Graph of intended project plan

Intended Project Plan

Html vs flash

We as a group have chosen to use html for our website, for the following reasons:
• We can still incorporate flash elements into the website
• The website has a vast amount of text/content and html is more suited towards this.
• The loading time on flash website of this magnitude will be long, especially considering that the
Internet connection in SA is slow. It is slow even for people who have higher speed internet
• In terms of the target market and the objectives of the website, an entire flash site is unnecessary.

User Experience Design

The Model should be explained from the inside. It starts in the middle.

 

1. Value is what we want to accomplish

 

2. For customers and providers, positive user experience is a win-win situation

 

3. We want to accomplish value through positive user experience

 

4. The user experience is a series of phases, we have to focus on positivity in findability, accessibility, desirability,usability, credibility and usefulness

 

5. Numerous factors contribute to the phases of user experience, the model shows 30 factors carefully placed

 

6. To achieve this we work backwards, starting and ending withsearch engine strategy, and going through and making a choice about each of the factors

Usability

(Jacob Newson)

Usability is a quality attribute that assesses how easy user interfaces are to use. The word "usability" also refers to  methods for improving ease-of-use during the design process.

Usability is defined by five quality components:

• Learnability: How easy is it for users to accomplish basic tasks the first time they encounter the design?
• Efficiency: Once users have learned the design, how quickly can they perform tasks?
• Memorability: When users return to the design after a period of not using it, how easily can they reestablish proficiency?
• Errors: How many errors do users make, how severe are these errors, and how easily can they recover from the errors?
• Satisfaction: How pleasant is it to use the design?

There are many other important quality attributes. A key one is utility, which refers to the design's functionality: Does it do what users need? Usability and utility are equally important: It matters little that something is easy if it's not what you want. It's also no good if the system can hypothetically do what you want, but you can't make it happen because the user interface is too difficult. To study a design's utility, you can use the same user research methods that improve usability.

Why it’s Important

On the Web, usability is a necessary condition for survival.

 -       If a website is difficult to use, people leave.

 -      If the homepage fails to clearly state what a company offers and what users can do on the site, people leave.

-       If users get lost on a website, they leave.

-      If a website's information is hard to read or doesn't answer users' key questions, they leave. Note a pattern here? There's no such thing as a user reading a website manual or otherwise spending much time trying to figure out an interface. There are plenty of other websites available; leaving is the first line of defense when users encounter a difficulty.

The first law of e-commerce is that if users cannot find the product, they cannot buy it either.

http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20030825.html

Plan of action for tonight

• PnP as a brand – key points - typed for document
• PnP’s current online presence - typed for document
• Analysis of PnP’s competitors both locally and internationally - typed for document
• PnP’s business objectives and asses if objectives are being met - typed for document
• General analysis of PnP’s website (put all our info together) - typed for document
• Look at other websites – what works and what doesn’t work (for our strategy)

PnP sitemap analysis

1.)
We found that there was a lot of repetition throughout the website. For example, there were many ways of sorting the same information out on the different pages. There were also too many options leading to the same results.

2.)
The main headings need more descriptive names. We found that they were too vague and doesn’t describe the page.
Some of the categories could also be merged with others, like: “health & nutrition” and “kitchen”.
The order of information in relation to each other feels incorrectly done. (Information architecture)
We also discovered a “hidden” page in the site called the “lifestyle” page. The only way to get to this page was to click on one specific flash banner (that changes all the time) on the main page and then click on a link called “donate”. This is the only way to get to this page.

3.)
They structure their information architecture strategically to show that they are involved with community and environment. However, there isn’t that much relevant information on each of these pages. E.g. missing children.

4.)
In comparison to the competitor website we looked at in detail (Thrupps) the PnP site looks like it is trying to say too much at once. Why? This is because of the repeating of information in the pages. The information displayed and image buttons do the same thing.
We also feel that the homepage should be cleaner and not so busy, this is because the user should not be bombarded with too much information on the homepage, it should feel welcoming.

5.)
The flash images on the main home page flashes through 6 different images and each of them takes you to different links. (One of them is the image that takes you to the “lifestyle” page mentioned earlier.

6.)
In the online shopping website, there are too many irrelevant and unnecessary categories and sub categories.

Overall User Testing Report

I have had a look at everyone's user testing and here is the overall conclusion:

Many buttons were misleading in terms of the content which they contain. For example, most of the users expected 'Health & Nutrition' to contain recipes. Also the pictorial button which had the picture of the shopping basket lead users to believe that they should click on that button for online shopping.

Many headings, links and pictorial headings and buttons are misleading in terms of whether or not they are 'clickable'. In one example, a user did not want to click on the 'trading hours' link, because she thought it was a heading and could not be clicked on. In another example, a user tried to click on the heading image 'Shopping' which is not a button, but looks very much like the pictorial buttons on the right.

Most of the users had a hard time clicking on the buttons, because the hit-area is only active on the type and not on the whole button.

Often a link in the navigation menu on the left had the same function as the big pictorial buttons on the right. This is not only redundant, but also confusing for users who are overwhelmed by the clutter of elements on each page.

