HCI ASSIGNMENT 2

HCI Assignment 2

HCI Assignment 2

Introduction

The Internet is a tool used widely in today's society and has become a useful tool for many organizations to stay connected to their customers around the world. One such website is has been put together by the National Association of Realtors (NAR). Their website, Realtor.com, is a website that brings many of the tools needed to find a new home. The website offers one-stop shopping for home buyers. This paper analyzes Realtor.com from a customer's perspective through highlighting the website's attributes.

Target Audience

The content of a Website must be determined by the Target Audience - and nothing is more important than quality content in attracting customers. Everyone will agree with this truism, however too many Websites have content that is not directed solely at the Target Audience. There are also a large number of Websites that fail to meet expectations because their Target Audience has not been correctly identified. Without knowledge of the Target Audience, the marketing effort of a company can only be misdirected. And unless the Target Audience is correctly identified at inception, the Website will soon have to be rebuilt when visitor numbers are subsequently unsatisfactory. When the Target Audience has been identified, the Website may have to become narrower in focus, in order to be more selective in attracting quality visitors. The content of the Website should be directed only at the needs of the desired audience. To do this, there must be an understanding of the needs of the Target Audience. This may mean creating separate Websites for different customer segment groups with different requirements.

Realtor.com is a website created for consumers that are looking to purchase a home, rent a home or apartment, seek relocation services or need financing for a new or existing mortgage. The website includes advertisements, various calculators, and tips on finding a home and moving. For easy navigation, there is a tabbed area for the consumers to find what they are looking for in a quick and precise manner. The website also offers a feature where a consumer can create an account. The account allows the consumers to save their searches and the property profiles they are interested in to return at a later date. Furthermore, information is provided in bright colors and links which helps make the website easy to use.

Purpose of the Website

The first important step (that is often neglected) in the website creation process, is to determine the purpose of your web site. Too often a website lacks the focus of a clear purpose and visitors are quickly confused and click away. It's an established fact that Internet users today are increasingly impatient and intolerable. A website visitor will not spend their precious time trying to figure out what the site is about (or how it can benefit them). A website with a well defined purpose stands out and a visitor should instantly recognize it without effort. Clearly defining the purpose of your website before its creation, will ensure ...