Navigation:
Is it easy to navigate or difficult?
Yes to some certain extent (though it seems that there really is not a clear understanding at times.
How are you led through the site?
Lead through by a large set of menu bars on the bottom left of the site. This then takes you to their designated area where other items can be scrolled/viewed.
What visual clues are given to tell you how to interact?
The visual cues are composed of icons that primarily are highlighted when you hover over a certain link. There are a few media buttons that can be pressed to play some of the items shown on the screen. There is also a preview window that is consistently refreshing itself with images of projects.
Does the designer use a metaphors to get you to move through the website?
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)
This website uses a common combination of Organizational and Visual Metaphors. Organizational in that there is a group of navigation menus so that it is easier to spot, which is the most dominate visual on the website. And visual in that there are common graphic elements like the stop, play, and mute buttons.
Information Architecture:
Does the information in the site make sense?
After reading the description about the website, yes. This is a site that is dedicated to the emphasis of Latin American pop and worldwide contemporary street culture. Therefore, the simplicity but also complexity of the type choice makes sense.
Can you access the content you want easily?
Yes and no. Even though the links seem to respond well when one clicks on them, there sometimes seems to be a crossover between the menu bars and the preview window, causing it to not fully cooperate. Trying to scroll and stop on a certain portion seems to work a lot better.
How is the content organized? (By location, alphabet, timeline, category, etc?)
The content on this site is organized by all of the mentioned items listed in this question: Location in relation to the navigation bars. Alphabet in that mostly everything is alphabetized. Timeline in that there is an actual timeline in one of the sections. And category in that there is a number of categories that one can access.
Is there visual and content hierarchy that allows you to easily understand and access the information presented to you?
Yes, but it seems that this site’s focus is more emphasized by the hierarchy of the images compared to that of the content.
Usability
Is this site easy to use?
Yes—somewhat easy.
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?
It’s a bit of a challenge at first, but having both of the above concepts work together on the usability of this site could be improved. There seems to be an unclear correlation between the two but with a few tweaks, it should be fine.
Overall- does the site sustain your interest and engagement?
Even as a designer, not really. For one it’s been repeated several times and there seems to be too much white space.
Meaning-Making: (Narrative and Metaphoric Structures)
In what way is the designer creating meaning in this site?
This site is about emphasizing a pop/urban life culture. Therefore, it’s meaning would be to portray that to it’s fullest capabilities-through its art samples.
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.)
The only real metaphors that are being used are those of the navigation menu bars. Everything else doesn’t seem to fit this description.
Is there a narrative, story or event that unfolds over time?
No. There doesn’t seem to be a set order to support a narrative in this site.
Is this narrative linear, non-linear, or multi-linear?
N/A
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.
You mainly receive mouse feedback, especially when you hover over the icons. But there is also the option of scrolling through items and being able to adjust that window once you scroll away from it.
Transparency of Design:
Does the design of the site lead you to pay more attention to the content or to the design itself? 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?
Because the design is so simple, this site almost requires you to focus more on the content than the actual site. This is good if you’re trying to send a clear message across to viewers.
Does the transparency or lack of transparency of the design make sense with what the site is intending to do?
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