Several users were put off by the fact that there was a separate website for the online shopping, and in one case, the user did not know how to switch back to the main site once they'd finished shopping.

There are too many categories and sub-categories for the Online Shopping that make it difficult to browse for products, in one example a user said it was too much of a "mission to get to such a simple product"

When users don't immediately see what they need, many of them try to use the search function.

Thrupps Sitemap Analysis:

 1) The 1^st thing we noticed was that the top navigation bar Thrupps uses is simple and easy to understand. The help option is also easy to use, because it’s just one page with all the different help questions. When you click on a link, it just directs you to the area on that specific page where the information is displayed. When you are done, then you just click “top” and then you are directed back to the top where the questions are. This is a better way to a lot of information rather than opening it on new pages as that could get confusing to the user.

2) The headings of this site are more descriptive and tell the user exactly where they are going to if clicked.

The navigation through the product categories is much better too, because there are only 2 clicks needed before the list of products are shown. There are no unnecessary sub categories.

 

3) The Thrupps site is more to the point and doesn’t repeat information like the PnP website does. It’s less busy visually and has a smoothing feel to it. (no flashy stuff)

 

4) One of the bad things that we found about this site though, is the fact that they “hide” their link to the products page. There is no clear shopping or products button or tab that is visible. 

PnP website analysis by other people:

All of us most probably grew up with a Pick ‘n Pay in the neighbourhood. It was convenient and still is today. However it's moved even closer to home in fact it is right at home today. We are talking about Pick ‘n Pay’s new online “Home Shopping” web site. Pick 'n Pay acquired their success by working with some of the best IT companies in South Africa.

How does it work?

Pick 'n Pay’s online shopping allows you do your regular grocery shopping to your heart's content while you're in the comfort of your own home or office. The web site is user friendly, making it extremely easy for young an old to make us of this convenient revolutionised technology.

The system offers 4 different buying categories. Firstly there's Pick 'n Pay home shopping that caters for your weekly or monthly groceries shopping. The system is clever in that it remembers what you shopped for the last time you were online to make yur experience more convenient. Delivery takes place every 2 hours giving you the freedom to schedule your delivery at a time that suits you best.

Pick ‘n Pay Entertaining on the other hand prepares meals for you. This service can definitely make your life easier, because you can order delicious meals or platters for functions, parties or big family dinners. There is a huge variety to choose from, from Sushi to traditional Beef Stroganoff. It's a service that saves time and money as you don't have to plan or prepare the meal. It's never been easier to feel like the guest of honour at your own party!

My personal favourite is the online General Merchandise department. With the click of the mouse you can spoil yourself with the goodies you've always wanted for your home. Computer hardware and children’s toys are only 2 examples of what's in store.

Pick ‘n Pay online shopping web site can without a doubt give other online shops a run for their money. It's clear that Pick 'n Pay is has the the winning recipe!

No matter if you have a guilty conscience or just want to spoil your loved one, Net Florist not only saves the day, but saves you time and money. Thanks to Pick 'n Pay and Net Florist you can shop while in the comfort of your favourite chair and sort gifts and flowers prices to suite your pocket.

Not just for buying…!

The Pick 'n Pay is not just about online buying, but to educate and uplift. The site also contains information regarding diets that are sport related or to help cure illnesses.

To get the latest news on the South African sport scene browse though the sports section.

Envirozone is a section on the web site dedicated to South African environmental issues. There is a facts section to raise awareness on common problems for instance: “A tap that leaks can waist up to 60 L of water per day and up 1800 L per month”.

Conclusion

South Africa is taking the Internet by storm. Pick 'n Pay's online succes proves that we are a force to be reckoned with!

(this was all copied straight from: http://www.etraffic.co.za/websites_siteanalysis_pnp.html)

Plan of Action for Today (being optimistic)

• we need to finish up individual site mapping sections of the PnP website
• we need to put together the various pieces of the PnP site map
• we need map the competitors site (Thrupps)
• we must analyze PnP site map
• we must analyze competitors site map
• we need to compile the user testing and back it up with theory
• we need to find the key insights of the user testing
• we need to compete the online presence question
• we need to do the overall brand analysis of PnP
• we need to start brainstorming our strategy
  

User testing for PnP baby !

This was one of the the user testing we carries out to observe the usability of the PnP website. We created a list of actions that are possible on the website and asked first time users to carry out these these actions and took down they're response.My sister found these actions rather easy as she works with IT on a daily business so this is how her responses to the interface and navigation measured up.

Buy dog food for the puppy.

• Google.
• "Pick n Pay".
• Pick n Pay online.
• groceries.
• petshop.
• dog and puppy.

Find out what time the pick n pay closest to us closes.

• contact us.
• home.
• google.
• pick n pay.co.za.
• store search.
• craighall park.

Find recipe for chicken salad.

• health and nutrition.
• 5-a-day recipes.
• main course.
• search site.
• chicken salad.

Find out who the CEO is.

• investor.
• Pick n Pay CEO.

The items that are red are the ones that were not needed to reach the goal but where used due to the user bieng mislead.

