For my site, I’m thinking of doing an online store for self-defense products, with an emphasis on ingenious or concealed self-defense weapons. Think of one of those canes that has a sword in it. Sweeeet.
Anyways, here are the ten site reviews I did in researching this industry:
http://www.selfdefenseproducts.com/
Website Theme: A site that sells self-defense products to the public and law enforcement officials.
Strengths: Simple clean design that makes navigation easy around the site. It follows very standard conventions for navigation and product display, so its contents are easily accessible to new site visitors. Products are shown in a no-frills, informative manner.
Who is it designed for? : Individual adults or members of the law enforcement community. Since there are such a wide range of self-defense products offered, there are no real requirements for the target audience of the site. The only real requirement seems to be that all of the products are intended for adults 18 and up interested in some form or self-defense, or just really into swords.
Weaknesses: The site’s straightforward approach does seem a bit bland, and there is no real effort made toward establishing a cohesive design. The site lacks much character.
Website Theme: Lets customers “gain the advantage” over would-be assailants with their range of self-defense products.
Strengths: Large product pictures and lengthy product descriptions give prospective customers a very clear idea of what they are buying. The site also augments the majority of its products with informative video demos.
Who is it designed for? : The general public, ages 18 and over. The site’s language and lengthy descriptions seem to indicate it speaks to an audience that feels truly threatened by the unforeseen dangers lurking around every corner.
Weaknesses: There is no real cohesive design feel to the site, and the navigation is organized in a long-winded list format with little real organization involved. Though the lengthy product explanations are content-rich, they are laid out in a messy, garish looking manner. There is also little notion given to forming a unique brand for the company.
http://www.aaa-safetyfirst.com/
Website Theme: Intent on keeping its customer safe and secure with the self-defense products it offers.
Strengths: Like the previous website, this site’s main strength is the detail of its product descriptions: the authors describe each offering with a noticeable gusto for laying out the ways you can defend yourself. Another strength is the staggering amount of products being offered for online sale.
Who is it designed for? : The general public, with an emphasis on ages 18 and over. There is no real delineation past that point, and even younger audience members are targeted with some of the products, like blow guns. This site seems to appeal not only to the serious minded individuals looking for self-defense, but also the more light-hearted crowd that merely thinks these products are neat.
Weaknesses: Even more so than the previous reviews, there is little to no cohesive design for the website or the brand in general. Numerous design conventions are broken, including the use of varied fonts, contrasting colors, and illegible text over images. The navigation and product lay outs are also poorly laid out, with little to no consistency between different product pages.
http://www.proselfdefenseproducts.com/
Website Theme: There mission is to ensure “you don’t become a statistic” through the use of their self-defense weapons.
Strengths: Very minimalistic approach taken towards this design, in a manner similar to the first website that was reviewed. Navigation and product descriptions are consistently placed across the site, and the user experience is enhanced through the use of breadcrumbs and a site-wide search feature. Text and images are given no ornamentation, and everything is handled in a very straightforward and to the point manner.
Who is it designed for? : The general public, ages 18 and over. The site’s verbiage is like tbotech.com in that it plays of the fears of an unexpected attacker.
Weaknesses: Again like selfdefenseproduct.com, the site’s barebones approach could be interpreted as boring. There is no effort put toward styling the information or forming any sort of overall brand. Furthermore, product information and images are leaning toward being too sparse, especially when compared to the dearth of information available on some of its competitors.
http://www.safetytechnology.com/
Website Theme: A self-defense products wholesaler who sells the notion that his customers are helping others and themselves through their involvement in this industry.
Strengths: This site aims toward the hearts of its visitors. Images of smiling families and warm-hearted copy really push the idea of “doing good” through the sale of self-defense products. Videos from successful customers help to drive this gooey message home.
Who is it designed for? : The general public ages 18 and over, but with a focus towards individuals who are interested in forming their own small business. It can also be argued that there is a subtle emphasis towards a male audience, based mostly on the majority of people featured in the site’s testimonial videos.
Weaknesses: Many. Information is laid out in long one-column format, in a style that resembles a rambling and unclear rant. Navigation is split into confusing pools of lengthy product listings, and some pages require that you navigate to partner site pages in order to read more about the product. It can also be argued that the site’s heart strings approach comes off as a tad corny.
http://www.safetybasement.com/
Website Theme: A marginally more refined site that implores visitors to “be proactive, think safety” through their self-defense products.
