Memo - College of Western Idahocwi.edu/sites/default/files/1/technical_writing._website...The...
Transcript of Memo - College of Western Idahocwi.edu/sites/default/files/1/technical_writing._website...The...
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Memo
To: Dawson Taylor Coffee Roasters
From:
Date:
Subject: Evaluation and recommendation of dawsontaylor.com
The following is a report detailing my review of the website DawsonTaylor.com. The purpose of which
aims to highlight any areas that need adjustments in areas such as layout, design, content, and flow.
To perform this evaluation, primary and secondary research was conducted. I examined every page of
DawsonTaylor.com comparing what I saw to two general factors: Website Design and Perception. With
these I examined the mood, flow, layout, and ease of navigation of your website. The Competitor
Comparison analysis compares DawsonTaylor.com to Sterling.Coffee, a Portland, OR local roastery. By
comparing these two websites, we ensure your site is the best it can be. Last of all, I collected data from
local Boise/Meridian/Nampa residents through a questionnaire and analyzed the results. A detailed
description of the process is listed further in the report. All of my research is compiled in this report.
I found two main issues that need correcting and a few other issues that don’t need as immediate of
attention but still should be looked at. The wording on the “Wholesale” page is repetitive and needs
variety to keep the reader interesting. Also ordering coffee or swag online is impossible due to an issue
with the zip code finder on your “Shopping Cart” page. Of lesser importance is the uneven or missing
images used in the “Our Coffees” page, a punctuation error on the homepage, off center map on the
“Locations” page, a sparse description on the “Office Coffee” page, and the existence of a category
under “Our Coffees” that appears only on the menu but leads nowhere. All these issues and their
remedies are detailed below.
I appreciate your invitation to examine your website and the trust you place in my review. If you have
any questions or comments regarding the report, please don’t hesitate to contact me at 208-555-1234
or @mycwi.cc.
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Website Evaluation – Dawson Taylor Coffee Roasters:
A Recommendation Report
Prepared for: Dawson Taylor Coffee Roasters
Prepared by:
College of Western Idaho
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Introduction The purpose of this report is to provide Dawson Taylor Coffee Roasters with a website review. This
review details any areas that need or may need improvement. Any implementation of recommendations
provided in this report is at the discretion of Dawson Taylor Coffee Roasters.
Research methods used for this evaluation entail reviewing every page on DawsonTaylor.com. Two of
these methods, “Website Design” and “Perception,” deal directly with how the website looks from the
perspective of a viewer and possible client. “Competitor Comparison” holds DawsonTaylor.com and a
similar local coffee roastery, the particular one used being from Portland, Oregon, up together for
inspection. Any areas where the competitor website is better than DawsonTaylor.com is noted. Lastly, a
survey was performed on social media to gather input from Treasure Valley locals about the website.
This information is used to ascertain any other areas of the website needing review as from the
perspective of a potential client.
This report follows a logical flow of information. Some information may be repeated multiple times in
different areas as this helps to expound upon said information. The report is set up as follows
1. Introduction
• A brief overview of the purpose of the report, the research methods used, and
layout of the report.
2. Research Methods
• A more detailed description of the research methods used to conduct this website
review. The methods used are broken down to four categories: Website Design,
Perception, Competitor Comparison, and Customer Satisfaction Survey.
3. Results
• A thorough description of the results of applying the research methods. This section
is also broken down into the four research methods categories.
4. Conclusions
• An overview wrapping up the research process. It provides a general analysis of
what the results mean and the methods used.
5. Recommendations
• A detailed section going over the recommendations provided to correct any issues
found in the “Results” section.
6. References
• A list of all websites used for this report.
7. Appendix
• A more in-depth section regarding the survey conducted on social media for the
purpose of this report.
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Research Methods In order to do a thorough review of DawsonTaylor.com, there were several factors I used to aid in the
analysis. These factors are:
1. Website Design
2. Perception
3. Competitor Comparison
4. Client/Customer Satisfaction Survey
The purpose of using these research tools is to provide a solid basis from which to evaluate the website.
All the information has been compiled into this report for Dawson Taylor Coffee Roasters.
Item 1: Website Design I looked over every page on Dawson Taylor and noted the areas that could use improvement. “Website
Design” encompasses the several factors as follows:
• color and design aesthetic
• ease of navigation
• mood of the website
• layout
The website should be pleasing to the eye, have information that is both easy to understand and easy to
find, have a similar feel to the business, and be laid out in an understandable manner.