Observations

The main flaw that I realize when conducting this test is that there are too many visual and verbal distraction that seem to have what the user is looking for don't actually have it. There are both tabs in the navigation bars as well as the huge pictoral buttons that have the same function which seems a bit redundant.

User Testing Results for the PnP website

I did the user testing tasks on my mom (Cindy van Staden) who surprisingly didn’t find all of them to difficult to complete.

1.       Buy dog food for a puppy.

·         First she clicked on the shopping button, or at least she thought she clicked it, she didn’t immediately realize that you have to actually click on the word “shopping” on the icon as this is the only hit area part of the button. After a few seconds she realized nothing is happening, so she clicked it again.

·         She took a few seconds to look around on this page and the clicked on the red “home shopping” link-thingy in the article.

·         She also took a few seconds to look around this page and at first thought she had to register. Then she decided to click on groceries

·         Then she scrolled down and clicked on pet shop

·         Then she scrolled down to Dog & puppy (5clicks)

Comments: She didn’t find this task too difficult to do, she just felt like there’s too many things happening and flashing around some of the pages, it’s distracting and sometimes intimidating for people who aren’t used to the internet.

 

2.       Find out what time the Pnp closest to us closes on Sundays:

·         For this task her first reaction was to go click on “about us”.

·         She took a few seconds to look around and then clicked on “about us” again on the left side of the page.

·         Then it took a while to first look at all the options available and then she decided to look at the “shopping” page.

·         She noticed that there is a “trading hours” thingy, but she didn’t/t think that it was a button at first and so she looked around to see if she can’t find it somewhere else on the page. Then she tried to scroll over the “trading hours” thingy to see what happens…finally she clicked on it.

·         Here she clicked on Gauteng/Free State.

·         Then she scrolled down to find Strubenvale Family store.

·         Here she didn’t really know what to do so she took a while to look around the page. She scrolled all the way back to the top and realized that she has to click on the last column.

·         After she clicked she scrolled down to find Strubenvale Family store, only to find that it’s not even on the list anymore. (6clicks)

Comments:  This wasn’t too easy to complete. She found that some of the buttons doesn’t look like buttons. She also felt like that on the trading hours list, the headings should be visible at all times as it is difficult to know what to do when you’re on the bottom of the page.

 

3.       Find the recipe for a chicken salad:

·         Here her first reaction was to go to Health & Nutrition.

·         Then she clicked on 5 a day recipes.

·         After looking around the page, she realized she was on the wrong page.

·         Then she clicked on Kitchen

·         Here she tried to click on the recipes heading

·         She looked around and then clicked on Main Ingredient

·         She scrolled down to poultry and then clicked on chicken salad (6clicks)

Comments: She found it confusing that the health and nutrition and recipes where on two different pages.

 

4.       Find out who the CEO of Pnp is:

·         This task was the easiest as she remembered that she saw a heading called “CEO” on the “About Us” page. So  she clicked on “about us”

·         Then she clicked on “CEO” (2clicks)

User testing on the Pnp website

I did my user testing on my sister. I directed her to the Pnp website and gave her the tasks one after the other.

task1: - Find dog food for a puppy:

The 1st place she went to was the shopping tab. After pausing to find where to browse products, she realised that you need to click on the banner on the side first. After clicking on the banner, it took her to the shopping site. She immediately went to the groceries tab and was trying to look for "dog food". Eventually she realised it was under the "pet shop" option and found the product.

comments: She found it to be a mission to get to such a simple product. Also she feels no need for two separate websites. (6 clicks)

task2: - Find out what time the Pnp closest to us closes on Sundays:

The 1st place she looked under was the "about us" tab. After struggling to find anything about trading hours, she typed "trading hours" in the search option on top.
A number of search results came up, the only problem was that they all said the same thing - "Pick n pay - trading hours". Confused about which one to click, she just randomly chose one. But it was displaying the wrong store types. Eventually she located our branch, but with much effort.

comments: search didn't work properly and gave results with the same names. She was really getting irratated doing this task. Feels that the website is badly done. (9 clicks)

task3: - Find the recipe for a chicken salad:

First she looked under the
"kitchen" tab, after which she clicked on the recipe option that took her to new options. She selected the "salad" option and found the recipe for chicken salad.

comments: She found this task quite straight forward and completed it with one try. (4 clicks)

task4: - Find out who the CEO of Pnp is:

Completing this task was easy because of the 2nd task of trying to find out the trading hours. This is because she thought the trading hours would be under "about us", so she spent a lot of time in that section. When I told her to find out who the CEO is, she immediately knew where to go and found it with one try.

comments: She said she enjoyed doing this task the most as it was the easiest. (2 clicks)

My conclusion:

My conclusion would be that the Pnp site is not user friendly at all. It is hard to navigate through all the information that is thrown at you. Users will get irritated and upset once or twice after not being able to find something they want.

Mileshka's User Testing

Subject –my Mum

User was highly confused, as has only once or twice interacted with a website.

