Case Studies Number Twelve--usps.com:Architecture

Site map of USPS

The site does not appear to have a deep architecture. By looking at the site map, I can tell that there are not many pages in this site. There are no additional navigation systems appearing as I go further within the site. Since it is a small site, three navigation systems are good enough to guide customers to different sections in the site. There is no need for causing confusion to customers by adding useless navigation systems and links.

Case Studies Number Twelve--usps.com:Content / Typography

The typography is apparent as headlines and main body text have different font size, color and weight. The techniques that were used to make headlines more prominent than the others are size, weight, contrast and alignment. All headlines are bold and have distinguishable colors from other elements on the page. Furthermore, headlines are aligned left compared with main body text.

The labels in the navigation are clear. For instance, if I click on "Something", the page links to the label "Something" has a headline saying "Something".

The headline tells me what I clicked and where I am now

Case Studies Number Twelve--usps.com:Grid / Structure

The structure / grid of the site does not stay consistent since some pages have four columns layout and some are three. A few of the pages in the site have two columns.

The content section always changes depend on which sections. However, the primary and the secondary navigation systems are the same throughout the site. The reason that these two do not change is they are the primary tool that navigate customers within the site. If they change on every page, customers may get confused and do not know where to go next. They may leave the site as a result.

The first thing I notice on the page is the background texture and the primary navigation. I really like the design of the background picture. It makes me feel very Christmas. The primary navigation has a shiny background with red color which is attractive.

Case Studies Number Twelve--usps.com:Iconography / Imagery

The imagery / photos add colors besides the theme colors and they also attract customers interests of the site. I would say the imagery and photos are just right and no need to increase or decrease the amount of pictures used in the site.

There are icons and symbols used on some pages. Most of them are very easy to understand, but some seem not relate to the content of what they refer to. It takes me no longer than 15 seconds to get what these icons and symbols mean. I really like how they are designed because they have the same theme color and graphical design with the site.

Icons and Symbols in usps.com

Case Studies Number Twelve--usps.com:Color Palette

There are three colors used on any given page: light blue, white and red. Light blue is applied to text, including all headlines, navigation labels and links. White is used as background color (buttons, navigation, and main body background). Important information, content and links are using red to attract customers' attention.

Blue and white are derived from USPS's logo which consists of these two colors. Red is the common color that web designers use to highlight important content of the page.

Case Studies Number Twelve--usps.com:Site Focus

The purpose of this site is providing postal service to customers, including planning shipment, ordering USPS supplies, calculating postage and so forth. The site has a search engine which accepts short key words (words like shipping, calculate postage) searching.

I really like the section where I can calculate postage for free. Both national and international shipment can be calculated and I can plan my shipment within my budget. I have not found anything confusing in the site yet and I think everything in this site is very clear and accessible for me.

Case Studies Number Twelve--usps.com:Navigation

There are three navigation systems on the home page and the labels in the navigation make sense to me. The primary navigation system looks more prominent than the secondary and the tertiary because of its color and position. The primary navigation has a red background and also positions above the secondary.


I think the site was designed in this way since the primary contains information that users are most concerned about and would like to know for the first time visit. Therefore, the primary should be designed easy to find, simple to use and distinguish from other elements on the page. There is no additional navigation appearing once I get to the further levels of the site, but the navigation systems change look of themselves as I go to other pages from the home.

I always know where I am within the architecture of the site by looking at the headlines on any page. The link that I clicked is also highlighted for indicating the location purpose. Furthermore, I know how to go back to the home page while I am somewhere in the site (by click either the logo or a link at the right corner of any pages).