Project #1: Market Research (10 points)
Assignment Instructions
The project for the semester requires you to select a restaurant, bar, or café in the Los Angeles area to take on as a “client” for a website redesign. Imagine that the owners of this business have hired you to redesign their website. Each assignment that you complete for this project throughout the semester should be considered as a professional presentation that you are making to these business owners as your clients: each assignment is your opportunity for you to make your case as a designer, to get the client excited about your creative approach, and build “buy-in” from the “stakeholders” (i.e. the business owners).
Choosing a Restaurant Website to Redesign
It would be best to choose a restaurant that you have personally visited, so that you have some familiarity with the cuisine, atmosphere, and clientele. Try to find a small and unique restaurant to taje as a client. Do not select large, corporate fast-food chain restaurants.
Here are some lists of popular restaurants in Los Angeles that you might choose as clients (the restaurant that you choose does not have to come from one of these lists, these are just suggestions):
Here are some local restaurants that you might consider choosing (you are free to pick any restaurant that you want, as long as it is located in the Los Angeles area). You must change the name and branding of the restaurant for the purposes of the class project:
Here are some examples of responsive restaurant websites:
Starting Your Research
You should start by analyzing the restaurant’s current online presence, then, over the course of the semester, you will design and build a fully functional and responsive website for this restaurant (to avoid trademark and copyright violations, you will need to rebrand and rename this restaurant as part of the website redesign).
To begin this research phase of the project, complete the following:
- Analyze and study the existing restaurant website that you have chosen to redesign for the final project
- Organize your thoughts about what works and what doesn’t work about the current website design
- Provide a brief analysis of the current website in the following categories (feel free to include additional categories that you feel are necessary):
- Visual design
- Content
- “Call to action” on home page
- Navigation
- Functionality
- Community building (social media)
Goals & Target Audience
Next, determine Goals for the website and define the Target Audience. What are the client’s business goals for the site? For example, to bring more customers to the restaurant. To increase their catering business, etc. Who is the Target Audience? Remember: When you try to design for everyone, you design for no one. To determine answers to these questions, use your best judgement based on your research.
Address these specific reflection prompts:
- What questions need to be answered in order to complete this project?
- What tasks do we need to complete in order to successfully design this website?
- What issues need to be solved?
- What is our schedule?
Competitive Analysis
Finally, identify and analyze at least four (4) websites that are business competitors for your client (restaurant, bars, or cafés that are located near your client’s business, or similar establishments). Organize and present a thorough evaluation of these competitor’s websites in the same areas: visual design, content, “call to action” on home page, navigation, functionality, community building (social media) and any other areas that you think play an important part in the redesign.
Assignment Submission Instructions
Post all of your thoughts, ideas, findings, and research references to a sub-page that is accessible via a hyperlink from your main class website, you can call it project-one-research.html.
In the HTML markup for your personal website for the class (it must be called index.html), add a new <a> hyperlink and have that hyperlink navigate to a sub-page called project-one-research.html.
Submit your root directory folder for your class website as an archive file (either .zip or .rar - Mac instructions/PC instructions) to Canvas by the deadline posted (any submissions received late will be penalized by one letter grade, and penalized additionally for each week that they are not submitted).
Peer Reviews for Class Participation
After you have submitted your assignment and after the submission deadline has passed, Canvas will randomly assign you to respond with feedback and critique for work from at least two (2) of your fellow classmates (you will have one week to submit critique and feedback for your two fellow classmates). Your written feedback for your fellow classmates should be at least four (4) complete sentences, with specific suggestions and responses about details that you think are successful and details that you think could be improved in your fellow classmate’s work. The comments that you submit will be counted as part of your class participation grade.