(45 years, grade 2 teacher, super techno-phobic)

In task 1 which was to: buy dog food for puppies

1. User attempts clicking on the shopping icon and fails as the hit area is only on the text.
2. Next user clicks one o the icons on the far right, one which displays the image of a shopping basket
3. This takes the user to the wrong page, user is confused
4. User clicks the back button
5. At this point I offered a hint as the user was ready to give up, user clicks the online shopping icon
6. User then sees recognizable jargon, and clicks on groceries
7. User hesitates but finds the product search option and enters [dog food]
8. User finds dog food and is happy. User then tries to get to the next page of dog food products to find puppy food. User does this by clicking the 2 in the list of page numbers. However this doesn’t work and user clicks next
9. On page 2 users finds puppy food.

Number of clicks: 8 (6 actual 2 attempts)

Task 2 is to: find out what time the pick n pay closest to you, closes on Sundays

1. User clicks about us, but soon realizes that it was wrong
2. So user clicks back
3. After a while user finds the store search function (however the user is unaware of how to use the drop menu- which works on click) user chooses Gauteng and clicks “go”
4. User scrolls down to find rivonia and clicks on the trading hours column
5. User finds the closing time on Sunday which is 2pm

Number of clicks: 5

Task number 3 is to find the recipe for chicken salad

1. User is unsure whether to choose between the kitchen icon and the health & nutrition icon. User selects health and nutrition.
2. User scrolls down to find some options with the word recipe in them. User then sees the search option at the bottom of the page and types in [chicken salad] enter.
3. User was taken to a homepage structure but with no content. User then had to assume that there was no chicken salad found. This is confusing as there was no error message, which stated that there were no results for the search of “chicken salad”. This principal of designing for error, which is part of the ten heuristics principals.
4. User then clicked on kitchen. The user was confused and felt as though that button hadn’t done much as we were at the same menu we were at earlier when she clicked on health and nutrition.
5. User then clicked on main ingredient.
6. Scrolled down and clicked on chicken salad.

Number of clicks: 6

The final task was to find out who is the CEO?

1. The user here cognitively knew where to go and clicked about us
2. User found the CEO option quickly on the side navigation bar. Nick Badminton.

Number of clicks: 2

General Observations

General observations

• On the main icons in the top navigation bar on the homepage, the hit area of these icons is limited to the text only. This is very confusing for viewers as the icon reacts in movement, when rolled over at any point.
• There are many URL’s in the site, which is confusing and scattered for the viewer, especially if navigating from one of the limb sites.
• There are many redundant buttons, as there are two, which fulfill the same or very similar functions. E.g. the shopping tab in top navigation bar. **
• This website lacks consistency which is part of the ten principals of heuristics. This is because most of the flashing images (animated GIFs) are links but some aren’t, this can be misleading and confusing for the user.

Vanja's User Testing Results

I performed our user testing with my mom, Marija Gooding, who’s computer skills I would rank a 5/10

First she did the 4 tasks on the PnP website

Task 1: Buy some dog food for a puppy.
> First my mom clicked on the big ‘shopping’ button at the top
> She skimmed over the page, then she tried to click on the heading image ‘shopping’ which had no effect
> Then she clicked on the Pick n’ Pay Online Shopping button, which opened up in a new tab.
> Then my mom looked around this new site (she thought she would have to register to shop online, or log in) she thought about clicking on General Merchandise, but instead decided to slick on Product Search, and typed in “puppy food”
> She clicked ‘Go’
> When the results came up, my mom was confused by the 3 columns, which obscure the results and made her have to scroll (but I have a very small screen)
> Then she saw the lists of products and she said that she’d have to click ‘add to trolley’
no. of clicks: 6


Task 2: Find out when the PnP closest to you closes on a Sunday.
(From the pnp.co.za site, she was on the shopping page)
> My clicked on the ‘Store Search’ drop-down arrow.
> Then she clicked on ‘Gauteng / Free State’
> Then she clicked on ‘Go’
> My mom scrolled down to find the Boskruin Mini Market, then she clicked on the ‘click here’ under the Trading Hours heading, this opened a new page with a list of the trading hours for the shops in Gauteng, but did not include the Boskruin Mini Market.
(I don’t think they actually have the trading hours for this particular PnP, but I think it would have been here if they did)
no. of clicks: 4

Task 3: Find the recipe for a chicken salad.
(This was after my mom had found the Dog Food, so she was still on the PnP Online Shopping website www.pnponline.co.za)
> My mom did not know that she must click on the old tab to go back to the PnP site, she did say, “I want to go to ‘Kitchen’, how do I go there?”
> She clicked on ‘home’ which took her to the PnP Online Shopping Home.
> Here she clicked on Recipe Center, under the Services Heading
> The three columns thing came up again, and my mom clicked on the ‘Recipe Search’ tab.
> She typed in the key words “Chicken Salad” and clicked ‘Search’ (she did not notice the results)
> So she clicked on the ‘Browse Recipes’ tab, then clicked on chicken (she did not realize that she then needs to choose a sub-category, she just scrolled down until she saw the Avocado Lemon Mousse With Chicken Salad recipe and decided she likes that one)
> So my mom clicked on that recipe
no. of clicks: 7


