text will be on
the Roots page, which is the first page the user will see. The copy will also
serve to communicate a few business messages, such as:
In order to produce a website that is consistent and
functional, a set of standards have been created to adhere to. For the
production of this site, a huge amount of detail will need to be focused on
Flash as this is how the entire site will be presented. This technology will
need to be utilized to its fullest extent and executed with precision as well.
ActionScript and XML languages will also need to be incorporated into the Flash
prototype in order to pull in the site’s text and media files. Another area of
concentration deals with the audio that is being incorporated into the music
“mix-n-match” section and MP3 player. Audio may need to be compressed for fast
loading times, but without taking away most of the quality.
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Consistent
global navigation and labeling.
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Feedback to
provide the user with location, such as status indicators.
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Fast loading
times.
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Visually
appealing page design and consistent layout.
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800 x 600
design resolution.
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Site adheres
to usability and accessibility standards.
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High contrast
and color coding to identify content.
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Layout relies
on 600x800 resolutions.
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There is a
relative font size of at least 10pt, Arial.
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Audio and
Graphics are compressed for optimal load times.
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Navigation
contains image rollovers and status indicators.
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Macromedia
Flash to execute the entire website. Incorporate Flash Player detection.
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Macromedia
Flash to execute the music “Mix-n-Match” feature.
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ActionScript
and XML to dynamically generate and update the content.
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Utilize Cool
Edit Pro 2 to optimize the music and Fruity Loops to slice the samples.
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FTP to upload
the site onto the Web for testing and browser issues.
The concept and design of the Elephant Trax website has been
finalized. The next step of the project is to put it into Production and test
it. The following is a list of sequential tasks for completing this website:
2-week break before Fall Quarter
2005
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Add
final touches to the overall design (4 days)
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Build
upon the mix-n-match interface and functionality (2 weeks)
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Setup
the message board and create a skin for it (3 days)
Fall
Quarter 2005
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Week
1: Review and Finalize the Project Concept and Goals
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Week
2:
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Create
an Evaluation document for Usability testing
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Create
a functional MP3 player in Flash to stream music from any page
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Week
3: Continue to build upon the mix-n-match interface and functionality
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Week
4: Perform Usability Testing
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Week
5-6: Continue to work on the Beta Website, Version 2
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Week
7: Present Beta Website, Version 2
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Week
8: Focus on marketing the website by creating flyers, website banners, word of
mouth advertising, and CD handouts
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Week
9: Present the Concept Prototype Website
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Week
10: Present and the Project Proposal and closing documents
As this document stands, it provides the client with a
record of the project design and development decisions. For any future
instances, it will serve the client and any future designers with insights on
how to execute the design of site. It provides the client with information as
to why the current design is the way it is: to satisfy the users’ needs, goals,
preferences, and need for interactivity/engagement – as well as how to keep the
users coming back. The goal of this project is to create a website that
successfully showcases the music of Carrie Sucharski, a.k.a. Elephant Trax. The
requirements outlined in this document must be strictly adhered to and executed
in order to create a successful project, which is the ultimate goal for any
client. If a future designer decides to ignore this information, then the
company and investors will lose business, money, and users.
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Original
Project Concept
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Original
Proposal and Timeline
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Information
Architecture
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Version 1 Site
Map
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Version 1
Visual Comps
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Version 1
Branding and Logo
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Version 1 Music
“Mix-N-Match” Prototype
Please run the CD that came with this package to view the Prototype
website on your computer. MP3 tracks have also been provided on the CD so one
can listen to the music of Elephant Trax.
