Robert Kranenborg

Overview
This is basically a culinary site that I chose mainly for the graphics and user interaction.  It starts with a picture that can turn 360 degrees and give access to several buttons.

I know that it is not in English but I was interested mostly in the graphics not so much in the content.

• Overview
• I picked this site because it was a clear project based website, and it a very clean looking page.
• The purpose of the site is to inform Americans about food safety and possible concerns that should be had.

• User Profile

This site was designed for college age to middle aged people that are interested in food safety.  The site is designed easily for all ages to use and find somewhat interesting and can make you want to look to see what they are reporting about.

• User Interface [how it looks]
• The home page is very clean and easy to navigate around.  The tabs give the user a easy look at what they should be trying to browse for.  Everything on the home page seems to work very well from the photos to the small graphics of the tractor, it all ties together.  Each of the tabs opens a page with helpful thumbnails that are easy to understand and very visually pleasing.

• Functionality
• The website gives an ample amount information.  With the amount of information that is given it could get to be a challenge to keep it organized.  The site does a great job at organization.  All the information is places in easily navigable tabs that help the user find information they are looking for.

This paid subscription website is ‘Newsblues’ and it’s very informative to me. As a former Photojournalist and Assistant Producer at the ABC Network affiliate in Green Bay, Wisconsin, I was constantly going to this site to find out information on certain news events and how they were covered by the editor of this website. It gives the perspective from various website and newspaper columnists on the fallout of certain errors-in-fact or controversies in the news business. One example of how this website helps in the academic world is at the end of each daily posting there is a daily grammar lesson or two from “Ms. Bluezette”. She writes and gives lessons ranging from the proper usage of the words “who” and “whom” in a script to how a good news story should be written from her perspective. This is an excellent tool that I have used in many ways ranging from finding out about retirements, hirings and firings of various television news media personalities at various television markets to making sure I am writing the proper way when it comes to my news scripts. Once in a while, it even embeds video so the user can see some of these stories instead of just reading about them. There is even a link or two in each daily posting that lets you read more on what is posted. Every single part of this site works and it has no drawbacks at all for me.
The user of this is of any age due to there being a variety of ages for those involved in the television broadcasting business. They are of various cultural backgrounds especially since certain television markets target employees of certain ethnic backgrounds for their target market(s). They might be either writers or videographers or technical workers, be it newscast directors or technical directors. In order to read and see what is on and embedded on this website they would definitely need broadband capabilities for their internet connection. As far as the functionality goes, there are no drawbacks to this website. Every single aspect has worked for me in the 10 years that I have subscribed to it.

I picked the NFL Play 60 website because of my passion for fitness. With the younger generations, it’s obvious more kids today would rather stay inside and play video games than be outside playing catch or tag. The colors of the website are simple and inviting to the audience the are attracting. The blue gives a calm feel and white text is easily legible. The simple layout is geared towards the younger crowed with a plain look. Going to sharp or giving too many options could easily distract the children on the website and lead them off in another direction.

The website is designed to excite children about being active. To encourage kids to go out and be active for at least 60 minutes a day. Using the celebrities from the NFL, people who children often look to as role models, they strengthen their message of trying to keep kids in shape.

The website www.tonydorio.com is one of the most interesting and intriguing websites I have seen in quite some time.  The site is genius in its simplicity and yet technologically savvy in a way that can be easily understood by anyone versed in web browsing.

The website is essentially an open portfolio for some of the photographs D’Orio has created over the years.  The navigation is very simple only offering visitors a biography, contact information, and a client log in that I assume takes you deeper into the site.

The design of the page is broken up into a 10×9 grid of blocks, mostly grayscale photos, and when you navigate to one of the options some of the pictures are replaces with a bright yellow background.

The lack of any real content didn’t really bother me at all because the photos, that are mostly portraits or ad-work, are so much fun that you forget that you were actually looking for information.  When you hover over a picture it changes from grayscale to color, and when you click on any of the photos the site slowly draws a yellow “X” over that picture thumbnail and then the frame of the site pans left or right and the picture appears enlarged and a full resolution.  Then you have the option to either close that picture, move to the next picture, and move to the previous picture.  Another fun aspect is the layout of the photos on the grid changes each time you load the webpage so if you choose to just cycle through the pictures there is no telling which one with be displayed next.  The yellow “X” will still appear over each photo to let you know which you have viewed.

The sleek and stylish movements of the site don’t seem forced or heavy handed and the muted color scheme doesn’t bother me at all because nearly every photo is an explosion of color.

The moment I found this website I knew this would be the one I’d critique.  It’s related to our job, and it exhibits what I think site designers should aspire to create. Websites that don’t overstep their bounds and they do it in what I like to call a “clean and sexy” way.

As soon as I was done poking around the site and viewing each of the pictures in its full res version, I was compelled to do some quick research on the photographer.  I was hooked.  So if the site was designed to pique a viewer’s interest in Tony D’Orio and his photography, I am a testament to its effectiveness.