Theme 1: Real Design
This theme would work well as the theme for my finals Ux portfolio due to its design and layout. RealDesign follows somewhat of F pattern to guide viewers eyes to the information the site is displaying. The theme has a relatively simple format, which is easy for users to navigate and understand without assistance. Users would be able to easily find restaurants and other ammenities quite easily through this theme. It does however lack a certain flare that would catch a users attention. Its straight forward layout could actually deter users who are look for something more attention grabbing.
Theme 2: Gateway
This theme however is extremely ascetically pleasing to the viewer and can be made to be more personalized for the site. The layout would fit the website better and seems more of a site that would be used to find restaurants in the downtown area. Users are able to easily use and navigate the home screen to find whatever they may be looking for on the site. This site would also be attention grabbing to those who would visit it and would retain more users rather than them moving on solely based on the appearance of the site. Its menu bars and hierarchy of information are digestible for the users and will help to guide them to the information of the downtown Harrisonburg area.
Theme 3: Pxt Business
Pxt Business is a more business oriented layout which would work well for a downtown Harrisonburg informational website. This theme seems to have aspects of the F pattern, along the top on the navigation bar on the right side of the theme. This layout is perfect for businesses looking to inform their audience about what they do and what they can provide to the user. The user would easily be able to navigate this layout, but again this layout naturally lacks a factor that would grab the user attention. however by customizing the theme, it could be made to be more eye catching for the purpose of the website.
Theme 4: Twenty Twenty
Twenty Twenty has a great design for the downtown Harrisonburg site. The theme follows a Z pattern that guides the reader through all of the content and information. This theme seems more oriented towards the type of website I am building. The spacing of content and the navigation would work well with the required aspects of the site. By customizing and personalizing the theme, it will be the best option moving forward for the site.
Theme 5: Twenty Sixteen
The Twenty Sixteen theme seems to be more oriented towards a blog based website. This theme also follows the Z pattern which is probably the best format for the site. However this theme like some of the others again lacks the attention grabbing factor. Besides what you add to this, the overall theme is naturally bland and straightforward. In order to maximize user retention, the theme should be one that stands out more than the other themes and competitors as well.
TOP 3 THEME CHOICES:
- Twenty Twenty
- This theme seems the be the best oriented towards the site I am building and will help compliment the features on the site nicely.
- Gateway
- Pxt Business