In
the contemporary world, most small businesses, religious organizational
universities, and corporations use websites as a marketing tool. Within the
Tempe community, there are many local businesses, vendors and organizations
that have developed websites as a means conveying information to the public in
a digital format. Keeping this in mind, this project will focus on the digital
rhetoric of the Arizona State University community. There are many “Hot Spots”
in the Tempe area. The public is able to access valuable information regarding
the business or venue of choice through various websites. It is important to
mention that a Website needs to meet the user’s expectations. It is safe to assume that most users look for
quality and creditability when searching for a website. Therefore, content
remains one of the primary focuses of the user. One particular website of interest is the
Mill Avenue District, or the site MillAvenue.com. Specific criteria will be
utilized to evaluate the Mill Avenue District website. The assessment is based
on several key features. These key features include a detailed description of
the website, criteria for evaluation the website, knowledgeable discussion of
the website, and fair-minded assessment of the website.
The
primary objective of the Mill Avenue District website is to advertise, market,
and display multiple venues of the Downtown Tempe community. The website is an
excellent means of providing the local community and visitors, with the most
recent bulletin and events of the participating Tempe merchants. For users on the go, particularly the
upwardly mobile, the site includes features for mobile applications such as
Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. These
features can be accessed through the majority of smart phone devices along with
any tablet, or device similar to the IPad.
Merchants can apply real time messages containing information about
specific events, sales, feature items, and promotions. A great example of how
the Mill Avenue District website acts as an excellent source of generating
information is in regards to the New Years Eve block party. There is an entire
section dedicated to the activities pertaining to the block party. Such information
includes the duration of the event and detailed list of activities that take
place during this famous annual Tempe celebration. For additional information
the user can click on the, “Family Fun Zone” tab. This section explains how
people of all ages are able to celebrate New Year’s safely and appropriately.
For example, The Radio Disney’s Rockin Road Show providers the user with useful
information concerning activities that are suitable for younger or preteen
children. Overall, MillAvenue.com targets
multiple demographics such as college students, young professionals, families,
and retired individuals. The information
available comprises of a main directory which segments dining, shopping,
motels, services and night life. A second tab consists of entertainment and
events scheduled in downtown Tempe. Clean and Safe Service tab highlights the
police and ambulance and traffic. It is routine for people to get nervous or
apprehensive about walking around at night.
The Safe-T-Patrol Guides which is under the “Clean & Safe Services”
tab provides information about public safety. It also provides the public with
important civil information pertaining to parking, emergency and non-emergency
services. The” Getting Here” tab
provides transit information for all types of transportation via bus, light
rail, bike, or additional information regarding parking. The “Living Here” tab targets real estate and
rental properties. This section provides detailed information pertaining to
both rental and purchasing properties available near Mill Avenue or on Mill
Avenue. This is a great tool for
individuals searching for a place to reside or for the savvy individual looking
for an investment property. At any rate,
students, young professionals or retires can locate an apartment of their
choice by utilizing this tool. The final
tab, “Doing Business Here” provides merchants with information concerning
available retail space. For example, the site provides a detailed list of all
the available retail space on Mill Avenue. This information is updated on a
daily basis depending on the success of each individual merchant. A proprietor
can search for a suitable and prime location for his/her future business
venture.
The
criteria for evaluating the Mill Avenue District website are based on several
specific components. The components
includes; appearance, content, functionality, and usability. The site displays
very technologically innovative graphics. The color, font size and overall
appearance of the website are extremely appealing. The visuals consist of
graphs, pictures, and maps of Mill Avenue and the immediate surrounding area.
The website is very successful at providing the viewer with a real glimpse of
downtown Tempe, and immediate surrounding areas. Content of information is
vital to the success of a website. One of the most attractive features about
the Mill Avenue website is that it
embraces a broad range of detailed information. For example, from the
shopping tab, the user is able to access thirty six store merchants. From there, the merchants are filtered by
category such as clothing, jewelry, health and beauty. The dining tab provides
the user with the same amenity. The
website filters the restaurants in dining categories, such as cuisine, casual
dining, fine dining, and delicatessens. The functionality of the website is
very good. Functionality basically refers to the interaction between the site
and the site visitor. In order to determine the most important aspect of a
site's functionality requirement, it is vital to ask the question "what is
this site's purpose?" The purpose describes the function the site must
fulfill. The purpose of the Mill avenue site is to provide the viewer with
pertinent information about specific areas of interest. The information needs to be creditable, and
accurate. Accurate and creditable information are determining factors in the
overall success of a website. The
functionality of a website definitely determines the number of viewers who
frequent the website. The sites level of
functionality is very high. The Mill
Avenue website contains an abundance of information for the viewer to readily
and easily access about business, organizations, schools, and events in the
Tempe area. The usability of the Mill
Avenue District website is exceptional.
The site is extremely user friendly. It is particularly easy for the
user to navigate. There are clear visual messages and guidelines for the user
to follow. The main tabs are located at the top of the main page. There are numerous drop-down boxes when the
user clicks on the main tabs. In
addition, the site offers alternative navigational paths to access
information. For example, if the
navigation path the user is utilizing fails, there are other options. Most importantly, the website welcomes the
user and entices them to come back and use the site again for future
references.
There are several characteristics that should be taken
into consideration when attempting to design a digitally effective website.
Appearance, content, functionality and usability are integral aspects needed to
create a digitally literate website. The
Mill Avenue District website is an excellent resource for local residents as
well as community newcomers. The site offers relevant, well-written, and
grammatically correct information. In addition, the content of information is
categorized into logical sections such as main tabs, and sub categories. The
website targets many types of users and assists them in gathering helpful
information about downtown Tempe and the immediate surrounding area. No matter
what a person’s mood may be at the moment, whether a fun night of exhilarating
night life, or just a calm and relax with family or friends is appealing, the
Mill Avenue District website is the place to take a glimpse at the daily
action. Although the website is
extremely organized and contains adequate amounts of information regarding Mill
Avenue, it could project a more professional image. This is probably difficult
since Mill Avenue is a very casual area.
However, the website is successful at providing the viewer with useful
information about specific services; restaurants; shops cafes, and daily
activities are available on Mill Avenue, and the greater surrounding Tempe
area.
As technology continues to progress, society will witness
a greater occurrence of digital text. Millions of people access digital text on
a routine basis by visiting websites. We
have the technological means to attain information literally in seconds.
Digital rhetoric is the means of marketing those most small businesses,
religious organizational universities, and corporations utilize in this rapidly
changing world. In determining the overall effectiveness of a website, it is
important to consider appearance, content, functionality and usability. After carefully analyzing the Mill Avenue
website, it is determined that the site displays exceptional qualities in all
four areas. The quality and content of
information attainable on the website is exceptional. It is certainly a place
in which viewers can go to access information relevant to individual interests
and needs.
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