Insight ofComparison and Evaluation of 5 websites

Scarlet James

Interactive communication design

For those with busy lifestyles and various working hours, who would like to

communicate and access information on the web via the internet rather than the TV, Are now able to watch their favourite shows from Major broadcasters ‘On demand’ who have created online applications to allow their customers to do exactly that. Watch TV on demand. This have been an essential change for broadcasters to move forward with technology.

The category chosen...

BBC iplayer released in 2007 after a Trial 2005

ITVPlayer Released in 2008 when It was rebranded from ITV catch-up

4od Released initially in 2006 but was fully available to Windows, Mac and Linux users in 2009.

Demand 5 Previously released under the name ‘Five download’ in 2008

Skygo Launched in 2006 and previously known as Sky player and skyanytime.

The 5 websites- Online television services

BBC iplayerLogo: recognisable logo with the i also resembles a play button

Most popular section which allows the user to view the most popular videos at that current time.

Channel list- Allows the service user to find their favourite show they have missed with ease if they know which BBC channel it was shown on. Or alternatively a way of flicking through programme listings to find something entertaining. The tab next to BBC TV channels is access to television programmes from other Broadcasters which is a great feature which I have not seen on competitors websites.

A-Z of TV programmes allows you to search the required show with ease ,when you know exactly what you are looking for. Great if you would like to catch up on multiple episodes of a single programme.

Scrolling navigation- Making navigation more easy for the user without having to wait for the page to reload to see more of the Television guide

Pro’s: Simple and easy layout with subheadings and categories to fly

through the website with ease Accessible on various platforms and devices from Nintendo wii to the

ipad. Consistency in style throughout this application but also within all

areas of the BBC website’s, which seem to have a seamless palette style with the top banner remaining in the same layout but vary in colour on certain pages.

The colour palette consisting of shades of dark grey, white and pink makes certain features stand out because of the contrast in colour. Such as the pink logo with the black background, or the bar at the bottom of the video playing which shows how long of the video you have left.

Being able to watch ‘On demand’ programmes from other external broadcasters in one place, allowing the user to search easy through their favourite shows without having to load various websites.

Being able to download programmes onto your computer with the BBC iplayer desktop which uses adobe air for it to work, which some may see as a con, as it means downloading more software but depends on whether you have plenty of hard drive space or not.

Con’s The BBC should of added a feature like on such as the ITV player

which allows you to flick through camera shots from different programmes which gives a image to the name of the programme rather than just text. Which I feel that visual images can make it more easy for some people who may not be a great reader or just find it easier to navigate through images and text.

( Below is ITV’s Scrolling feature)

BBC iplayer

ITVplayerLogo: Uses the ITV logo but in a shape of a play button which is in the similar style of the BBC iplayer. Also the banner along the top is consistent with the other ITV websites pages means that the website is easy to navigate through.

Ease of flicking through the latest shows not to miss, with reasonable size images of each show to make it easier for their users to find the programme they would like.

Ease of scrolling through most watched shows without having to wait for another webpage to load. Makes it more effortless for the user to find programmes that they would like to watch.

Quick loading section which allows you to search programme by channel but also by day.

ITVplayerPro’s: Simple and easy layout with subheadings and

categories to navigate through the website with ease. Accessible on other platforms such as the mobile

phone whether its a mobile app or on the full website if you have a smart phone.

The colour palette consisting of shades of dark grey, white and blue makes certain features stand out because of the contrast in colour.

Scrolling navigation throughout when hovering the cursor over certain areas of the website rather than having to click and hold to scroll.

Con’s: Similarity in the BBC website’s colour pallet. The grey

scale background is uncanny and only one mild difference which is the alternative colour to the iplayers pink being the blue. I think to make this website stand out from its opponents should of been a lighter coloured palette.

Need of plug-ins such as Adobe Flash Adverts within the TV replays, which can get annoying

if you would like to catch up with a programme quickly.

