Metropolitan State University

ICS 225 Web Design and Development

 

Critique:           2                                              Concept:          Usability

Due:                 Monday, October 16                 Points:             30 points

 

 

BRING TWO COPIES OF YOUR CRITIQUE TO CLASS NEXT WEEK.  ONE WILL BE GIVEN TO THE WEB AUTHOR.

 

 

Assignment:

You will be assigned a classmate's web site which you are to critique (see directions below).  Do not critique your own web site.  Such a critique will not be accepted.  To critique means to criticize, to analyze, or to review.  You may wish to refer to the readings on mistakes in web design as you work on this critique. 

 

Address the following required elements:

1.       What is the probable mission or primary goal of the web site?  Alternatively, what problem does this web site solve or what business solution does it provide?

2.       What is the probable target audience or audiences?

3.       Analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the web site.  Clearly identify the features you are commenting on, identifying a minimum of 15 different aspects of the site.  Clearly note whether you find each feature to be desirable or undesirable and why. 

4.       Include some comments on navigation.

5.       Comment on good and poor uses of the four principles of visual organization – proximity, alignment, consistency, contrast.

6.       You may comment on anything else you have learned about good web design but try to focus on the important themes.

 

Out of kindness to your classmates, please be evenhanded in your criticisms.  That is, for every flaw you criticize, find some good aspect to praise.

  

Hand in a typed, single-spaced report which is at least 2 pages in length (using 12 pt Times New Roman font or 10 pt Arial font. 1 inch margins), with a minimum of 1400 words.  The report must include the URL’s of the website you are critiquing.   Your report should be written using a word processor and spelling and grammar should be accurate. Make sure your work is original and individual.

 

To identify the site you are to critique, follow this selection algorithm:

1.       Start with the account number assigned to you for this class.   Add one to the account number.

2.       Go to the class web page at http://cs.metrostate.edu/~fitzgesu/courses/ics225/fall2006/

3.       Find the link for that account on the web page and click on it.  This should provide you access to that person’s class projects.

4.       From there, locate project #2 for that person and critique it.

5.       If you are unable to locate project #2 for your assigned account, add one to the account number and try again.

6.       If you have the highest account number, wrap back around to the beginning (account 01).

 

BRING TWO COPIES OF YOUR CRITIQUE TO CLASS NEXT WEEK.  ONE WILL BE GIVEN TO THE WEB AUTHOR.