Navigation
It was definitely easy to navigate. I automatically saw the links in the middle of the screen, and when I hovered over each, options showed up. Then once you click where you want to go, you are sent to a page that has all the new options on the left hand side and the original ones at the top.
The tabs and drop-down menus are visual clues. The tabs are kind of metaphors for real tabs and folders. These metaphors are organizational metaphors. The site also uses a mix of visual and functional metaphors at the bottom with the conta
ct information. It show s letter for the E-Newsletter and a calendar for their calendar. The site also uses arrows to go to the next image, which perform as visual metaphors.
Information Architecture:
I am right off the bat shown from the large title that the site is for the Brooklyn Children's Museum and see below who they are with a description. I then see tabs of information organized by category. I can easily access this content by clicking. However, I have to hover over the tab to get drop-down menus in order to see all the options.
Usability:
This site is very easy to use. By categorizing the options in menus, the user can easily navigate to the desired page. The metaphors make sense because they are typi
cal metaphors used on many websites. Overall, the site sustains my inter
est and engagement because I am curious what is beneath each menu. I see animated graphics, but I am not distracted by too many things going on.
Meaning-Making (Narrative and Metaphoric Structures):
Through the graphics, text and colors used, we see a site that is aimed toward children and parents. Metaphors are being used with the tabs, the arrows to go to the next image, the rectangular shapes that bevel out to look like buttons t
hat exist just as that, the bottom contact visuals, and even the images are put on a background to make them look like Polaroid pictures. there is somewhat of a story that happens with the top graphics as ch
ildren move within the city, riding bikes, dancing, etc. The narrative is non-linear. I t only exists on the main page.
Reflection of the User:
The site reflects the user when you get mouse feedback. The color of certain text changes when hovered over, or a drop-down menu come up. The site does not change according to my specific visit and does not store any choices that I have made. I am engaged at first to explore the site by the music, animations, drop-down menus and colors, but get bored easily especially on the other pages.
The design of the site leads me to pay more attention to certain conten
t. I pay attention specifically to content such as the menus.
The site is very transparent and natural to use in that it is setup as most websites are with tabs and drop-down menu. In doing this the viewer is led to focus more on the content, however, the viewer is reminded of the design with the graphics up top. The transparency of
the site makes sense for what it is intending because it is aimed more at children and parents who want to be able to easily navigate through the site and et the information they need, but also need a little non-complex interactivity to stay involved in the site.
Screen Shots:
No comments:
Post a Comment