Strengths: This is so far the only site which pursues some type of design plan, with a loose type of color scheme and secondary images to back up content. Even though it isn’t particularly difficult considering the lack of design on the other sites, this is the “slickest” competitor so far reviewed. Product pages all follow a consistent format. The site beefs up its content by including sections that describe the legal ramifications of using some of the products it offer.
Who is it designed for? : The general public, ages 18 and over. This site also concentrates on the more thoughtful members of this target segment, since it does address the legal aspects of self-defense weaponry. Users who are looking for a broad range of information and resources on self-defense products will gravitate towards this site.
Weaknesses: The site often tries to cram in too much information on its pages, sometimes resulting in a chaotic and disorganized feel to its content. In fact, there are several pages where the layout noticeable breaks due to this over abundance of information. The navigation can also be confusing at times, with secondary links being especially difficult to find or fully understand at times.
Website Theme: Aimed at protecting and empowering women through self-defense products.
Strengths: There is definitely an attempt at unified layouts, color scheme, and navigation throughout the site. Product pages feature large images and consistent formatting. The best thing about this site the clear direction it is taking toward its ideal audience, women. Images of women and feminine color schemes all make it very clear who the site is talking towards. The content also includes a comprehensive FAQ and legal section.
Who is it designed for? : Women ages 18 and up, and particularly single women living alone in urban areas.
Weaknesses: At times the font and layout seem a little bland. Some of the images sometimes verge on parody, with the female characters being featured flashing odd thumbs up or weird “come-hither” type looks.
http://www.survival-warehouse.com/tools_generators/index.htm
Website Theme: A “be prepared for anything” motto that is reminiscent of the Boy Scouts motto, expect with more lightning bolts to drive the point home.
Strengths: The site definitely hammers the message of safety home with fearful images of storms, explosions, and biological dangers. It also features helpful free information about what to do in case of a variety of different disasters or threats. Site navigation is clear and painless to explore.
Who is it designed for? : Adults ages 18 and up. The audience is definitely leaning towards the more paranoid and distrustful members of society, since some of the products are intended for apocalyptic type scenarios or terrorist attacks. If you know someone with a home-built bomb shelter, send them to this site.
Weaknesses: The site’s design can be overwhelming, with its clashing color choices and numerous images of doom and disaster. Some of the audience may be lost due to this somewhat fearful approach. Product descriptions can also be too sparse at times, or lacking more than one small image.
http://www.theselfdefenseco.com/
Website Theme: INTENSITY! It bills itself as the most dangerous self-defense technique, and boasts “you will be feared”.
Strengths: It’s the neatest looking site so far, with the most refined color scheme and use of images and graphics from all of the candidates. There’s no doubting the image this site is trying to achieve: raw power and intimidating lethality. Testimonials and videos do a good job of backing up the self-defense system’s credentials, and there is no lack of content on any page. Explanations are thorough and checklists are use to emphasize main points.
Who is it designed for? : Men ages 18 and up. The audience is definitely aggressive and looking to breed intimidation in others. Body building types, UFC wannabes, and people who wear Ed Hardy would probably feel at home here.
Weaknesses: It can come off as being way, way over the top, or even slightly comedic. Rather than taking a serious but subdued approach to this subject, this site gets in your face and spews spit all over you. It’s like all of the other sites on steroids and scripted in a Steven Seagal movie. EXTREME. On a more serious note, some of the pages can get overwhelming with the amount of content they include. At times, the site is trying too hard to prove the system it sells works. Just as I try to leave, the site also uses one of those alert boxes that asks is you really want to navigate away from the page. Terrible.
http://www.yourgreatestprotection.com/
Website Theme: This site sells its self-defense products with the idea that the customer’s protection is their priority.
Strengths: The product descriptions are very informative and often come with larges images or helpful infographics to show off the product. Layout and navigation are consistent and generally hassle-free throughout the site. Videos and some customer quotes help back up some of the products and the site.
Who is it designed for? : Adults ages 18 and up. Past that, there is no noticeable way to tell if the site intends to narrow its target.
Weaknesses: The site tries its hand at some design elements, and fails pretty badly. The background color and graphic are really distracting, and clashing color choices and textures make the site look like something from the early 90s. There is also no real branding established for the company itself.