Item 2: Perception The Perception factor of analysis compiles the points noted in Website Design and expounds upon how
they affect a customer’s perception of Dawson Taylor Coffee Roasters. This explains why these changes
needs to be made.
Item 3: Competitor Comparison Comparing DawsonTaylor.com to a similar website helps to see how DawsonTaylor.com stacks up. The
website I use is for a coffee roastery called Sterling Coffee Roasters. It is located in Portland, Oregon but
similar to Dawson Taylor Coffee Roasters they pride themselves in being a local roastery. Their website
is Sterling.Coffee.
Item 4: Customer Satisfaction Survey I created and performed a Customer Satisfaction Survey using the medium of Facebook. The survey is a
convenience sample and is a voluntary response. Thirteen locals to the Treasure Valley took the survey
and entered their responses to a series of questions. These questions range from their perspective on
the design and flow of DawsonTaylor.com to if the site encouraged them to actually visit in person.
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Results This section goes over all four Items listed above and the detailed information that came from using
these factors for the website evaluation.
Item 1: Website Design The design of the website is very nice. The background and colors used are visually pleasing. Having the
menu buttons on the side of the screen is different than many other websites who have their menu
buttons along the top in a header. The buttons along the side works well in this instance since it does a
good job of offsetting the main image. In addition, it provides a line along the left side on which to align
the top logo. The Cart button is lined up on the upper right with the main image so the design lines of
the entire website are visually pleasing.
Your contact information is on every page on the lower left side making it easy for a viewer to find the
information they need. There isn’t a FAQ page, per se, but there is the “About Us” page. However,
including a FAQ might be beneficial.
There is one error in the introductory paragraph on the main image. The comma in this phrase “…quality
coffees, supported by…” should not be there because it creates a comma splice.
Figure 1 – Homepage Introduction
The map on the “Locations” page does not center on your sites, downtown Boise, or some other well-
known landmark leaving a lot of empty space on the left side. I recommend centering the map. By doing
so the viewer’s eyes are instantly drawn to your locations without getting lost in the empty space. Below
is the current map default position compared to an example of centering the map.
Figure 2 – Current Map Default Figure 3 – Example of Centered Map
The wording on the Wholesale page needs revision. Of the nine sentences on this page, six begin with
“We.” This is not encouraged since it wearies the reader by not being varied. While completely removing
“we” from the start of half the sentences is not completely possible due to the purpose of this page,
adding variety to the sentences will help engage the reader. My recommendation for this content is as
follows:
Left – current map
Right – example of
centering the map
The current map has
wasted space on the
left side.
This comma should
not be here.
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Whether you’re considering upgrading your current coffee program or thinking of offering
Dawson Taylor Coffee at your café or restaurant, we are here to help. As proud distributors of
LaMarzocco and Rio espresso machines as well as Fetco and Bunn brewers, we can assist you
with café layout design, equipment sales, and service. We specialize in custom coffee programs
including coffee and food pairing, custom proprietary blends, and extensive training for you and
your employees. We encourage visits to our roastery where we enjoy sharing our extensive
coffee culture with your staff. Co-op advertising dollars is another benefit we offer, and we
welcome discussion on other opportunities that may be available.
We also offer custom office coffee programs. Let us bring coffee-house quality to your office.
For whole sale inquiries, call 208-376-2787 or 1-888-824-5282.
The menu on the left expands when the “Our Coffees” item is clicked which is helpful for the viewer, but
there is an additional item under the expanded menu that doesn’t have an icon in the center of “Our
Coffees” page: “Espresso Blends.” There are no espresso coffees actually being sold so the menu item
needs to be fully removed. Also, since you sell so many coffees, creating a guide to help the viewer
select a coffee would be beneficial. It is not necessary but is encouraged.
Figure 4 – Our Coffees page
Some of the categories have a picture with each coffee in that category, but some are missing. If images
are being used on a particular category page, a picture is needed for every item. The items missing an
image are as follows in the format of “Category Name – Item Name”:
• Certified Organic – Certified Organic Ethiopia Sidamo
• Certified Organic – Certified Organic Dream Ride Blend
• Certified Organic – Swiss Water Decaf Original French Roast
• Certified Organic – Organic Ethiopia Harrar
• Swiss Water Decaf Coffees – Swiss Water Decaf Organic French Roast
• DT Swag – HydroFlask
The image of the “Burlap Bags” item in “DT Swag” is much smaller than the image for the coffee mug. I
recommend replacing the original image with a larger image. This new image could be of a variety of
bags to show a range of designs that you might have at the time of purchase.
Remove “Espresso
Blends” menu item.
Add any missing
images.
Increase the size of
the “Burlap Bags”
image.