Task 4: Find out who the CEO of PnP is.
(my mom was still on the PnP Online Shopping site)
> My mom looked around and said, “there should be an about us?”
> She clicked on the ‘Contact Us’ and looked through that for ages before I explained that she has 2 tabs open (my mom’s PC never opens pages in a new tab, so she didn’t know how that works)
> So she clicked on the PnP tab to switch to http://pnp.co.za
> Then she clicked on ‘About Us’ (struggled to click on letters, instead of whole button)
> She looked around for a bit, then clicked on the CEO link on the left and found his name (Nick Badminton)
no. of clicks: 4 (with some help)


Then we did the same 4 tasks on the Woolworths site

Task 1: Buy some dog food for a puppy.
> First my mom clicked ‘Online Shop’
> Then she clicked ‘Food and Wine’
> She tried to click on the ‘Product or Category’ option for the search, which was already selected, so it didn’t work.
> Then she clicked in the search bar and typed “Dog Food” then she clicked ‘search’
> Lots of dog foods came up, including those for puppies (however searching with the key words “puppy food” provided no results)
no. of clicks: 5

Task 2: Find out when the Woolworths closest to you closes on a Sunday.
> First my mom clicked on ‘Store Locator’
> Then she clicked Gauteng
> There was no listing for Boskruin, so she found Randridge, but there was no time info.
> My mom clicked on the ‘our stores’ tab, not realizing it was already selected.
> So she clicked on Gauteng again and saw the same list of shops.
no. of clicks: didn’t work

Task 3: Find the recipe for a chicken salad.
> My mom clicked on ‘What We Offer’
> Then she clicked on the ‘TASTE magazine’ link
> Here she clicked on more info
> And then she Gave Up.
no. of clicks: didn’t work

4. Find out who the CEO of Woolworths is.
> My mom clicked on ‘Our Company’
> Then she clicked the ‘our business’ tab (which had no effect) so she clicked on the ‘An Overview’ option
> Here she was discouraged by the amount of info she had to read
> She clicked on ‘Holdings’ but could not find the CEO
> So said she would look in History, but wouldn’t want to have to read through their whole history to find the CEO’s name. So she Gave Up
no. of clicks: didn’t work


Conclusion:
In all fairness we did write up these tasks with the Pick n’ Pay website in mind and didn’t even check if these things were possible on the Woolworths site. Plus my internet connection is super slow and my mom was getting really worn out by the time we were doing the Woolies site. (although that does teach us to keep in mind people with lame internet connections)
So what were some interesting things I found:

• Having the new url open up in a new tab/window was catastrophic!! My mom had no idea how to get back to the other one and how to switch between the two.

• Also why is there a recipe thing on both sites!?

• Have clickable things looking distinctively clickable! (eg, the heading looks just like the link)

• To my surprise, my mom reverted to using the search quite often, rather then browsing for something.

• If we use the 3 columns thingy in any way, it must clearly prompt the user what to do at each step of the way.

• Keep in mind that many people in SA have really lame internet connection (like me)

• Don't repeat things, such as having the same menu at the top and the bottom of the same page, my mom says that's confusing coz she had to read through both to make sure that they are the same.
  

BAD WEB NAVIGATION

Here is an example I found on youtube.com about a website that was voted 3rd worst in 2006. have a look, the commentator is quite funny as he rips off the site.

User Testing Exercise

Each member of the group is to go home and get their mommy (or another member of the target market) to test the current PnP site by getting them to do the following tasks on the PnP website and a competitor's (Woolworths) website and seeing how many clicks it takes them to achieve them:

1. Buy some dog food for a puppy.

2. Find out when the PnP closest to you closes on a Sunday.

3. Find the recipe for a chicken salad.

4. Find out who the CEO of PnP is.

Different Navigation Layouts

This is the type of navigational layout facebook uses. The bottom bar includes 'hot shortcuts' that the user can actually lay out him/herself. It is like a customizable navigation bar.

Facebook also uses a side navigation bar along with the top navigation too.














This left Navigation bar comes from Kalahari.net. Once a section is clicked on it takes you to a new screen where a new set of list options are showed specific to the category the user clicked on.











This is the type of navigation the Woolworths site uses. Its the top navigation bar. Once the user clicks on any of the categories, it takes you to a new page, keeping this navigation bar the same, but highlighting the specific category selected.

The Key Tasks

From the wonderful lists of tasks that users might want to achieve on the PnP website, previously posted by Mileshka and Monique, the group decided that the following were the Key Tasks:

• Online Shopping (view products and prices)
• Store Locations and Trading Hours
• Promotions: Specials and New Products
• Recipes
• Info on PnP as a brand
• Sporting Event info
• Financial Info
• Community (CSI)
• Environmental Issues

Pick 'n Pay online presence

With the online presence research that we conducted we found very valuable insights that work both for and against Pick 'n Pay as a brand.We attempted many methods of investigating Pick 'n Pay outside of the home website.We achieved this by using the Google search engine to find out how large the Pick n Pay name is outside of Pick n Pay.We selected a range of keywords related to the brand and tried to find out how common they were with other brands and if it appeared in favourable search fields at all.

