NAVIGATION:
Is it easy to navigate or difficult?
It’s easy.
How are you led through the site?
Through a very tiny set of drop down menus and submenus.
What visual clues are given to tell you how to interact?
Things change colors, make sounds, and change form when you mouse-over them.
Does the designer use a metaphors to get you to move through the website?
Yes.
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)
There is an “enter” button from the splash page. There are also “next” buttons throughout.
INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE:
Does the information in the site make sense?
This layout is very basic and the information flow makes sense.
Can you access the content you want easily?
No! The type is too small to read and the extra windows that pop up clutter the space.
How is the content organized? (By location, alphabet, timeline, category, etc? )
It’s organized by pertinence and importance in the site. But the splash page really doesn’t have much organization. It’s very hard to find anything unless you read the whole thing.
Is there visual and content hierarchy that allows you to easily understand and access the information presented to you?
The text size and color is a big indicator.
USABILITY
Is this site easy to use?
It’s pretty intuitive what you should click on next, but it’s too small to be sure of what you’re clicking on.
How do the above two concepts, navigation and information architecture, work in terms of making the site usable or not?
The formal layout based on putting the most pertinent information first really creates an easy flow. But the text size and the pink on shades of gray don’t create very visible content. Also the way that extra windows pop up instead of just navigating through one window is incredibly annoying and cumbersome.
Do the metaphors make sense with the content?
There really aren’t any metaphors other than an “enter” button, which makes sense.
Overall- does the site sustain your interest and engagement?
No - I get frustrated with the tiny type and small structure.
MEANING-MAKING: (Narrative and Metaphoric Structures)
In what way is the designer creating meaning in this site?
There’s really just a file-flow like system such as the one in your computer. One menu leads to a submenu, which leads to content. There really isn’t a detailed overall meaning.
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.).
There’s the file flow, then there are “enter” and “next” buttons.
Is there a narrative, story or event that unfolds over time?
No, most things are just information.
Is this narrative linear, non-linear, or multi-linear?
I don’t think there is a narrative.
REFLECTION OF THE USER:
Is there a reflection of you, as the user, on this site?
A little bit.
Does it change according to your specific visit?
Yes. The icons that you’ve visited stay highlighted so you can see where you’ve been.
Do you receive mouse feedback? text feedback?
There is a great deal of mouse feedback. The text colors change when you mouse over them. There are also sounds when you mouse over text. Images move, buttons create masks on images, etc.
Does the site store any choices you have made?
No.
Are you engaged enough in the site to linger and explore.
Yes, but again, the small text size makes me skim over all the text and the extra windows make me less apt to try to navigate myself back through the channels.
TRANSPERANCY OF DESIGN:
Does the design of the site lead you to pay more attention to the content or to the design itself?
The design is clearly the main attraction. The only content they have is so small that I can barely see any of it. And what little tastes I do get aren’t enough to get me to open the larger views.
Does the design feel transparent or “natural”, leading you to focus on the content and forget the design completely?
No.
Or – Is attention called more to the design itself?
Yes.
Does the transparency or lack of transparency of the design make sense with what the site is intending to do?
No it’s doesn’t seem to make sense. If it’s telling what this company does, it should show more of the products. Its main focus seems to be on the transitions. They have very cool effects, but the small samples and small text create very disinterested viewers.
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