4oDLogo: Situated in the top left hand corner just like the ITV player and BBC iplayer. But channel 4 have a different style of Logo, by having the o the centre of the letter D representing oD ( On demand)

The use of colours on this website is different to other online TV websites due to having a more traditional white background which gives the websites a fresh and clean look. It also makes it easy to distinguish it from the other sites because of its different style colour palette by using fresh and cold tones such as Blue, a dark blue instead of a darker palette which gives some of the other websites a more cinematic feel.

Animated feature which allows the user to preview images from shows in different categories from Popular programmes to genres without having to scroll manually. I think this feature allows the user to come across programmes that they might not of necessarily searched for

4odPro’s: Simple and easy layout with subheadings and categories to

navigate through the website with ease. Accessible on other platforms such as the mobile phone,

the ipad and Playstation 3 console Scrolling navigation throughout when hovering the cursor

over certain areas of the website rather than having to click and hold to scroll.

Con’s: The colour palette consisting of shades of dark grey, white

and blue I feel doesn't contrast so well in comparison to other websites which have used a similar colour palette. I feel this is because the text is not as bold but also because the contrast in the white background with the light blue text doesn't make its content as noticeable or as easy to read compare to others.

Not as available on as many platforms as other sites such as the iplayer.

Unlike its competitors it does not have a section on its home page for programme choice, which I feel is a key needed feature in searching a programme you would like to watch with no difficulty

Unable to pause and rewind the video clips due to no time line along the bottom of the video and long winded advertisements.

Demand 5 To achieve a full webpage screen shot I had to use the zoom in zoom out feature on my browser. As you can see when changing the size some text has been cut short, which I feel is an issue for those who may not have fantastic eye sight and my wish to zoom in on the website.

Colour palette reminds me of the BBCiplayer in many ways because of its use of black, white and pink in their logo. Pink appears to be a growing trend with it being used as a alternative colour to white, to contrast with the darker backgrounds. This website has also introduced purple in the background of its features which I think balances out the use of dark out very well, but also a great colour for contrasting text with white as It makes the text stand out more without looking brash.

‘Recently on Tv’ allows someone who may of missed their favourite show in the past day quickly without having to browse through categories to find what they are searching for.

Category search bar which allows the user to search programmes by genre.

Demand 5Pro’s: Simple and easy layout with subheadings and

categories to navigate through the website with ease. Accessible on other platforms such as the mobile

phone’s (No App as from what I can see for android smart phones but if you are a iphone or ipad user there is application) Samsung smart TV’s ,BT vision box and soon to be released this year is the Xbox 360 application.

Scrolling navigation which when you hover the cursor over the more arrow > the navigation bar scrolls without click and drag of the mouse.

The ability to embed Demand5 features on social networking site Facebook, which is a great form of advertising and promoting the Demand5 services.

Con’s: Not as available on as many platforms compared to

such as the ITV player and BBCiplayer. When using the Demand5 online guide which allows

you to catch up on programmes from the last 7 days but no further but instead gives a description on the content of the line-up.

Skygo Simplistic logo design. White text on a bold blue background which is a very different colour palette to other websites with flat colours rather than a gradient of a particular colour. The website has a refreshing a simplistic house style which means that the design isn't talking any attention away from the information which I think websites with a darker colour theme can do.

Images of the top shows available with Sky at that moment in time.

If you are a sky customer you have the ability to watch live television from each of the sky channels which is a great feature if a television is not available.

Screen shots and program description of programmes which are accessible on demand whether it is a film or a show.

SkygoPro’s: Simple and easy layout with categories to navigate

through the website but also top shows at that moment in time.

Accessibility to live Tv as well and films and much more if you are a sky customer.

Interactive navigation who what when you hover the cursor over an area of the website it will scroll without having to use a scroll bar.

Links to external broadcasters, when searching the news there are screen shots to BBC news which when you click to look further links you to BBCiplayer

video. Consistent layout with the navigation and search bar in

the same location making it easier to access content of the site.

Con’s: Does not apply to a wide audience like the other website

as the service is only available to sky customers, which is understandable as you have to pay for their services. But such as sky news which is available on a free sat or free view box, is not accessible unless you are a sky customer.

