Through our website reviews, we recognized that 5 out of the 6 sites had visual pictures that made the site more intriguing. The recommended readings served as guidelines for our personal critiques of the websites. One website in particular, usability.gov, had a consensus on what to look for when viewing websites. Every idea mentioned in the website pertained to all the websites we reviewed.

We chose to use youtube as one of our websites for review. Youtube is a website where users can upload, view, share, like or dislike and comment on user uploaded videos. Finding and accessing Youtube is as simple as inputting the web address. It loaded in a matter of seconds so there was not any trouble there. The layout follows a red, white and black color scheme which stays constant throughout navigation of the website. Various videos of a variety of categories are placed evenly and logically on the main page. The help, as well as many other important items (language settings, about, privacy, etc…) are located at the bottom of the website. After reading the blog article,5 Key Principles of Good Website Usability, , Derrick felt that the layout serves to promote their objective of having users view videos as much as possible without being burdened by other links and information. Youtube also works similarly on mobile devices. There seems to be no alternative way for persons with disabilities to enjoy Youtube .

Navigating the space of the city tech open lab felt very familiar. It follows a many web design staples popularized by Facebook (a social media site). According to the user experience section on usability.gov, image and identity should be easily identifiable. The logo on the main page and the tagline “A place to learn, work, and share” serves this purpose. As we discussed this website, we realized that we all initially had problems with open lab. However, there are 3 help links located on the main page to assist with any issues with the site. Open lab also seems to work fairly well on mobile devices. Unfortunately, In terms of accessibility, it doesn’t seem like there are any alternative ways of using the site for people with disabilities.

When I browse websites, depending on what I am looking for, I may perform active research or just skim through a website. The two websites that I viewed was the Green Spa and NYCCT. In browsing the website Green Spa, I was welcomed to the website’s home page that displayed visual pictures, their specials, green spa parties, green spa products and events, which to me, showed that the website some organization which was user friendly. At the top of the home page, they gave their location, just below that, they had a number of tabs that directed you to specific areas from the home tab all the way to the contact tab them and to the left, they showed their hours of operation which made a clear view of what I might be looking for. The navigation through this site is excellent with no lag time in opening of each its pages as well as their site is well detailed if you were looking to join the spa, ex. The frequently asked questions, that had questions related to people with health concerns.

Now, when I browsed NYCCT, the main page is also visually friendly but to me, as a first timer to the website, it can be a little difficult in knowing where you are to begin. I would have to assume that the student frequently asked questions that pop up in the left hand corner of the page can assist with this. I believe that the page needs to reach out and grab my attention in terms of someone new coming to the school like making the tabs more visual and once in that tab, have it more detailed and descriptive so that the prospective student have an easier time navigating the website.

The Gap website was a great choice for the website review. We feel like this website tackled all aspects of the User Experience Honeycomb. First loading the website was quick and fast no time was wasted on this.  The home page is extremely easy for the user to explore the website, from a Fall Promotion at the bottom of the home page to New Arrivals on the top of the home page. The search on this website does indeed fulfill a need, because you can search “men winter coats” to “men bathing suit” and you will have results for both and it doesn’t matter what season it is. The Gap is desirable because we see commercials for Gap on t.v and ads on the train on our way to school or work. It is also desirable because there is so many different styles of clothes to develop your own identity and image. Not only is the website usable and desirable but it is also accessible to customers with disabilities. Gap’s overview of this is Customers with physical or mental disabilities deserve the same high level of service given to any other customer. You can also find out more about the customer service policy here.

Writing Study Tree takes a while to load in comparison to other websites. Although the website takes a while to load it is “easy on the eyes.” The site is easy to use, and it goes very much in depth with the FAQ page when having difficulties registering for the site. And if there is a problem that you are having you can go on the forum page and write your experiences. The website is organized well and it is easy to navigate through. The links for this website all mostly work and loaded properly however, in the About page there is a link when clicked that says page not found. But other than the one link that wasn’t working and the slow loading time it is a good website and a website that does fulfill the need of a user.

In conclusion, the website’s appeal to an individual depends on how well the website is designed . Each site had its strengths and weaknesses in terms of web design. The objectives of each site were clearly expressed in their layout and way of navigation.