About

This website was built with the intent of getting the brand of Uncle Mike's Retro Games out to a further reaching audience. This website achieves this goal by giving a wider audience the ability to see what inventory Mike has on hand and what services the shop offers. The largest steps that were taken into account when designing the weebsite were the services and inventory that Mike offers. Also, any images and animations that were used on the website had to fit in with the theme of the shop, retro gaming. This was the major determining factor in the design of each page.

Specific design choices were made with the end user in mind. The website would need to present the content in a way that both current generation users and users from the past would recognize the characters and let the images stand out and speak for themselves. Mario and the coin block in the corner of every page was placed there to give the links a little bit of pop. The Zelda background was used to give the website somwe varying color and a background that is easy on the eyes while being eye-catching. Sans-serif fonts were used so that the text is easy to read, and both the background and text colors were used to ensure that the text would be readable acxross the website. These considerations were made with the end user in mind, recognizable characters would draw the user's eyes around the page to the various sections of the website as they were needed. Making links that were very clear in where they go ensures that the user has an easy time naviagting around the website. Text was written in a way that allows the user to read the text that is presented without feeling obtrusive.

On the home page specifically, the video that is used give the users ideas for possible purchases. The animated gif on the top was used as an attention grabber. Typography remains consistent across each page to ensure that the website maintains a consistent flow from page to page. The links are color-coded so that the user can see what they are hovering over and pages they have been to in the past while browsing the site. All the pages styled in a way that attempts to minimize empty space while presenting the content in a readable fashion.

The main inventory page uses the same styling choices, while using images for the consoles to grab the attention of the user and seem professional and have a retro look. Within each individual page, tables and images are used for the games to ensure the user sees the exact game that is in inventory to ensure it matches the one they are looking for. These pages allow access to the main pages of the website, and the system inventories are accessed through each individual system image. This was done to ensure the system images fulfill their purpose, while allowing the user to navigate around the site as needed. All of these considerations were made with the thoughts of the end user in mind.

The sell to us page is styled with the same styling as the other pages to keep things consistent. Also, the images and tables are used as attention grabbers and ensure that the user gets a clear picture of what each item is going to be worth for them. The console images are sized in a way to ensure that they dont feel stretched while not taking up too much real estate on the page at the same time. All main body text, images and tables are centered to ensure that there is a consistent flow to the information across each page. The end user was kept in mind during this process, so that the information flows cleanly from page to page.

The contact page has very little information, so images were used as attention grabbers to draw the eye to the important elements on the page. The user has the ability to enter their information for Mike to contact them when he can to answer their question, at a time that is convinent for both the end user and Mike himself. The animated coin block is used as the submit button to give the page some pop and ensure that the user does not feel the page is bland. All of these website elements are used to ensure that navigation is kept easy for the end user while attempting to ensure that they do not get bored while browsing.

On the about page, the user is presented with defense and justification for the design choices on the website with the same consistent formatting that flows from one page to the next. This page is laid out to ensure that the text is legible for the user, while remaining informative. The animated ring gif is used to ensure that the user is given an eye-catching element right at the beginning of the page.

In the future, I would plan to keep the website updated as inventory changes for the store over time. With more time, I would have brought in some Javascript and JQuery code to allow the inventory pages to end up being part of the main inventory page, instead of seperate pages all together. Also with more time, more retro styling elements would have been included such as a star that would bounce across the background of the pages to bring some more eye catching quality to the website. More time would have been taken with the tables to ensure that the images are completely consistent frtom table to table. As Mike's shop wouls expand, the pages would expand, such as repair services and the ability to ship games both and consoles both from the shop to the user and back. Content wise, images would vary across the webpages to ensure that every page has its own distinct feel, while maintaining an overall theme of retro gaming.

Thank you for taking the time to visit my website, and have a great rest of your day.