Cats and Dogs

Review of www.delcodogwalkers.com

So it's already getting a little bit kitschy, but I am so attached to the idea I am going to commence on with this "things related to kitties" blog. At least it's cohesive in a sense, right? So the website, as can be suspected, is about dogwalking services provided around Daleware Valley (I actually don't know where that is; what I am referring to is actually "somewhere around Philly.") This should be as much fun as watching a dog. 

Navigation This site is simpler than the site reviewed below. It's hierarchically flat (no page is given higher visual priority as opposed to any other, that is unless we consider the placement in the left is "hierarchically more prominent than" the right), and there are less pages to be navigated since there are only 8 pages that users can navigate to and all of them are self-contained (there are no sub-pages that these pages lead to). Simply enough, users are aware of the entire structure of the website in a few click since the site appearance remains exactly the same except the body of the website where the desired content (users click on one tab or the other) shows. All the tabs are very specific and intuitive. They are also goal driven (what kind of services it offers, how much it is, and how to obtain those services). However, the said simplicity also implies that navigation comes with less dazzle. As the mouse hovers over, the tabs are highlighted with a slightly darker shade box. 

Architecture As stated above, the architecture is relatively flat, and because of the simplicity adds to the credibility of the business (dogwalking is not a rocket science = why should the website providing information about the service be?), it IS a good thing. 

Content/Typography Typographically speaking, although they are not the most beautifully set types, it's direct (when I click on "about us" I get about us), unburdened with unnecessary implications (say with a "joker" typeface, or worse yet type faces that are named after typeface makers' kitties or doggies). Particularly, the almost linear increase in font weight with increasing information hierarchy (A head v. B head). This linear relationship does come with a pit-fall. Because the site title cannot be more than certain size without appearing overbearingly large, the body text was instead composed with small fonts that create vibrations even for someone with a good sight (do dogs have good sight?). One way the website could circumvent this shortcoming is by choosing different type-styles (perhaps san-sarif for text and sarif for titles, headlines, etc.) 

Grid/Structure As stated in the navigation, grid does stay the consistent across the website. But what is fascinating is the focal point. My eyes are consistently drawn to the cute pictures of dogs on the top-right corner. There is nothing that special about these pictures, but on various pages, we see pictures of adorable dogs. The pictures on this site, is meant to draw attention with their cuteness. In this sense, the top-right side act as a consistent, reliable source of expected amusement; hence, the attention is easily drawn here. 

Iconography/Imagery As previously mentioned, photos do "awww it's cute" thing on this website. I do feel as though the website can take a fuller advantage of the pictures in a more subtly integrated way. Furthermore, although it does not use any icons, I don't think the site necessarily needs any. 

Color Palette One color seems to be used. They are light green and a gradient version of that color. The gradient version highlights the textbox that contains the important information. The green does not seem to serve any purpose that is strictly related to the website however. 

Site Focus The objective of the site is to sell the service that Dog Walkers LLC provide in its namesake. Although it allows you to search for something, the flatness of its architecture almost makes the search box superfluous. The most useful part of the site is probably the rates for which these things go for, and the site could improve on general sophistication of the look of the site. But really, it does the job as it is. 

I do like doggies a lot. Personally I do not have a dog, but the site kind of convinced me that maybe I could afford to get one before I am 65 and retired. 

How's your fishie

Review of www.fishland.com

In an attempt to stay with my hello kitty theme, I found a website for pet fishes. The idea is to create a virtual fish and supposedly take care of its six areas of "wellbeing" much like those virtual pet things which were o-so-fashionable back in the elementary school days. Needlessly to say, the website did make me feel like I was back in elementary school. Not in a good way.

Navigation I don't actually know how the navigation would work for someone who the website is clearly trying to target (um, refer to iconography/imagery), but the navigation is rather confusing for a website-for-younger-generation. On the left-hand side, there are what appears to be useful tabs such as "world," "games," "help," etc. on a blue panel but really, they don't really help raising my fishie Mr. Pinxo. This looks-good-but-quite-useless blue panel shows up on every page as you explore the website (the consistency of their appearance makes it an easily identifiable navigation panel), so in a sense, they are given some sort of priority by the webmasters. (This links on this panel changes into a different shape when the mouse "hovers" over the link, making the panel look even more like a main navigation tool.) Home page also has another light-bluish panel on the rightish side that leads to pages with more "information" about getting, raising, (and presumably, killing) your fishie. In regards to the grouping of items on the left panel, although the grouping looks harmless (they don't necessary scream "I don't belong here"), I did find it a little unintuitive. For instance, I found it funny that the panel given a priority (left side) showed things your fishie should do (world tap) and things YOU should do as his/her owner (chat with other young--really--owners). All in all, even if you don't know why you are going somewhere or what that page is about, the left panel makes sure that you know where you are, and how to get back to the home page, if you so desire. (But why would you? Raising your fishie is so much fun!)

Architecture The site, as complicated as it is to actually raise your fishie (oh, btw, you can raise "fish" that is not a fish at all; for instance, you can raise a beaver.), does not seem to have deep architecture. The panel on the left is basically the entire site (with few sub-pages linked to the ones that the links on the panel leads to). But by no means is the site completely flat. There does exist a rough hierarchy of information, and it adds to the excitement of "raising" your fish. In the real world, you wouldn't get a manual that explains everything and anything about the fish when you buy one at a pet store. You learn as you go. Same logic applies here, and in that sense, the fishie you "raise" is s more "virtual" than "digital."

Content/Typography Typography here is a true

 art. Well, for the audience. First, there is the large "fishland" typeface on the very top of the page, very festive. And clean, sansarif throughout. Depending on the hierarchy, different weights and font sizes are assigned. The leading is large enough to avoid vibration. There are variety of ways one could improve the site (typographically speaking), and perhaps make it more "sophisticated." One of those ways is to have a better designed san-sarifs. Another way is to make a narrower columns of text so that the site doesn't look so sparse. Furthermore, as it was referenced in the "navigation" section, the site content could use more intuitive labeling that leads to predictable content material.

Grid/Structure The way the site is structured is pretty basic. The top portion contaning membership sign-in information and the left panel remains in its place and only the lower right side changes according to the place toward where the users directed themselves. The consistency does lend some cohesiveness to the website. For me, the focal point is the part of the page that changes. There is nothing specific about the page that changes that is consistently interesting, but the element of change and interesting graphic items that occupies these changing pages do draw attention. 

Iconography/Imagery There are a lot of "pictures" and "icons" spread around webpage as well as poppy ads. I do feel as the website could benefit from less graphics, and more serious contents. The website could, on the other hand, use more meaningful graphics. 

For instance, as evident in the blue panel presented to the right, it is not clear why games are represented by a tropical fish (one stretch could be that the tropical fish is more fun than the ones in colder water?) 

Color Palette Baby blue, light baby blue, turquoise are the main colors used throughout the website that are not graphic images. Whereas baby blues are related to panels and membership-related services, turquoise is a panel that belongs specifically to each page that changes. