Talking with the target!

I spoke with a few people people within the age range of 16-25 just to find out what their internet habits were and their interests online. Across the board, the majority checked their mail first, then the social networking sites. I found that a hand full had profiles on more than networking sites. Once that was done, they moved on to their sites of interest. 

Sterling Dennis, 17

Automotive High School in Brooklyn

Sterling wastes no time in signing into YouTube and AIM before he even checks his email accounts (Yahoo, Compuserv and Gmail). He actually uses Ask.com as his main search engine. He has profiles up on Facebook and MySpace but his main interest lies in 75th regt.org  and anime.com.

Nikesha Brown, 23

Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering major at Georgia Institute of Technology.

Her internet ritual starts with checking her emails (school, yahoo and hotmail account). She then signs in to MSN Messenger, AIM, Facebook and YouTube. Nikesha also uses the web to do research, play Yahoo games, check her banking statements and of course shop. The shopping sites are but not limited to Wet Seal, Bath and Body Works, Old Navy, Forever 21, Victoria Secret, Aeropostale and ebay. Oh, she's also very attached to her Blackberry.

Three possible sites to redesign to attract the target audience

www.booktopia.com

www.kayak.com

www.health.com

I specifically choose these sites because they contain information that is relevant the target's lifestyle, such as health, travel and reading.

Websites aimed at Gen Y based on color, font, logo and image inspiration

Social Networking Websites aimed at 16-24 year olds

The "Look at Me" Generation

They are referred to as Generation Next or Y, Millennials, Echo Boomers, iGeneration and even The Net Generation. What ever you want to call them it all boils down to them being young energetic adults who like to and want to be seen.

They are an internet-savvy group, spending more time online and on mobile phones than they do watching television. The majority of them are on social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace and MyYearbook where they post profiles with their photos and personal information. They quickly become friends with people they have never met or even had a voice conversation.

They basically grew up with the Internet that has altered the way they look at the world.

Their Characteristics
Sociable, confident, technically fluent, open-minded, creative, gets bored easily, hates manual work, prefers things to be easy, likes to multitask, problem solvers, very informal, likes flexibility, don’t like to conform, not brand loyal, big on individuality, likes blogging, and are environmentally aware.

Experts believe that the brains of Generation Y have been actually rewired by technology. This rewiring is enabling Generation Y to become exceptional at handling high levels of diversity and vast quantities of information as well as facilitating astounding levels of creativity. They are fast thinking and are able to work on multiple activities without losing concentration.

To design for them I need to remember that
• They need constant stimulation and feedback to be happy
• They can't concentrate on single tasks for long periods of time
• They want things to be different, more diverse

• The respond to humor, irony, and the unvarnished truth

• They like to share information and ideas