Hi Shan,
It was really interesting reading about Amazon and I really liked how you broke apart the text initially based on the three main principles and how you made sure to bold each of the principles so the reader’s eye goes directly to it. The use of hyperlinks was also effective throughout your piece since I had the ability to go to each of the articles you mentioned and learn more about the topic.
It was interesting to learn that the user experience on Amazon has not changed since 1994 and it is true, as you pointed out, that if it works, why change it and I feel that I can relate to this as whenever something changes on an app, it always confuses me and I have to take time out to relearn the system so I guess if the system that Amazon has right now works for them, it would be most effective to keep it that way.
Even though I am on the premed track, I’m incredibly fascinated with marketing and marketing tactics, particularly as to how it overlaps with the human psyche and Louise we are deceived and conned out of our money by psychological manipulation tactics.
I completely agree with the main principles you’ve listed, such as transparency, tangibility, trustworthiness, and helpfulness. I think Amazon has excelled in all of these methods, and I also think another aspect that comes to mind is how useful the website is and how easy it is to navigate, which is also another point you bring up. Many companies get too caught up in the sleekness of their design, which takes away from the quality of the website’s user interface. Take, for instance, Stony Brook’s DegreeWorks. Degreeworks, I thought, was SBU’s best student website in terms of its functionality. It was not very prone to glitches, and would tell me everything I needed in order to fulfill my degree, outright and simple. It was always super easy to understand, despite not being the best looker in town. recently, they updated it, and provided it with a new sleek modern look — but this was accompanied by an array of errors, glitches, and flaws in every nook and cranny of the new update. And so, the flock of students could do nothing but look at how beautiful the new website had become, but how horrible it truly was. I think Amazon has really done a number on other companies that choose to focus on the modernity of their website rather than what their customers really want to see.
I also like that, throughout the paper, you focus a lot on exactly that – what customers desire from these corporations and what will make the most likely to come back, giving them “exactly what they’re looking for”.
It’s crazy to think about how much design goes into each button on any given website. For a giant like Amazon, I expect the same but tenfold. There are people who have full time jobs and careers and the only thing they’ve done is designing user interfaces for Amazon. You said it best “If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.” Amazon is quite literally the largest company in the world, it’s easy to point out what they’re doing wrong, but if they’re doing better than everyone else, are they really doing anything wrong? Amazon is the leading company in e-commerce; they’re the innovators and the ones who make the rules of what constitutes “good design”
I think your essay was brilliantly written. I’m finding out a lot of interesting things throughout the process of writing and reading about all these projects and yours is no different. I’d love to know how you found out about this topic and what got you originally interested in it.
It was great to see the beginning of your project turn into such a thoughtful paper! I never really paid that much attention to the overall design of Amazon but now that you point it out, it is very impressive that Amazon has built a huge platform based on ease of use and functionality. Typically, whenever I shop on online stores, their websites are always aesthetically pleasing with minimalistic backgrounds. However, even then, I still find myself shopping on Amazon a lot more compared to these stores.
Amazon has many great features that make the shopping experience easy and smooth. One of my favorite aspects of Amazon is that when you type in what you’re looking for in the search bar, Amazon labels some products as “Amazon’s choice” or includes the ratings for each product. I utilize this setting a lot because it provides background on whether or not I’m purchasing something from a trustworthy company. Similarly, when you want to take a closer look at the product, Amazon offers a feature where you can click on the company’s past ratings on shipping and quality. Typically I don’t usually buy from companies that have a rating below 95% and it’s made my online shopping much more convenient.
Overall, I thought your paper was well written and enjoyed how straightforward you presented your information.
I was intrigued by your mention of Amazon’s personalized ads. You mention that Amazon tailors its homepage to the user’s search interactions, including recent browsing history and personalized recommendations. This part of your paper immediately had me thinking about our class discussion with Richard Miller, and the role of privacy in the digital age. While I agree with your argument that the personalized homepage can make the user’s experience much more enjoyable, I still question if we are sacrificing our privacy each time we make a purchase. I am interested in hearing your thoughts on this. Are there ethical concerns with Amazon’s personalized homepages and ads?
I found many connections between your paper and the themes we have discussed throughout the semester. Marlene’s presentation today on the rabbit hole of WebMD is a perfect example. On WebMD, ads and hyperlinks can cause the user to get lost in a sea of information. Amazon, in my opinion, seems to do the very same thing. While personalization of Amazon’s homepage might be convenient in many instances, it also feeds into our deepest desires to purchase things. Your project had me wondering if Amazon’s webpage plays a role in our shopping behaviors. This was a very thought-provoking project!
