Website Design Project

My goal in creating this website was to bring my uncle's creation to the world. Uncle Joe designs and creates custom wood furniture. He has signature heirloom pieces, but will work with customers to create their own dream pieces. Uncle Joe needs a website to reach a larger audience. People who are looking for unique furniture, to complete a look, room, or whole house, will be interested in what Uncle Joe has to offer. He has the ability to ship furniture all over the world, which allows potential customers a way to get their dream pieces with no worries about getting the item(s) home. Uncle Joe also offers registry and gift certificates for those who may be hard to buy for. Uncle Joe will be targeting people who are looking to enrich their lives through beautiful furniture. The most likely customers are new home owners, newlyweds, parents-to-be, or empty nesters looking to upgrade their lifestyles. The ideal scenario is that every visitor would place an order from the website, but that is not a realistic expectation. In addition to allowing orders to be placed, the site will also allow the visitor to schedule a visit to the showroom and meet with Joe to design the perfect piece. The potential customer will also be able to design their piece in on-line collaboration with Uncle Joe. Since the furniture can be shipped all over the worlds, geography is not really a consideration.

I used the hierarchal structure for my website. I think this is the best structure because customers can easily browse to the different pages to answer any questions and assist in their design.

Home Page – This page will be the introduction to Uncle Joe’s company. Links to the rest of the pages will be included on this page as well as the style of the site using CSS. The logo will be front and center in the header. There will also be a footer.

About Us Page – This page will be used to tell Uncle Joe’s story. It allows the customer to feel a connection to Uncle Joe and know something about his business as well as his family.

Contact Us Page – This page will tell customers how they can reach us. Customers can use our website, the phone, email, or visit us in our showroom. Directions will be provided via a phone call or email. Products Page – This page will outline our product line. There will also be information on how to handle special requests.

Finishes Page – This page will showcase our finish colors and sheen. There will also be information on special requests.

Order Page – This page will be an order form with check boxes to allow the customer to select the items they want as well as specify the color. Shipping information will be include on this page. There will also be an option to purchase a gift certificate so that our products can be gifted, while allowing the recipient the ability to select the item and finish they like. There will also be an option to receive order status emails if desired.

References page - This page contains the references of sites I visited and resources used in the creation of this site.

I wanted the site to be pleasing to the eye and have a relaxed feel. Your furniture should bring you comfort and I think that the color scheme that I have chosen is soothing as well as easy to navigate. There is some verbiage, but for the most part the highlight is on our products and how we can assist the customer.

Some future improvements to this site are to: add background texturing, add written directions as well as add a link to a map to our showroom, and add features for upholstry work incorporated into Uncle Joe's creations. I may eventually add music, but am not sure if I want that or not.