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The “Office Coffee” page is severely lacking. The short description that is there is bolded as if it is the
start of a list rather than a description. I recommend including a sentence or two telling what you can do
for the potential client, some suggestions for office coffee, or the benefits of using your coffee. Also, it
should not be bolded. Lastly, the “Call today for an office coffee tasting” is too small and should be
increased in size one or two font sizes to match the format in the rest of the webpage.
On the Shopping Cart page after an item has been added, I found the shipping estimator, a required part
of checking out, is not working rendering your online shopping option unusable. This issue needs to be
fixed immediately.
Figure 5 – Shopping Cart Error
Item 2: Perception The website is laid out well and easy to navigate with plenty of information. The design of the website is
pleasant. I would say that the design and content would encourage a viewer to become a customer. The
wording for the most part is also inviting. The introductory call-to-action paragraph on the first page is
very welcoming.
Not having your locations centered on the Google maps in the “Locations” page leaves a lot of empty
space on the map that has no importance to many customers. The empty space is over Garden City.
Unless the majority of your customers come from that direction, the perception of not having the more
recognizable downtown Boise where you are located centered in the map is that your locations are not
as centric or important as Dawson Taylor Coffee Roasters is. Centering your locations as noted in Figure
3 raises the priority of your coffee shops.
The repetitive wording in the “Wholesale” page mentioned in “Item 1: Website Design” above would
not deter everyone but might slightly put off someone who is keen in their English and grammar usage.
Following the recommendation also mentioned above will fix this issue.
Leaving “Espresso Blends” in the side menu buttons when it is no longer in the “Our Coffees” page and
no longer has any coffees in it sends the message that the Dawson Taylor website is not well
maintained. This reflects badly on you as it gives the impression that you lack the knowledge to
effectively portray your company digitally. Removing “Espresso Blends” from the side menu is an easy
fix.
Entering a zip code
does not work
which prevents the
customer from
purchasing anything
online.
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Similarly, when the majority of items in certain categories have images but some on the same page do
not, this looks like you as the managers of DawsonTaylor.com do not know what you are doing. There
are six images on three category pages that lack an image. Fixing these six errors will increase the visual
perception of DawsonTaylor.com.
If a potential office manager or company perused your website looking for information on what you
offer for office coffee, this person would not be impressed with what you have to offer based solely off
information on DawsonTaylor.com. Including more information would be ideal. If, however, you do not
wish to provide more information due to various business-related factors, the least that should be done
is including a paragraph explaining why Dawson Taylor Coffee Roasters is the best option for the office.
Even if there is not detailed information on what you offer for offices, there is a persuasive and
welcoming section of text to encourage the business to stay on the “Office Coffee” page and potentially
call you for more information.
The failure of the “Your Shopping Cart” page looks bad. You would lose the business of a customer
inclined to purchase coffee online versus going into the store. The extra hassle in this situation is very
negative. This issue needs to be fixed immediately.
Despite these two main issues, the overall perception of the website is positive and inviting.
Item 3: Competitive Comparison
Overview I compared Dawson Taylor to Sterling Coffee Roasters in Portland, OR found at Sterling.coffee. The
design of their website is very clean and minimalist. Their menu items are in a header at the top of the
page under the centered logo. At the very top there is a search bar, buttons to login and sign up, and the
cart. The footer has the copyright, social media quick links, and space to sign up for their mailing list.
Beneath the footer is all the methods of payment they accept such as Visa, MasterCard, and PayPal.
Figure 6 – Competitor Homepage
The Location page has some aesthetic images from their building, their address, and their times.
However, there is no map. Their Contact page only lets the viewer contact them via an email from their
page. They do not have a phone or fax number. The Store page has all of their items that they sell. They
only have ten coffees, two swag items, the option for a gift card, and the option for an hour of their time
to learn various aspects about coffee. The FAQ page has three questions and answers that provide a
Search bar at top
Footer at bottom
Lack of connection
to customers by
only showing their
products on the
homepage rather
than meaningful
images.
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small amount of information. The Cart page has an area for special instructions and no requirement for
a zip code in order to proceed to the Payment and Shipping Information page.
Evaluation The homepage of Dawson Taylor is nicer than Sterling Coffee Roasters because the design of the
webpage and inclusion of the images are more inviting and warm. I instantly feel a stronger emotional
connection to Dawson Taylor than Sterling Coffee Roasters purely from the design of the website. The
location of the header and menu items for each website works well for the overall layout for each
website.