Under the PNP abbreviation :

• Google recognised this and displayed a drop dow menu with 10 options.
• But under the actual search of PNP only the first two options were those of Pick n Pay.

Under the full Pick n Pay title:

• The first 6 links belonged to Pick n Pay
• But was related more to  the Pick n Pay collaborative brands(go banking)
• The search engine then also stated other related searches(Liquor,Banking,Supermarkets)
  
• Some of the other major searches linked back to Pick n Pay online.
• The remaining ones were usually related to articles.
• Pick n Pay South Africa also had very minimal information on online Encyclopedeas like Wikipedia

As a possible advertiser ,it was not possible to find out how many hits the site has on a daily basis.

In conclusion,we found that Pick N Pay had a very diluted online presence that forces any one seeking info to struggle through a large amount of some times unnecessary  sites to get to what you want.

Our plan of action for the next two days

Today in class:

• We, as a group, will go through both Mileshka and Monique's lists of tasks and we will select the key tasks :)
• We will then make a targe market testing system for our mommies/members of target market to asses how many clicks it takes them to achieve specific tasks
  

Today at home:

• Mileshka will get Vicky's essay. Monique will get Sims essay.
• Every member will execute the target market testing and record their results.
  

Tomorrow:

• We will be looking at our homework findings.

• We will be compiling our Brand Analysis, we've got the following structure that we want to follow:
• >>Mission and Vision and Values
• >>Brand I.D and Brand Image
• >>Strengths and Weaknesses
• >>Brand Architecture
• >>Vega Healthy Brand Criteria

Initial first impressions, the design is welcoming and friendly from the tone of colours and the rounded shapes.

In terms of the content it is highly focused on corporate social investment

Activities, which are for the betterment of the community

One gets a sense that PnP wants to be a part of your life.

Also that PnP cares about the same issues you do. (“Climate change”, “career opportunities”, “diet and nutrition”)

In terms of navigation it is problematic and this I think stems from poor ordering of information i.e. Information architecture. The search function which appears on every page is difficult to use, as the results page leaves the user wondering what to do next. The sub-categories that appear on the results page are random and sometimes repeated. Information is poorly sorted.

It seems very packed with content all screaming for attention. Most of which are different functions, which the site fulfils.

A customer could intend to do the following online.

• Shop online

• Find recipes

• Find out about PnP as a brand and as a business

Minutes of the AGM

View articles about PnP in the media

Find out about PnP as an investment

• Search for the closest store

• Find out about what PnP is doing for the community/environment

• Have flowers delivered by Netflorist

• Find out about PnP sporting initiatives

• Find out about the various PnP clothing ranges- only one specific clothing brand is made available easily.

• A more obvious link to PnP go banking

• A platform to pay TV licenses

• A repeat monthly shopping list

• A diet and nutrition chat service or wall posts

• Find out more about PnP branded products

• To find out if a certain store carries a certain item

• To transfer money from one PnP to another (Checkers does this where it was introduced during the festive season when most domestic workers get bonuses these are often in cash. When the domestic travels via taxi/bus to get home thieves would rob them and all the money is gone. In this way you can transfer the money from one PnP to another from sandton to Soweto.)

They do provide the platform to do the following, (however some of the above need a revamp)

• Shop online

• Find recipes

• Find out about PnP as a brand and as a business

Minutes of the AGM

View articles about PnP in the media

Find out about PnP as an investment

• Search for the closest store

• Find out about what PnP is doing for the community/environment

• Have flowers delivered by Netflorist

• Find out about PnP sporting initiatives

Here is a list of some of the tasks that a Pick ‘n Pay customer would want to complete online:

To do their shopping online.

Find the different store locations.
When on holiday, they might want to look for a PnP store in that area.

View the trading hours of the different stores.

View a list of the products available in stores.

View a list of the new products available in stores.

View a list of the specials currently in stores.

Browse for specific products to see if it’s available in stores.

Check the price of specific products.

To find out the difference between the different stores and what they offer.

Find new recipes available and when needed, a special diets option is also available.

Ask a chef if help is needed in the kitchen (for inspiration and guidance etc)

They might find the Converter useful (This calculator will translate ounces into grams, and any other weight conversions.)

To book a course or demonstration at PnP school of cooking.

Make use of the Call centre – customer care line /home shopping call centre.

To learn more about the company; their values, vision and mission statements
Look at their annual report.

If someone is interested in investing in PnP they would want to look at annual financial reports, the share option scheme etc.

Look at the companies viewpoint on current environmental issues.

To look at the different events that the company sponsor.
Find out more about a specific event like the 94.7 cycle challenge.

