Critique 3

Site: Brooklyn Children's Museum

Navigation

This website is again extremely straightforward. Each page links to new information and allows you to get back to the other information categories. It relies on color and typographic hierarchy to point out how the categories are organized. It uses the metaphors of imagery, like a letter referencing email, or hands to show that you can belong to their group. The pages link simply and don't have elaborate transitions.



Information Architecture

The information is structured and ordered. It is organized in a way where it seems the museum thinks some information is more important than other information. Visiting information is the first large link and the following categories are also important. The structure of information helps to display the content of their website (which is a lot) without making the site confusing for the viewer.

Usability

It is very easy to use. Information is given without confusion and the visual elements keep the pages from seeming stiff.

Meaning-Making (Narrative and Metaphoric Structures)

The first page has somewhat of a narrative. There's a lot of activity and bright colors draw you to it. However there is no metaphoric structure throughout the website. Although if you wanted to say that there is a narrative it would be in the photographs of the children on each page. I would say this is a narrative because it shows all the fun that kids could have at each category of what the museum offers.

Reflection of the User

Despite nice colors and cute photos this website is primarily content driven so there isn't any real reflection of the user. This site is more natural than it is transparent. The viewer would pay more attention to the information than the overall design of the website. I think it makes sense because I don't think anyone would look to a museum for real interaction. They would want to know what shows were offered, when and for how long. There's a lot of information needed to be shown for a museum and complicated designs would only hinders someone from learning this information.