Web Site Critique#3

Designflood.com

Navigation:

Is it easy to navigate or difficult?

It is very easy to navigate through the site

How are you led through the site?

Classic format viewing from top to bottom with more page numbers at the very bottom if you want to continue searching.

What visual clues are given to tell you how to interact?

Standard clues, such as the mouse turns into a hand when you roll over a link, there are arrows and more page numbers at the bottom if you want to explore more, etc. When you want to rank a site, the square inverts color when you roll over it.

Does the designer use a metaphors to get you to move through the website?

A couple arrows, but more than metaphors is follows a strict structure and does not vary.

What Kind of metaphors are used? Organizational Metaphors = (organized by type, kind etc...); Functional Metaphors = performs a “real world” function (in Photoshop you can figuratively “cut” and “paste”) or Visual Metaphors (common graphic elements familiar to most – the traditional “play”, “fast-forward”, “rewind” buttons found on CD players)

Like i mentioned, not a lot of metaphors, but i guess it is organized by format. Each website resides in a rectangle, with the rating system next to that. Every page is exactly the same.

Information Architecture:

Does the information in the site make sense?

Yes it does

Can you access the content you want easily?

Yes, I have no issues finding what I want to know

How is the content organized? (By location, alphabet, timeline, category, etc? )

All of their content is organized by location and timeline. Each page is exactly the same and then a timeline is used (sort of) for the multiple pages on the bottom.

Is there visual and content hierarchy that allows you to easily understand and access the information presented to you?

The only hierarchy is how we read things from top to bottom. They all have equal weight and importance based on size, color, type, etc.

Usability

Is this site easy to use?

Yes it is

How do the above two concepts, navigation and information architecture, work in terms of making the site usable or not? Do the metaphors make sense with the content?

Metaphors are not a big focus of this site. The information architecture works extremely well for usability. This is by far the main focus of use instead of metaphors

Overall- does the site sustain your interest and engagement?

Not really. I am more interested in the site's i am going to rate, then this portal.

Meaning-Making: (Narrative and Metaphoric Structures)

In what way is the designer creating meaning in this site?

I don't feel there is any deeper meaning in the site. It just what it is.

Are they using metaphor? (Remember, metaphor is very common in our experience with computers, sometimes so common we don’t even realize we are using it, i.e. the desktop, cutting and pasting, file systems, buttons, etc.).

They use buttons for links, but that is all I am noticing on this site.

Is there a narrative, story or event that unfolds over time?

No.

Is this narrative linear, non-linear, or multi-linear?

The is no real narrative.

Reflection of the User:

Is there a reflection of you, as the user, on this site? Does it change according to your specific visit? Do you receive mouse feedback? text feedback? Does the site store any choices you have made? Are you engaged enough in the site to linger and explore.

The best example of reflection is when you roll over the number to rank the website. The colors invert and when you click on a number VOTE NOW disappears and the average vote appears comparing it to how YOU voted.

Transparency of Design:

Does the design of the site lead you to pay more attention to the content or to the design itself?

Well the design is just basic. So i pay more attention to that content. I enjoy that i get to vote, so i want to keep exploring other sites and vote on them.

Does the design feel transparent or “natural”, leading you to focus on the content and forget the design completely? Or – Is attention called more to the design itself?

It feels natural. There is not much to it, so its easy to look through.

Does the transparency or lack of transparency of the design make sense with what the site is intending to do?

I feel that transparent nature is fine, since the focus is on ranking other sites. I just wish it was more interactive than it is. The transparency of the design is great how it is.