Order flowers from NetFlorist

P.s. This is only a list of tasks from pnp.co.za. PnP Online tasks still to come...:-)

Local Competetor Analysis

Here is the competitor analysis for some local stores and secondary competitors such as online stores:

* Shoprite: (http://www.shoprite.co.za)

Strengths - The most noticeable strength that I spotted on their website is that it is easy to navigate through. Their navigation bar is place on the top of the site with headings that makes sense to users. By clicking on each link, the user knows exactly where they are going. It doesn't contain confusing sub pages like the pnp site does.
They also allow for advertising on the side of their page that is not part of the shoprite brand eg. computicket. They also include a customer service heading with different sub headings for people that want to for example buy bus tickets or money market.
They do also include a suggestion box, which is always a strength to have.

Weaknesses - The main weakness here is that although you can navigate quite easily through the site, when it comes to searching for products' price and info, it is not available. This tells me that although shoprite is our competitor, they haven't yet targeted online customers as one of their main target markets.
On of the weird things I noticed was that their address and phone details for their main office wasn't displayed on the "contact us" page, but instead on the "about us" page. It makes more sense to have it shown on the "contact us" page.
Although they have a "contact us" page, they don't have a list of all the areas in which we can find a shoprite store.


*Checkers: (http://www.woolworths.co.za/caissa.asp?Page=ITB4_RHContext&Post=Home)

Strengths - Immediate noticeable strength about this website is if I look on the top, at the navigation bar, I see the option of "online shop". This is something that other stores haven't yet achieved on their sites and therefore is a huge strength to have.
On the top left on the site page, you even see your "shopping bag" with how many items you have in it - this creates a mapping effect as if you really were shopping at Woolies.
Like its competitors sites, they all have a lot of information to share with their users. But I feel that Woolies has done the best job in grouping that information together, so it doesn't look like the information is overflowing (pnp site)

Weakness - The one that stood out most was, when I wanted to go to their "contact us" page, there was an actual coding error on that particular page. Such an important page and it does not work? esh!
Unlike the other sites so far, they don't have a suggestion box, nor do they have a search option within their site.

*Spar: (http://www.spar.co.za/HomePage1.aspx)

Strengths - Very noticeable on the top rght hand side of the site, there is a store locator option and a contact us page with all the telephone numbers of their head stores displayed.
There is also a search option available.

Weakness - although there is a search bar, I tried searching for dog food and not even one hit came up. I seems to me that the Spar website is totally dedicated to just information seekers and not for online shopping, because they don't even display what products they have.

*Kalahari: (http://www.kalahari.net)

Although Kalahari.net isn't a direct competitor to Pnp, we still decided to look at it from a "online shopping" competitor's view.

Strengths - the search works! unlike any of the previous search bar websites, this on actually have me hits to "dog food", although they weren't exactly the type of dog food that I was looking for, but at least they gave feedback.
Another strength that this site has is it shows many of their products as thumbnails, and not just text. I feel that this is quite important because the user knows what he/she is looking at to buy. There is also evident cross selling and up selling - eg the DVD section.
They actually have two search bars now that I noticed. One "global" search and then one search option within a specific category. This narrows down the amount of relevant hits to your search.
Easy to navigate through!

Weakness - the site isn't really visually appealing. The design of the website is somewhat boring and plain. Other than that, I can't really find anything else that could be a possible weakness as I feel this site really works as it is. It serves its function! ( if there are any other weaknesses, please feel free to add)

International Competitor Analysis

Vanja has another look at the Tesco website along with the other International competitors we mentioned.

Tesco (http://www.tesco.com)

Strengths:

• Every option is clearly defined by a bounding box and has a relevant icon or picture (neat)
• Whenever a box is highlighted a menu pops up showing different options in that section, allowing the user to be specific if they want to be.
• Tesco is giving back to the community, by supporting schools and other charities.
• Tesco show concern for the environment, offering users 'tips for greener living'
  

Weaknesses:

• There are so many options, it's a little overbearing.
• The 'about us' is very obscure, at the bottom and divided into sections.
  
• BIG STUFF UP WITH CODE: If you go through to one of the pages and you go 'back' to the home page, the pop up menus don't fold away, they obscure the site and the user has to 'refresh' to make them fold away again. tut tut tut
  

Sainsbury's (http://www.sainsburys.co.uk)

Strengths:

• Nice, neat navigation menu at the top, with useful drop down menus.
• Info architecture works well, I was able to find a list of all the dog foods that I could chose from, in neat categories, and how much each costs.
  

Weaknesses:

• everything is condensed into the center of the screen, it's very tightly packed and this makes it too busy.
• I don't see anything about them being Green or aware of the environment. tut tut
  

Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/)

Strengths:

• Easy to understand navigation menu
• Info architecture works well, I can easily find very specific products to buy.
  

Weaknesses:

• All the stuff on the right is a little confusing and detracts from the main content, plus it makes the things a little busy.
  

Are Objectives Being Met?

The Group discussed whether or not the Business Objectives are being met by the current online strategy.

> Get users to use the online shopping service
This needs improvement, it needs to be more clear and accessible.

> Provide a good online experience for the user.
This needs improvement, the current site is too cluttered and the information architecture can be a bit confusing at times.

> Show how involved PnP is with giving back to the community
They have shown this a lot. CSI. It could possibly be set out differently.