The search bar at the top of the page is a nice addition on the Sterling website. However, it is
unnecessary since the volume of information is too small for it to be a requirement. The footer has more
information on Sterling Coffee Roasters’ website than Dawson Taylor. However, Dawson Taylor only has
one social media outlet while Sterling has three. If Dawson Taylor had a mailing list, including a spot to
sign up for that would be needed. However, not having a mailing list like Sterling does, Dawson Taylor
doesn’t need to make space for that on your website. The footer is necessary for Sterling but not for
Dawson Taylor.
Dawson Taylor’s “Location” page is much better than Sterling Coffee Roasters’. Including the Google
Maps for each of Dawson Taylor’s three locations is a huge benefit for the viewer. The variety and ease
of access to Dawson Taylor’s contact information is also superior to Sterling’s.
The layout of the Store pages is set up well for both websites according to what products each offer. The
ability to purchase gift cards on Sterling Coffee Roasters’ website, though, is a nice feature that Dawson
Taylor does not have.
Figure 7 – Competitor Store
In conclusion, Dawson Taylor Coffee Roasters’ website is designed and laid out nicer than Sterling Coffee
Roasters’ website. There are no improvement suggestions based off of Sterling Coffee Roasters’ website
that I noted.
The option to
purchase a gift card
online is a great idea
for Dawson Taylor
Coffee Roasters to
implement.
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Item 4: Customer Satisfaction Survey The Customer Satisfaction Survey was conducted on my personal Facebook page in the months of
and of 2018. Thirteen Treasure Valley locals responded to the survey. The first question has
two response options: yes and no. The other four questions have five response options: strongly agree,
agree, neutral, disagree, strongly disagree.
A quick overview of the survey results shows a trend for a positive view of DawsonTaylor.com. The
following Figure 8 provides pie charts of the responses to the five questions.
Figure 8 – Customer Satisfaction Survey Results
Just a little under half of those
surveyed have heard of Dawson
Taylor Coffee Roasters before.
Only two people (2/13 = 15.4%) were
neutral about the website layout and
ease of navigation. The rest either
agreed or strongly agreed. This is a
very positive response for
DawsonTaylor.com
All of the respondents thought that
information on DawsonTaylor.com
was either easy or very easy to find.
Just over 75% of respondents thought
the designs and colors of the site to
visually pleasing. Only three people
(3/13 = 23.1%) were neutral on this
question.
Visiting the website was such a
positive experience for the majority
of respondents that six (6/13 =
46.2%) are likely to visit your physical
locations and five (5/13 = 38.5%) are
potentially likely to visit. Only two
(2/13 = 15.4%) are not likely to visit.
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Conclusions This section I condense the conclusions made under the “Results” section from the research I did of
DawsonTaylor.com. I also explain what it means how it can be advantageous for Dawson Taylor Coffee
Roasters.
A website is another avenue for a company to broadcast who they are and why they are the best fit for
the viewer. DawsonTaylor.com is no exception. It is in your best interest to provide a website that
properly portrays who you are and what you can do. The end goal is to either create a new customer or
provide a service and maintain a current customer. DawsonTaylor.com is already doing a great job in all
of this, but there are a few areas that need your attention. Most of these issues are not too hard to
remedy. I compiled all the issues and their remedies in the next section, Recommendations,” for your
benefit.
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Recommendations Located on this page are all the errors noted throughout the website review report as well as the
recommendations to fix these errors. In addition, there is a list of ideas to consider that might increase
the value of DawsonTaylor.com to the customer.
All Errors and Recommendations for DawsonTaylor.com • Error in entering the zip code for shipping information in “Cart” which prevents online purchases
o Remedy the error in the code causing the issue. This is a priority.
• Unnecessary comma on the “Home” page
o Remove the comma to fix the comma splice.
• Off-center map on the “Locations” page
o Redo and re-imbed the Google Map to have a map that centers over your locations or
over downtown Boise.
• Repetitive wording on the “Wholesale” page
o Rewrite the text to reduce repetition. Here is an example:
Whether you’re considering upgrading your current coffee program or thinking of
offering Dawson Taylor Coffee at your café or restaurant, we are here to help. As proud
distributors of LaMarzocco and Rio espresso machines as well as Fetco and Bunn
brewers, we can assist you with café layout design, equipment sales, and service. We
specialize in custom coffee programs including coffee and food pairing, custom
proprietary blends, and extensive training for you and your employees. We encourage
visits to our roastery where we enjoy sharing our extensive coffee culture with your
staff. Co-op advertising dollars is another benefit we offer, and we welcome discussion
on other opportunities that may be available.
We also offer custom office coffee programs. Let us bring coffee-house quality to your
office.