Not as available on as many platforms as other sites

BBC iplayer I think that the BBC iplayer deserves a 5 star rating because....• The visual design is very different to other ‘On demand’ websites, which most use a white, Blue and grey colour palette which doesn't distinguish them from one another. In comparison the Pink, white and grey palette used on the BBC I think defines the brand, as the colour palette separates its self more so than the other sites, which I feel makes this site more remember able. •Various platforms that the application can be run on. Meaning that the service user can access the BBC services not just on their computers, but on their smart phone using full size html pages or through mobile and pc apps, ipad, Games consoles and Digital TV box’s •The application puts all the BBC television programmes along side their radio programmes so that their users to access online media provided by them in one place. •Every programme that I have tried to access on this application has run effortlessly in comparison to other ‘On Demand’ provider's ,As I have tried to watch certain episodes of a TV series where the video has not been available for some reason.

ITV Player I think that the ITVPlayer deserves a 4 star rating because....•The platforms that the website is available on greater than other on demand websites such as skygo, 4od and Demand 5 but not as available as the BBC iplayer. I think accessibility is important these days for such as these services to be available on various different gadgets as it allows people to access media easier on the go.•The application puts all the ITV television programmes along side each other allowing their customers to view the ITV programmes they like effortlessly.•The layout and house style makes it easy to navigate round the website and is appealing to the eye with its image rich style and great use of bold and contrasting text.

4oD I think that the 4oD deserves a 3 star rating because....•Although the player is easily accessible on a computer, For someone such as myself who likes to use technology on the go with the help of mobile phones to access the media for news updates or a TV programme, this website is not a good as some others which have availability on various gadgets.•The layout and house style uses of the same typography and colour scheme throughout. But I do not think the over all look of the website is as appealing because nothing has really caught my eye in comparison to the websites which use more contrasting predominant colour scheme.

Demand 5 I think that the Demand5 website deserves a 3 star rating because....•I feel that the visual standard of design is just as appealing to the BBC iplayer as it contrasts the text and images using vivid use of colour but also has a dark edgy feel to it ,Which I think defines it as a TV on demand a more cinematic feel in comparison to most websites. which use a more traditional white and black colour scheme. •The website does not have as much online video content as some of the other ‘On Demand’ websites with videos that I have wanted to watch have not available to watch on demand, but a explanation of the episode. Which is quite disappointing.

SkygoI have given Skygo a 2 star rating because....•I feel that the website is muddled and hard to follow, I am unsure whether that's because I'm not a heavy user of this website or for the reason that the categories and layout are hard to follow. I much preferred the layout of the other sites more so than this one, becuase all the categories where available to you right there on the home screen, making browsing a effortless task.•Such as the News I think should be available online to anyone. As sky news is available for free on a digital box so why not online. •I also think that this website has a more professional feel, for the more mature user. For example the house style and layout of iplayer and ITVplayer is more accessible and easy to use with their various categories from timeline of days shown, channels and most popular. Making it more appealing to a wider audience from teen’s to adults.

I am going to look at the key points that I have mentioned in my presentation and write a structured essay comparing the 5 websites , to come to a conclusion of which of the websites are best for the service user and why. I have given a 5 star rating in my presentation for the chosen websites to give a idea of my thoughts, but I will be writing in more depth why I have given these ratings.

The key point I shall be talking into consideration are: Similarities and differences in style and layout The interactivity for the service user, Does the websites use interactive features that allow the user

to access and move through the website with ease. Such as: Cursor motion censored menus, which allow you to flick through pages as if it was a book. Slide shows of available content. Social networking links to share content and possibly comment on features within the site and much

more.

Use of imagery and text. How it attracts their audience, Similarities and differences in style What could be improved about the online services layout and General style of each website. Platforms: where is the website available ? Is the websites are easier to navigate through in

particular format or platform? If it is available on various different platforms, which one works better on a certain device? also why?

Evaluation