Your project was very informative to read through. I have used amazon many times in the past and never paid attention to the design aspects that make the website as effective as it is. There are many lessons to be learned from amazon’s success. I was particularly intrigued by your focus on transparency, tangibility, trustworthiness, and helpfulness. I agree that these principles are essential for a great buying experience, but also I would argue they are essential in online communication. As digital authors, it is important for us to be transparent about the goals of our writing, give multiple ways for readers to navigate the text, be clear about our background and credentials, and make sure the format of our writing helps the reader understand the ideas.
I also found your section on amazon’s visual design to be relevant. I liked your use of the term “digital Brutalism.” When creating online, I am always tempted to make use of all the design tools available, adding images everywhere, coloring coating everything, bolding often, using many fonts, and changing text sizes. I agree with your point that “good design is not always beautiful.” As digital authors, we must try to balance the desire to make our work beautiful with the need to make it practical.
Interesting and relatable topic! As any college student, I also use Amazon to buy various commodities, but just like Matt and Sydney, I never paid much attention to the interface. I liked the way you broke down all the features of Amazon’s web design to discuss what works, what doesn’t, and how it contributes to a user’s attention. I thought the part when you mentioned how Amazon’s popularity eclipses its poor web design was interesting because I realized that I am unfazed by It as well. I go on the site with a purpose to buy what I’m looking for. Thus, a captivating web design is unnecessary since the site doesn’t need to focus on attracting users. Its functionality and constant development as a business already make it enticing enough for users to continue to return.
Thank you for doing a deep dive on an app/platform that has become an integral part of my life, but almost everybody’s at this point. I think it’s funny too because I remember years ago always hating Amazons web design. Before it turned into what it is now, I sometimes didn’t even use it for that reason. But somewhere along the lines that all changed and I’ve actually grown to really appreciate the simplicity of its design. Again, I thought this project was awesome in highlighting a lot of the moving factors within Amazon.
Amazon is a great topic to discuss because it’s used by so many people. Since I started college, Amazon has been even more useful because if I need something, instead of taking the bus or uber to the mall or Target, I could just order it from Amazon, and I would get what I need pretty quickly and easily. I never thought to pay attention to Amazon’s web design. After reading your project, I agree that Amazon’s website looks very simple and not extravagant. I think that it definitely helps Amazon become more successful because it focuses on it’s main functions, which is making sure customers can find what they are looking for and buy it. At the end of the day, as long as people can get what they need in a simple and efficient way, I guess it really doesn’t matter if the website is beautiful or not.
I really liked reading about your topic. In terms of formatting, I liked how you included hyperlinks to your sources. I was able to look through a couple. The only problem I had was the pictures hyperlinks weren’t working for me. It said that the url was invalid. Other than that, it was formatted nicely.
I also liked how you opened with statistics about the company. I am a prime member, but I did not realize how popular it was. I think that I use Amazon for its convenience. It is very easy to use because all you have to do is search for something. It results in hundreds of products, depending on what I am looking for. I think it’s understandable that people rated Amazon’s user experience highly. Like you said, it is very practical. I don’t think that it really needs to be anything other than practical because it is such a large company.
: I found your project really interesting, as the web design of Amazon is something that I took for granted. I was wondering what role the reviews play in the functionality of the site. I notice that in my own experience, I only pay attention to the reviews when I’m going to purchase a new item, and have no other information about the product. After reading your paper, the organization of the reviews is interesting to me, because of the way you can sort them, either by the top reviews, or the most recent. The standard form is the top review one, and the reason for this feels intentional. I was wondering if Amazon ever tested out alternative sorting methods of the reviews, and if they did, why they only settled on those two.
When you said that Amazon’s user experience hasn’t changed since 1994, I was pretty shocked. It feels like many companies have undergone modernization processes in order to keep up with the times; for instance, companies will change their logos, mottos, and website designs in an attempt to remain relevant. However, this lack of change really comes in handy when it comes to the fact that baby boomers and Gen-Xs have the best time on Amazon. For millennials or members of Gen-Z, Amazon is an attractive online option due to its convenience. I hope I’m not playing into stereotypes of either of those age groups, but we can be impatient; the fact that we can order something on Amazon and have it arrive at our desired destination within a two day period means that we’ll always come running back to Amazon, regardless of how we feel about their labor practices. However, for older members of society who might not be as impatient, it’s important to make the site as accessible as possible (especially for those who aren’t as internet savvy). I never realized how Amazon’s site design plays a role in making it a valid, attractive purchasing option across the ages, but that might just be because it’s something that I take for granted.
