Team 3: https://greenspringreview.art.blog/
Good Aspects:
- Has a”What’s New?” section on their homepage, this is helpful because it allows users to see new content right away as they enter the page.
- Featured pieces are also beneficial as this keeps the site refreshing with new pieces to read or a new artist to look at.
- The subscribe function allows fans of the site to get new content sent directly to them, building their connection to the different users.
- Multiple ads for upcoming events on campus is helpful for students who want to become more involved in different activities and get all the information about it right there.
- Along with the navigation bar, there is also a side bar further down the page which acts as a more focused navigation bar for other functions on their site.
Could Use Improvement:
- The header image is low quality and the blurry text is very unpleasing to the eyes as it is difficult to read on the screen.
- The aesthetic of the page is very minimalist and feels as though someone didn’t put a lot time into the color scheme to make it more appealing.
- Navigation bar at the top of the site is very short and doesn’t have a drop down function to be able to focus your search beyond the given titles.
- After clicking on the issues tab, there are only two options for either fall or spring of 2019 with a very generic photo which doesn’t give the user a hint about what they may find within those issues.
- Homepage is very short and doesn’t offer a lot of content for the user to look at upon entering the site, not indicative of what else the site has to offer.
Team 2: https://jennaaye.wordpress.com/
Good Aspects:
- Right away, once entering the site you are met with the logo and title of the website with a very short description of the website, good brand identification
- Logo is unique and open to interpretation to the user, reflective of the versatile content there is to discover on the site.
- Homepage has featured pieces from different types of content like journalism, creative writing, and visual art.
- Simple and clean layout of the page which makes it very easy for the user to navigate the site with ease and no distraction from unnecessary clutter.
- Within the navigation bar, the Issues tab has a drop down function so you can expedite finding the type of content you want.
Could Use Improvement:
- A lot of negative space on the homepage, makes it feel empty and unfinished, despite it having the proper information one would expect on a homepage.
- Categorical dividers and the titles for pieces are both in black text, though one is bold and the other is underlined, it doesn’t give an immediate indication of which is which.
- The descriptions of articles is hard to read as the font is quite small comparatively to the other text that is used, and the light gray color doesn’t stand out very well against the white background.
- When clicking on the archives subsection in the Issues tab in the navigation bar, you have to click on another link to be able to access it, not very user friendly as it creates an unnecessary step for the user.
- The About tab is very vague and doesn’t answer a lot of questions that a new user could have, and the quotes from the editors feels like a hollow introduction to the new people coming to their site.
Team 1: https://thegreenspringreview.art.blog/
Good Aspects:
- The logo is very unique and is reflective of the sites identity as it has the oak leaf from Stevenson’s tree, the oak tree, in an inkwell signifying the openness to writing anything.
- The search bar function is important since sometimes students come on looking for a friend’s piece and instead of having to sift through all the content, they can search the writers name or title of the piece.
- The incorporation of Stevenson colors into the site is refreshing and makes the site feel like it is attached to the school, as it should.
- Main text box on the homepage as the newest content they have released on display so it is easy for new and returning users to see what the site has most recently dropped.
- After clicking on the Issues tab in the navigation bar, the user has the option between spring or fall 2020 pieces, and those titles of a drop down function to further narrow your search for which pieces you are looking for.
Could Use Improvement:
- The siding of the site, the book shelf, is too big and feels like it is taking too much attention from the content the site is offering.
- Only one piece of content is on display on the homepage, not giving new users a lot to look at when entering.
- In the short stories portion of the spring 2020 issue, the pieces are only title and author, a description is helpful for users to know whether that piece would interest them or not beyond an attention grabbing title.
- No imagery to go along with the selection of pieces with the issues tab, makes the page feel dull and allows for the users attention to be pulled elsewhere.
- For the Art section within the issues tab, the font is light gray for both the title and the author’s name, making it harder to read as it blends in with the light gray background it is placed on.