Alcoa.com Proposal

A Website Redesign

(Note: I am not affiliated with or associated with Alcoa Inc.)

Alcoa is one of the world’s largest producers of aluminum. Alcoa’s aluminum can be found practically anywhere from the Samsung Galaxy S6 to the Ford F150. Today alcoa.com is non-responsive/non-mobile friendly and has numerous usability shortcomings. The innovation that Alcoa represents is not effectively reflected in its website. A modern website overhaul could enhance Alcoa’s online experience. This exercise provides a glimpse into my design process.

Responsibilities: Wireframe, Research, and Heuristic Evaluation

Tools: Lucidchart

Current Alcoa.com Website

Alcoa.com has not been significantly updated in nearly a decade (archive.org). A modern website provides Alcoa a competitive advantage against its rivals such as Norsk Hydro, Aluminum Corporation of China Limited, and Rio Tinto by providing better self-service.

Alcoa.com – Current Homepage

Heuristic Evaluation

I performed a brief heuristic evaluation of the alcoa.com homepage, navigation menu, and footer. A heuristic evaluation is a systematic inspection of a user-interface design regarding usability issues, as well as usefulness and appeal, according to pre-established categories of issues and criteria. The objective of a heuristic evaluation is to find usability issues in the design so that they can be resolved as part of an iterative user-centered design process.

Example of a Heuristic Evaluation

Proposed Changes

Redesigned Navigation Menu

Redesigned Footer

Redesigned Homepage

Next Steps and Conclusion

Data-driven UX methodologies such as usability tests and surveys help to assess usability and gather user feedback. A comprehensive user-centered design approach solves usability problems and creates a user friendly experience.

My proposal neither takes into account time or budget constraints nor does it account for client requirements. While one client might budget for usability tests and participatory design sessions, another client might only want a simple website redesign. In conclusion, future methodologies might include a competitive analysis or a contextual inquiry.

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