Hi Shan,
It was really interesting reading about Amazon and I really liked how you broke apart the text initially based on the three main principles and how you made sure to bold each of the principles so the reader’s eye goes directly to it. The use of hyperlinks was also effective throughout your piece since I had the ability to go to each of the articles you mentioned and learn more about the topic.
It was interesting to learn that the user experience on Amazon has not changed since 1994 and it is true, as you pointed out, that if it works, why change it and I feel that I can relate to this as whenever something changes on an app, it always confuses me and I have to take time out to relearn the system so I guess if the system that Amazon has right now works for them, it would be most effective to keep it that way.
Hi Shan,
Even though I am on the premed track, I’m incredibly fascinated with marketing and marketing tactics, particularly as to how it overlaps with the human psyche and Louise we are deceived and conned out of our money by psychological manipulation tactics.
I completely agree with the main principles you’ve listed, such as transparency, tangibility, trustworthiness, and helpfulness. I think Amazon has excelled in all of these methods, and I also think another aspect that comes to mind is how useful the website is and how easy it is to navigate, which is also another point you bring up. Many companies get too caught up in the sleekness of their design, which takes away from the quality of the website’s user interface. Take, for instance, Stony Brook’s DegreeWorks. Degreeworks, I thought, was SBU’s best student website in terms of its functionality. It was not very prone to glitches, and would tell me everything I needed in order to fulfill my degree, outright and simple. It was always super easy to understand, despite not being the best looker in town. recently, they updated it, and provided it with a new sleek modern look — but this was accompanied by an array of errors, glitches, and flaws in every nook and cranny of the new update. And so, the flock of students could do nothing but look at how beautiful the new website had become, but how horrible it truly was. I think Amazon has really done a number on other companies that choose to focus on the modernity of their website rather than what their customers really want to see.
I also like that, throughout the paper, you focus a lot on exactly that – what customers desire from these corporations and what will make the most likely to come back, giving them “exactly what they’re looking for”.
It’s crazy to think about how much design goes into each button on any given website. For a giant like Amazon, I expect the same but tenfold. There are people who have full time jobs and careers and the only thing they’ve done is designing user interfaces for Amazon. You said it best “If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.” Amazon is quite literally the largest company in the world, it’s easy to point out what they’re doing wrong, but if they’re doing better than everyone else, are they really doing anything wrong? Amazon is the leading company in e-commerce; they’re the innovators and the ones who make the rules of what constitutes “good design”
I think your essay was brilliantly written. I’m finding out a lot of interesting things throughout the process of writing and reading about all these projects and yours is no different. I’d love to know how you found out about this topic and what got you originally interested in it.
Hey Shan,
It was great to see the beginning of your project turn into such a thoughtful paper! I never really paid that much attention to the overall design of Amazon but now that you point it out, it is very impressive that Amazon has built a huge platform based on ease of use and functionality. Typically, whenever I shop on online stores, their websites are always aesthetically pleasing with minimalistic backgrounds. However, even then, I still find myself shopping on Amazon a lot more compared to these stores.
Amazon has many great features that make the shopping experience easy and smooth. One of my favorite aspects of Amazon is that when you type in what you’re looking for in the search bar, Amazon labels some products as “Amazon’s choice” or includes the ratings for each product. I utilize this setting a lot because it provides background on whether or not I’m purchasing something from a trustworthy company. Similarly, when you want to take a closer look at the product, Amazon offers a feature where you can click on the company’s past ratings on shipping and quality. Typically I don’t usually buy from companies that have a rating below 95% and it’s made my online shopping much more convenient.
Overall, I thought your paper was well written and enjoyed how straightforward you presented your information.
I was intrigued by your mention of Amazon’s personalized ads. You mention that Amazon tailors its homepage to the user’s search interactions, including recent browsing history and personalized recommendations. This part of your paper immediately had me thinking about our class discussion with Richard Miller, and the role of privacy in the digital age. While I agree with your argument that the personalized homepage can make the user’s experience much more enjoyable, I still question if we are sacrificing our privacy each time we make a purchase. I am interested in hearing your thoughts on this. Are there ethical concerns with Amazon’s personalized homepages and ads?
I found many connections between your paper and the themes we have discussed throughout the semester. Marlene’s presentation today on the rabbit hole of WebMD is a perfect example. On WebMD, ads and hyperlinks can cause the user to get lost in a sea of information. Amazon, in my opinion, seems to do the very same thing. While personalization of Amazon’s homepage might be convenient in many instances, it also feeds into our deepest desires to purchase things. Your project had me wondering if Amazon’s webpage plays a role in our shopping behaviors. This was a very thought-provoking project!
