The Art of Simple Websites

Websites can vary from extremely complex to dull and simple. However, websites have the pressure of having to be user friendly to a greater audience. The most popular websites being informational and networking have to be complex with their elements, yet simple with their designs to create appropriate navigation for their audience. For example, Facebook in the past used to be specifically for college students but now are reaching an older audience. Also, popular sites like YouTube, Bing, and Google are very simple and straightforward. Each site does not overly design and concentrates more on the information and the elements, rather than the design.

YouTube specifically is very simple to navigate because it is mostly run through its search box. Also, they usually have advertisements playing and featured videos they recommend. I do not find it very complex and it is a simple design with the basic blue links and their one logo. Also, there are only four links: sign in, search, browse, or upload.

Similarly, Bing has the simple links, but has a little improvement with design. Like in the reading, Bing has the “F” shaped navigation for the user to simply use with convenience. Also, when you search a keyword, the links are in the traditional blue link tone as well.

I find it interesting that just like print, the most important aspect is usability, legibility, and navigation. It is most important to have a easy to use website that will appeal to the audience rather than having it overly designed and difficult to navigate. For my website, I want my parents to be able to navigate it or someone with less technological experience rather than someone from my generation.

The Art of Remediation

Immediacy

“Immediacy is the perfection, or erasure, of the gap between signifier and signified, such that a representation is perceived to be the thing itself.” In general, film is a direct representation of immediacy. A movie takes a story concept and creates a parallel world to portray it in a realistic manner. Actors pretending to be someone they are not, sets pretending to be the real thing, and cameras pretending to be your eye. Film enables you to be immersed in a fantasy that you are not actually in. An example of immediacy is the three dimensional movies and IMAX. Three-dimensional moviessuch as Toy Story 3 and Inception are literally popping out at the audience, creating depth and perspective. Likewise, IMAX movies completely engage the audience with an unbelievably large screen.

Hypermediacy

Hypermediacy is a "style of visual representation whose goal is to remind the viewer of the medium.” Video games are a direct link into a fantasy world. Most video games allow you

to view the game through the first person. For example, Mario Kart is a fun, energetic game that is strictly enjoyable. However, there are different modes the player can view such as first person, third person, or birds eye view. It is rather interesting viewing the game. People enter the world of video games to take on the role of an imaginary person, to escape reality and immerse yourself into the world of a video game.

Remediation

There are countless examples of remediation in our technologically savvy generation. Movies becoming books, books becoming movies, novels becoming video games, and so on. However, you can now access movies through your video game device. N

etflix, a company based on renting movies, has teamed up with the Xbox, Playstation 3, and the Wii to access movies through your video game console.It is a combination of film and video games and how to access them through the same control. It is very convenient and simple.