For whole sale inquiries, call 208-376-2787 or 1-888-824-5282.
• Dead end pathway of “Espresso Blends” in the side menu under “Our Coffees”
o Remove this button from the menu in the website editor.
• Lost images for six items in “Our Coffees” categories
o Include the images for the six items. The four under the “Certified Organic” category all
have the same image as the others on the same page, and the one under the “Swiss
Water Decaf Coffees” category has the same image as the others on that page. The
image for the HydroFlask is the only picture you need to take for this recommendation.
The six items missing images are:
▪ Certified Organic – Ethiopia Sidamo
▪ Certified Organic – Certified Organic Dream Ride Blend
▪ Certified Organic – Swiss Water Decaf Original French Roast
▪ Certified Organic – Organic Ethiopia Harrar
▪ Swiss Water Decaf Coffees – Swiss Water Decaf Organic French Roast
▪ DT Swag – HydroFlask
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• Incomplete information on the “Office Coffee” page
o Add more information about your services for providing office coffee OR include a
paragraph about why or how you, Dawson Taylor Coffee Roasters, are the best choice
for supplying office coffee.
o Increase the font size of the sentence “Call today for an office coffee tasting.” It is at
least one font size too small compared to the font sizes on the rest of the website.
Additional Ideas to Consider • Create a FAQ page
o Providing a page for frequently asked questions can help to answer basic questions your
customers or potential customers have.
• Create a guide to aid customers in choosing coffee
o Having a way to help customers find the coffee they need without browsing through all
the categories can keep the customer from feeling overwhelmed.
• Increase the size of the image for “Burlap Bags” in “DT Swag” under the “Our Coffees” category
o Changing the size of the image so it matches the size of the image below it will add to
the visual continuity of the page. This horizontal image should be as wide as the vertical
image of the mug is tall.
• Take new image for “Burlap Bags” showing the potential diversity of coffee bags for sale
o Showing an image of multiple bags with various designs might increase purchases of the
Burlap Bag if the one design shown is not one that is visually pleasing to the customer.
• Provide the option for purchasing gift cards online
o Allowing the ability for people to purchase gift cards online allows for customers to
easily purchase gift certificates for reasons such as gifts in the event they have run out
of time to go to your physical location to pick one up there.
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References A list of the websites used for research during this website review of DawsonTaylor.com.
• Dawson Taylor Coffee Roasters – http://www.dawsontaylor.com/
• Sterling Coffee Roasters – https://www.sterling.coffee/
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Appendix: Customer Satisfaction Survey The survey was conducted on my personal Facebook page. It is a voluntary response convenience
sample so it may not represent the views of the Treasure Valley population. However, it still provides
good information that can be used to gauge the effectiveness of DawsonTaylor.com.
Thirteen people responded to the survey. The first question can be answered “yes” or “no” while the
other four have five possible responses: strongly agree, agree, neutral, disagree, or strongly disagree.
The questions asked are:
1. Have you ever heard of Dawson Taylor Coffee Roasters before?
2. Please visit their website, DawsonTaylor.com. Is the website easy to navigate and well laid out?
3. Is information easy to find?
4. Are the graphics/designs/colors visually pleasing?
5. After visiting their website, are you more inclined to visit any of Dawson Taylor Coffee Roasters’
physical locations in Boise?
On the next page is a series of graphs depicting the survey results in both percentages and pie chart
formats. Immediately following is a table showing how each of the thirteen respondents answered the
five questions.
Timestamp
1. Have you ever heard of Dawson Taylor Coffee Roasters before?
2. Please visit their website, DawsonTaylor.com. Is the website easy to navigate and well laid out?
3. Is information easy to find?
4. Are the graphics/designs/colors visually pleasing?
5. After visiting their website, are you more inclined to visit any of Dawson Taylor Coffee Roasters’ physical locations in Boise?
No Agree Agree Agree Yes
No Strongly agree Strongly agree Strongly agree Maybe
Yes Agree Agree Agree Yes
Yes Agree Agree Agree Maybe
Yes Strongly agree Strongly agree Agree Maybe
No Agree Agree Agree Yes
No Strongly agree Strongly agree Agree Yes
Yes Agree Agree Neutral Maybe
No Neutral Agree Neutral No
No Agree Strongly agree Strongly agree No
Yes Agree Agree Neutral Yes
No Agree Agree Agree Maybe
Yes Neutral Agree Strongly agree Yes
Figure 9 – Customer Satisfaction Survey Individual Results
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Figure 10 – Customer Satisfaction Survey Graphic Results