Thursday, June 11, 2015

Paleoista & The Principles of an AWESOME Blog

I am obsessed with Nell Stephenson and her
beautifully established blog.

Nell presents:
Informational Blog Posts
Recipes
Paleo Food Delivery
Workout & Nutrition Plans
Media and Press releases
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Method Behind the Motive
Regardless of the well-written content, Nell has done an
exceptional job constructing and designing her blog.
In the world of web design, your website should
contain some, if not all, the principles of conversion-centered design
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


PRINCIPLES IN A NUT SHELL
( & how Nell applied them to Paleoista)
1. Encapsulation
use of dynamic shapes to highlight
points of interest
Ex: On the landing page of Paleoista, is a large rectangular banner much larger
in size compared to the other shapes included in the upper-fold.
 She uses this banner to highlight new posts and focal areas she finds
 most important (such as the new Paleoista app)
2. Contrast & Color
use of color to create emotional responses
and highlighting to target main ideas
Ex: The website generally uses greys and neutral tones to
color and contrast the content and images. However, Nell implements lime
green accents to draw the viewers eye to active links and interactive buttons
3. Directional Cue
 use of arrows and pathways to visually
indicate focal areas
Ex: This principal is not as apparent as the others. She chose to make her profile picture a circle shape in contrast to the rectangular images which seems to be catching my eye continuously. I believe the use contrasting lime green on grey seems to make up for the lack of "arrows and pathways"
4. White Space
 use of "breathing room" for page elements to
remain focal points amongst emptiness
Ex: The main landing page includes an oversized banner, followed by images, subtitles, and descriptions of each blog post. She uses different sized fonts to create separation and emptiness. If this white space was not used, the landing page would look very cluttered and over-crowded with words.
5. Urgency & Scarcity
use of catchy urgency phrases such as
"BUY NOW!" or "DONT MISS OUT!"
Ex: With the promotion of her new app, Paleo food delivery, and downloadable nutrition  counseling, I expected there to be much more use of the urgency and scarcity one-liners. There is one focal area above her profile picture that is targeted with a Lime Green button that says "Paleo Meal Plans BUY." Since this is not a website solely created to sell items, I appreciate the laidback promoting.
 6.Try Before You Buy
Open and/or Try the product before you purchase
such as Amazon's "Look Inside"
Ex: This is a principle I think Nell could really benefit from. She offers services such as 6week meal plans, workout plans, pregnancy plans and baskets such as the necessities, special occasions, and on the go. Many of us are skeptical of new foods and ideas, not knowing if we're going to 100% believe in the plan or 100% love the product. In this case, some type of "first time client" or "first week free" type of deal would open the door just enough so the consumer can get a sneak peek at the full product.
7. Social Proof
Showing # of Shares/Visits, Followers,
Site Statistics, and Proven Appearances
Ex: Nell is a rock star in this category, she even has a tab geared toward
this principle. The "Media/Press" tab includes her TWO-TIME featured Dr.Oz episodes, personal recipes published on Oprah's blog, news and magazine features, and interviews/podcasts
ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR NELL!
Please don't forget to check out her site and all it has to offer,
you won't regret it!

No comments:

Post a Comment