VIDEOS

INFLUENCES

POPULAR SITES

POPULAR SOCIAL NETWORKING WEBSITES

Facebook, Bahu 

16-24 YEAR OLDS

Questions from the below questionnaire were asked to teenagers and young adults of the above age group:

1. What are your favorite "hanging out places" on weekdays and on a weekend?
   
2. Name 1-3 of your favorite music artists, TV programs, retail stores, reading materials (i.e. books, newspapers, magazines), websites you visit most often.
   
3. Are you involved in environmentally friendly activities (i.e. recycling, etc.)
   
4. When and where do you usually listen to music?
   
5. Do you buy music/video on-line?
   
6. Are you a member of a social networking website? If yes, which one?
   
7. Do you shop on-line? If yes, do you prefer it from a traditional visit to a retail store?
   
8. Do you watch TV/video on-line?
   
9. In your opinion, what makes a good website?

Basic information about the internet habits and lifestyle of the specific age group (deriving from the research):

Most of them enjoy "hanging out" in coffee shops and bars (if over 21) and shopping malls on the weekends. There is a variety of music taste, mainly ranging from pop and rock, to hip-hop, and even folk. Music is heard mainly "on the go" (street, subway etc.). Sitcoms like "Lost", "House", "Lipstick Jungle", "Dexter" and "Family Guy" were popular, while in terms of fashion the young generation is not keen on spending a lot of money, but style and fashion plays an important role in their everyday lives. The style preferred is generally casual and urban, with hints of vintage and glamorous at times. (Stores like Urban Outfitters, ZARA, H&M, Strawberry, Lucky and Abercrombie, were mentioned). Bookstores were popular as well. Magazines like Jane, Nylon, People and New York Magazine, and Village Voice were mentioned. The younger generation enjoys the urban lifestyle. Everyone asked uses the Internet everyday for at least an hour. All of the people asked, are members of Facebook. News websites were popular, as well as music downloading ones, YouTube, Amazon, the Onion, Adult Swim and MySpace. Everyone shops on-line once in while, but prefers the old fashioned retail store. Everyone recycles or tries to do so! Finally in terms of the ideal website, background sound and long animations are not popular, while sound effects here and there are! The ideal site has to have interesting, but not overpowering visuals. It has to be minimal and user friendly, in terms of information and navigation. It has to be interactive; on-line shopping from a site are welcome. It has to resemble an everyday experience. 

(From a simple research on the streets of New York)

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• "Young People are a highly amorphous, fragmented group of individuals. They are a varied group who are changing rapidly between the ages of 16 to 24. At this phase in life there are enormous differences between genders, ages and life-stages. 
  
• The Young consume their media very differently to the rest of the population. Entertainment is important for them, factual content less so. 
  
• The Young often relate best to media that is relevant to them. Media is one of the most powerful guides on what to do and how to feel. They actively look to their media to get clues on how to live their lives (though hopefully not from Big Brother!) 
  
• The young are much more comfortable with media choice –the more the better. They have grown up with it and are more adept at filtering than older people. They know how to navigate and find what they are looking for be it on the internet, on tv, or on mobile phones."
  

(From the BBC commissioning section)

LATE TEEN SHOPPING HABITS

The Washington Post conducted a research on the shopping behavior of young people.

(Image from the Washington Post)

RESEARCH YOUNGER AUDIENCE HABITS AND TASTES

• A new generation, shaped by an unprecedented revolution in technology.
  
• They are generally happy with their lives and optimistic about their futures. This reflects on their multi-disciplined habits.
• They use technology and the internet to connect with people in new and distinctive ways.
  
• They use ocial networking sites like Facebook, MySpace, etc. They admit that cyber-tools make it easier for them to make new friends. But more than eight-in-ten also acknowledge that these tools "make people lazier."
• About half of "Gen Nexters" say they have either gotten a tattoo, dyed their hair an untraditional color, or had a body piercing in a place other than their ear lobe.
• They are somewhat more interested in keeping up with politics and national affairs.
• Many young people say they most admire an entertainer rather than a political leader.
  
• They are more comfortable with globalization.

(The above information is drawn from a broad array of Pew Research Center polling data. The main survey was conducted Sept. 6-Oct. 2, 2006 among 1,501 adults including 579 people ages 18-25.)

REDESIGN A WEBSITE

CENTRAL PARK - www.centralpark.com

The site has an effective color palette and the information is clearly distributed, but the peaceful and organic character of the park could be communicated more. It is also a bit static (apart from the home page). The Park has a lot to offer to all age groups and since the target group (16-24) is involved in environmental issues, the standard template of the site can be transformed to attract a younger audience.





SIFNOS ISLAND, GREECE - www.sifnos.gr

Loud introduction, to vibrant colors, many fonts and static images. Sifnos is an island that attracts thousands of young people every year, and is considered one of the most beautiful and stylish Greek islands. The site shows totally the opposite.





PRATT LIBRARIES - library.pratt.edu

Many Pratt students within the target audience are using this site every day. Although neat and clean (especially on the home page), the imagery and typography can be considered a bit conservative. A new look would appeal more to a younger audience and would reflect a more colorful and enjoyable library experience.

Barking Brown clothing store, Brooklyn - www.barkingbrown.com

This trendy, bohemian, urban clothing store in Brooklyn, aims at a younger audience, since it is located close to schools and the Pratt Institute campus. Still, its website looks poor, the white spece is too much, the images not very professional, and the fonts are old fashioned. The navigation bar could be more original as well.

W E L C O M E . . .

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