https://drive.google.com/file/d/188wcAVmcdilDwAmcDetoJhuglcK3pzas/view?usp=sharing
Today I am going to be doing an analysis of the Tin House website. Tin House is an online magazine for literary enthusiasts that promotes books, poetry, and merchandise by ordinary people for ordinary people. Tin House’s usage of various modes and affordances play a vital role in captivating the reader and creating a comfortable user experience.
At first glance, the website is visually appealing. The font is reminiscent of Times New Roman. The serif font paired with the simple color scheme creates a sophisticated and timeless environment for the reader. The main colors used are black, red, and muted blues and yellows which are calm and inviting. A simple top navigation is used featuring three options listed below the logo. When the user scrolls down the page, the navigation turns into a sticky header with a side navigation that pops out when clicked offering the user more options. This assists the website’s information architecture in making all content easily accessible from any page on the site.
On the Books page, the navigation allows the user to filter what they are shopping for by genre. Hyperlinks become underlined when clicked on reminding the user what page they are currently on. Spatially, the organization of the website makes sense. A search bar at the top of the page allows users to search for a specific article instantly. Followed by the page navigation and the featured books. Only 12 books are featured on the page at a time allowing the page to not feel too crowded and overwhelming for the user. Each literary piece has an image associated with it. There are some photographs, but most are illustration. All images are clickable, acting as a button to take the user to the literary article associated with it.
When a literary piece is selected, such as The Last Taxi Driver by Lee Durkee, the website gives description and reviews of books, about author, and links to purchase the book. Linguistically, the website is easy, simple, and informative. The pages are not distracting and are written in the same voice with no grammatical errors. This is attractive to the website’s audience of literary enthusiasts. Quick links to the books are also offered improving the user experience as users can easily access the literary piece they are interested in.
The only aural mode shown is on the Podcasts page where users can browse the Between the Covers Podcast by episode. This sound element shows people discussing literary books/poetry as well as interviews with the authors such as this episode with E. J. Koh. The volume and tone in each video are appropriate to the setting. Similar to the Books page, there are links taking the user to subscribe to the podcast giving the website a sense of consistency.
Photographs of people are included on the Merchandise page. The people appear to be average customers smiling and happy wearing their Tin House merchandise. This entices readers to want to purchase merchandise for themselves. There are no pictures that feel out of place or inappropriate for the setting. Again, only 12 products are shown at one time. At the bottom of each page, information in the footer allows users to sign up for the newsletter, reach quick links to the About Us and Contact pages, as well as access Tin House’s social media pages.
Overall, the modes and affordances work well together to captivate the user and achieve the main purpose of the website, promoting literary pieces to those who are enthusiastic about them.
Works Cited
“Between The Covers : Conversations with Writers in Fiction, Nonfiction & Poetry on Apple Podcasts.” Apple Podcasts, https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/between-covers-conversations-writers-in-fiction-nonfiction/id583648001. Accessed 11 Feb. 2020.
“Between the Covers Podcast.” Tin House, https://tinhouse.com/podcasts/. Accessed 11 Feb. 2020.
“E. J. Koh : The Magical Language of Others.” Tin House, https://tinhouse.com/podcast/e-j-koh-the-magical-language-of-others/. Accessed 11 Feb. 2020.
“Home.” Tin House, https://tinhouse.com/. Accessed 11 Feb. 2020.
Noble, Barnes &. “The Last Taxi Driver|Hardcover.” Barnes & Noble, https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-last-taxi-driver-lee-durkee/1131983290?ean=9781947793392. Accessed 11 Feb. 2020.
“Products Archive.” Tin House, https://tinhouse.com/shop/. Accessed 11 Feb. 2020.
“The Last Taxi Driver.” Tin House, https://tinhouse.com/product/the-last-taxi-driver/. Accessed 11 Feb. 2020.