Hi Shan,
Your project was very informative to read through. I have used amazon many times in the past and never paid attention to the design aspects that make the website as effective as it is. There are many lessons to be learned from amazon’s success. I was particularly intrigued by your focus on transparency, tangibility, trustworthiness, and helpfulness. I agree that these principles are essential for a great buying experience, but also I would argue they are essential in online communication. As digital authors, it is important for us to be transparent about the goals of our writing, give multiple ways for readers to navigate the text, be clear about our background and credentials, and make sure the format of our writing helps the reader understand the ideas.
I also found your section on amazon’s visual design to be relevant. I liked your use of the term “digital Brutalism.” When creating online, I am always tempted to make use of all the design tools available, adding images everywhere, coloring coating everything, bolding often, using many fonts, and changing text sizes. I agree with your point that “good design is not always beautiful.” As digital authors, we must try to balance the desire to make our work beautiful with the need to make it practical.
Interesting and relatable topic! As any college student, I also use Amazon to buy various commodities, but just like Matt and Sydney, I never paid much attention to the interface. I liked the way you broke down all the features of Amazon’s web design to discuss what works, what doesn’t, and how it contributes to a user’s attention. I thought the part when you mentioned how Amazon’s popularity eclipses its poor web design was interesting because I realized that I am unfazed by It as well. I go on the site with a purpose to buy what I’m looking for. Thus, a captivating web design is unnecessary since the site doesn’t need to focus on attracting users. Its functionality and constant development as a business already make it enticing enough for users to continue to return.
Hey Shan,
Thank you for doing a deep dive on an app/platform that has become an integral part of my life, but almost everybody’s at this point. I think it’s funny too because I remember years ago always hating Amazons web design. Before it turned into what it is now, I sometimes didn’t even use it for that reason. But somewhere along the lines that all changed and I’ve actually grown to really appreciate the simplicity of its design. Again, I thought this project was awesome in highlighting a lot of the moving factors within Amazon.
Amazon is a great topic to discuss because it’s used by so many people. Since I started college, Amazon has been even more useful because if I need something, instead of taking the bus or uber to the mall or Target, I could just order it from Amazon, and I would get what I need pretty quickly and easily. I never thought to pay attention to Amazon’s web design. After reading your project, I agree that Amazon’s website looks very simple and not extravagant. I think that it definitely helps Amazon become more successful because it focuses on it’s main functions, which is making sure customers can find what they are looking for and buy it. At the end of the day, as long as people can get what they need in a simple and efficient way, I guess it really doesn’t matter if the website is beautiful or not.
I really liked reading about your topic. In terms of formatting, I liked how you included hyperlinks to your sources. I was able to look through a couple. The only problem I had was the pictures hyperlinks weren’t working for me. It said that the url was invalid. Other than that, it was formatted nicely.
I also liked how you opened with statistics about the company. I am a prime member, but I did not realize how popular it was. I think that I use Amazon for its convenience. It is very easy to use because all you have to do is search for something. It results in hundreds of products, depending on what I am looking for. I think it’s understandable that people rated Amazon’s user experience highly. Like you said, it is very practical. I don’t think that it really needs to be anything other than practical because it is such a large company.
Overall, I enjoyed reading your project.
Shan,
: I found your project really interesting, as the web design of Amazon is something that I took for granted. I was wondering what role the reviews play in the functionality of the site. I notice that in my own experience, I only pay attention to the reviews when I’m going to purchase a new item, and have no other information about the product. After reading your paper, the organization of the reviews is interesting to me, because of the way you can sort them, either by the top reviews, or the most recent. The standard form is the top review one, and the reason for this feels intentional. I was wondering if Amazon ever tested out alternative sorting methods of the reviews, and if they did, why they only settled on those two.
When you said that Amazon’s user experience hasn’t changed since 1994, I was pretty shocked. It feels like many companies have undergone modernization processes in order to keep up with the times; for instance, companies will change their logos, mottos, and website designs in an attempt to remain relevant. However, this lack of change really comes in handy when it comes to the fact that baby boomers and Gen-Xs have the best time on Amazon. For millennials or members of Gen-Z, Amazon is an attractive online option due to its convenience. I hope I’m not playing into stereotypes of either of those age groups, but we can be impatient; the fact that we can order something on Amazon and have it arrive at our desired destination within a two day period means that we’ll always come running back to Amazon, regardless of how we feel about their labor practices. However, for older members of society who might not be as impatient, it’s important to make the site as accessible as possible (especially for those who aren’t as internet savvy). I never realized how Amazon’s site design plays a role in making it a valid, attractive purchasing option across the ages, but that might just be because it’s something that I take for granted.