Navigation:
It is a little confusing at first to navigate. I was u
nsure at first what to do, but once I figured it out it was easy. You are led by the site, first by entering, then there is a drop-down menu that only comes up when your mouse is over it. You can then select where you want to go. And click to be directed to that page. The drop-down menu is always there at the bottom, but you have to hover over the area for it to come up. There are not many visual clues given to how you are to interact, you just kind of have to hover over things, and if they change color then you k
now they are a link. The designer didn't use too many metaphors. The only ones I see are arrows that exist as visual metaphors.
Information Architecture:
The information in the site makes sense. I get that it is an artists site and it shows their work. I can access the content I want easily once I find the drop-down menu hidden at the bottom. I only have to click and the link changes color wh
en I hover over it. The content is organized by category. Once I find the drop-down menu I understand pretty easily how to access the information presented, but there doesn't seem to be much visual hierarchy that allow me to do this. I am just presented with large moving images that take up the whole screen.
Usability:
The site takes a few minutes to figure out, but then it is easy to use. The drop-down menu that comes up when I hover with the different catego
ries makes the site easy to use. The lack of metaphors however make it
hard to tell what is a link or not until you hover over them. The site sustains my interest though, because I want to figure out what is link and explore. I also am interested when I go to certain pages how the im
age just move automatically when my mouse moves.
Meaning-Making:
The fact that the site uses limited metaphors makes the experience with the site a little more difficult to use because we are use to them being there. I want there to be a back button thats an arrow instead of just their logo to go back
to the home page. There is exactly a narrative o
r story that unfolds but there are images that pop up on the screen and change ev
ery few seconds that seem to progress and then start over.
Reflection of the User:
The user is definitely reflected on the site by all the roll overs and color changes. Also on certain pages where the images move as your mouse moves like a touch screen. The site does not change according to my specific visit and does not store any of my choices. I am very engaged in the site, trying to see what are links and what happens when I roll over certain things.
The design of the site leads me to pay more attenti
on to the design. The design feels more opaque as it has the viewer puzzle out how to navigate the site, but I am also interested in the content of the site, at least the work by this artist on the pages where I move my mouse and the images follow. The design makes se
nse with what the
site is intending to do because it is an artistic site that will be explored by other artists and interested people who are most likely not looking for specific information.
Screen Shots:
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