| Begin with a brief overview of the site. Be
sure to include the URL, as I will likely read your review
near a computer so that I can browse the site while reading.
(Similarly, include URL references for your examples, even
in print reviews.) Here are some ideas about what else to
include:
Audience/Purpose
Discuss the primary and secondary audiences and purposes
of the web site. Who is the site for and what is it trying
to accomplish? Notice I said primary and secondary. Like
publications, web sites have a variety of audiences: audiences
both external to the organization that sponsors the site
and internal to that organization. Often these secondary
audiences and purposes are as important if not more important
than the primary audience and purpose. For example, is a
University web site primarily for internal or external audiences?
You could make a good case for either.
Give this section a lot of thought. The audience and purpose
of a web site play a major role in determining the nature
of almost all other elements of that site. A web design
decision that seems inappropriate in the context of one
audience and purpose may be totally appropriate and effective
for a different audience and purpose.
Information Architecture/Navigation
Information architecture is a fancy word meaning how
is the site organized. In this section, examine and critique
the site's organization. How is information categorized?
Do the categories make sense to the users or do they reflect
the organization's internal structure. Many a web site wrecks
on the shoals of poor organization. They categorize information
in a way that makes no sense to people out side of the organization.
Also in this section, look at the navigational structures.
Do the links make sense? Can you easily get where you want
to go? Is anything missing? I group architecture and navigation
because problems with each are often interrelated. Just
as the source of confusing documentation may be poor product
design, the source of a confusing navigation scheme may
be poor site architecture. If you have trouble deciding
what to say here, watch a friend use the site and talk out
loud about these issues. Often these conversations will
generate new insights.
Usability
Observe someone using the site to complete a task. Write
about how they did. Do not neglect this step. I have found
watching a third party use the site to be an invaluable
component of the critiques.
Design
Look critically at the visual design of the site, always
keeping in mind that design and media is intensely social
in nature and must be geared to a particular audience and
purpose.
Quality/Appropriateness of writing
I do not expect you to read every word on a site, but
I would like you to assess the overall effectiveness and
appropriateness of the writing in the site.
The Big Picture
Finally in the context of your discussion of the above issues,
make an overall assessment. What is the bottom line? How
good of a web site is this? Why?
I will grade these critiques and you can rewrite them if
you are unhappy with your grade. In evaluating your reviews,
I will be looking for evidence that you have thought carefully
about the site and the above issues. I am particularly impressed
by detail and engagement. I do not care for brief dismissive
analyses that do not say anything other than how bad a site
is. I do like thoughtful, detailed explorations of why
a site is bad or good.
|
