Website Review
Brief
We have to review 5 websites of the same genre and give them a star rating ranging from 0 - 5.
My Idea
I have chosen to review the websites of 5 major high street supermarkets
Research
I am going to research the views of web professionals on the subject of good web practices and their ideas on what users are looking for from a good website, this should give me ideas for the criteria I will use during my review process.
Links to websites that I used during my research
http://www.virtualpet.com/industry/howto/wsreview.htm
http://www.publichistory.org/reviews/rating_system.html
http://www.managementconsultingnews.com/interviews/krug_interview.php
http://www.digital-web.com/articles/jakob_nielsen/
http://www.nvcc.edu/home/ataormina/wdc/readings/convention.htm
I have decided to take these things into consideration as I review the sites that I have chosen to critique.
URL: Is the URL logical (companyname.com) i.e. Is the site easy to find?
Design: The look and feel of the site.
Use of web conventions: I.e. ALT attribute with images, a copyright notice if necessary etc.
Navigation: a common navigation bar located in the same position on every page, ease of use
Mobile Access: How does the site look on a mobile viewing device? (My Nokia N95)
My Project
This site has a logical URL and its homepage displayed top of my search using
http://www.google.co.uk/
http://uk.ask.com/?&o=312&l=dir
The site has a nice clean look and it was easy on the eye.
The site seems to follow basic website conventions alt images seem to be in place and links are easy to identify.
The site covers a wide range of pages that sell a wide variety of products but due to good navigation it was very easy to use.
The website performs well on my mobile device using the opera browsing software.
http://www.asda.co.uk/corp/home.html
The sites URL could be simpler but it is easily found and appears at the top of search engine lists.
http://www.google.co.uk/
http://uk.ask.com/?&o=312&l=dir
Although the site looks fine, in my opinion there is an over use of the green colour, the white text on the blue background was a little blurry and the txt colour used at the bottom of the page does not contrast enough with the white background.
The sites navigation was well structured and easy to use.
The website performs well on my mobile device using the opera browsing software.
This site has a logical URL and its homepage displayed top of my search using
http://www.google.co.uk/
http://uk.ask.com/?&o=312&l=dir
The simple understated style used in this design is very effective and makes it easy to view.
The site seems to follow basic website conventions, all navigational elements are where you would expect them to be and are easy to follow & all images have appropriate alt attributes.
The website performs well on my mobile device using the opera browsing software.
http://www.sainsburys.co.uk/home.htm
This site has a logical URL and its homepage displayed top of my search using
http://www.google.co.uk/
http://uk.ask.com/?&o=312&l=dir
First impressions the homepage looked a little busy and harsh on my eyes but as I viewed it more it was not actually as harsh as I had first thought.
All images have alt attributes and navigating this site is easy.
The website performs well on my mobile device using the opera browsing software.
This site has a logical URL and its homepage displayed top of my search using
http://www.google.co.uk/
http://uk.ask.com/?&o=312&l=dir
This sites homepage has more downwards scrolling than any of the other sites but this enabled the designers to produce a less chaotic looking page. It looks trendy and the colour combinations work well in this design.
This site did not have alt images on most of its images this may cause a problem for people using screen readers.
All links seem to be underlined and navigation elements in this site are easy to identify and use
The website performs well on my mobile device using the opera browsing software.
Project Review
The process of reviewing a website is very hard, my research showed me that there are many differing opinions about website style and practices. To complete this exercise effectively you need to create your own criteria that you believe websites should follow and judge them accordingly. A lot of the evaluation process can be based on personal preference but you need to try and identify important factors that the majority of users will look for whilst using the sites. This assignment has helped me to think about every element of my own designs in more depth to help produce sites and products that will be easier for the user to utilise.