> Show that they are a transparent brand, thus encouraging people to invest in PnP.
They have done this by providing the Investor Relations and Financial Results

> Have users see PnP as a part of their lives, possibly as an adviser.
They have done this by giving a lot of helpful info such as recipes, health and nutrition etc.

> They may also want to increase interest in their PnP 'Go Banking' service.
This needs improvement, as it is very difficult to find any info about his on the site.

PnP Obiectives

The Group was discussing what we think PnP's main Business objectives are:

> Get users to use the online shopping service

> Provide a good online experience for the user.

> Show how involved PnP is with giving back to the community (eg. sport sponsorship)

> Show that they are a transparent brand, thus encouraging people to invest in PnP.

> Have users see PnP as a part of their lives, possibly as an adviser.

> They may also want to increase intrest in their PnP 'Go Banking' service.

A Quick look at Tesco

Vanja has been researching the international competitor Tesco.

This is what Wikipedia had to say about Tesco:

"Tesco plc is a British-based international grocery and general merchandising retail chain. It is the largest British retailer by both global sales and domestic market share with profits exceeding £3 billion. In 2008, Tesco became the world's fourth largest retailer, the first movement among the top five since 2003.[2] Currently the third largest retailer based on revenue, Tesco is second only to Wal-Mart in terms of profit, having surpassed Carrefour in 2009. Originally specialising in food and drink, it has diversified into areas such as clothing, consumer electronics, financial services, telecoms; home, health and car insurance; dental plans, retailing and renting DVDs,[3] CDs, music downloads, Internet services, and software."

but before I looked at Wiki, I was on the Tesco site: http://www.tesco.com/

My first impression of their site is that it is very busy, and there are soooo many things to choose from that it's overbearing!

But the one thing I was looking for was their 'about us' and I still can't find it!!
That's shocking! I had to go onto Wiki to find that info I wanted.

Next, I tried to 'find the price of dog food' like we did with PnP before, so I clicked on Groceries (I also noticed they had their recipes link there)

Well it didn't want to show me anything unless I registered and I had to enter a valid Postcode.

I tried a fake Postcode, but it told me to bugger off, so I went back to the home page to try to find an 'about us' section again.

I looked at their big navigation menu at the bottom, still no 'about us' but I noticed something called TescoPLC.
I clicked on that and it took me to another site.
I looked up PLC and found out it means Public Limited Company which is a type of company in the UK that offers shares to the public.
This site has an 'about us'
but now the site has frozen so I can't read about them anymore :(

I shall return to the Tesco site soon to have a more serious look at them as a competitor.

The Plan at the Moment

Since everyone is so busy with Critical Studies and the Brand Strategy test,
we have decided to meet tomorrow at 4pm, after our CS presentation.

First we will discuss what we think PnP's objectives are and if they are meeting these objectives as a group.

Then we have divided some tasks among the members of our group:

• Lerole will analyse the current PnP website.
• Jak will look at Local Competitors
• Vanja will look at International competitors.
• Monique and Mileshka will Identify all the key tasks that a customer might want to achieve on the website and which are the key tasks.

We'll see how far we get while we're all still together at Vega, but then we might have to split up and work individually.

Good Luck everyone :)

A Brief Recap

Today we were briefed by Mr. Nausher

The client, Pick n Pay, wants us to make their website 'better'.

Thus we must decipher what the client's business objectives are.

Step1: What are the clients Business Needs

First we discussed the difference between Marketing Needs and Business Needs:

---> Marketing Needs
The way you want to advertise (eg: putting the logo all over your website)

---> Business Needs
What the business wants the customers to do (eg: Read specific info, Buy specific projects)
++We can get an idea of this, by looking at the current site and competitors sites.++

One thing that Pick n Pay wants to do is Sell Stuff!
but they also want to add value to the users (eg. health and nutrition info and sponsorship)

Step 2: Competitor Analysis

It is important to look at local and international competitors.
Analyzing what they are doing well, and what they are not doing well.

Local Competitors: Spar, Checkers and Woolies.

International Competitors: Tesko and Sainsburies

It is also important to look at competitors in different industries that are using the same type of interaction
examples:
Kalahari and Amazon both make use of effective online selling.

We looked at cross selling and up selling:
Cross selling - advertising products in the same class as the current product the user is looking at. Eg. Die Hard dvd and Terminator dvd.
Up selling - advertising products that are an upgrade of the current product the user is looking at. Eg. Die Hard 1 dvd and Die Hard box set.

Step3: Looking at Consumers

It is important to create a link between what the consumer wants and what the business wants.

Online sales: Consider internet access, connection speed and credit card users.
Also consider: Language, design and layout, make sure it meets the requirements of the novice user.

Natural mapping: translate offline interactions to online. Eg. design web layout to look like the isles.

Other Topics we Discussed:

Other things that could be added to the PnP site:

• Pay TV lic
• Mobile Friendly
• Repeat monthly shopping lists
• Shopping list reminder smsed to you
• health and nutrition chat
• delivery code prevents break ins
• buying without credit card
• check stock online

Finally, we must have a look at PnP's magazine, Fresh Living, to see if there is anything in the magazine that should be online and visa versa.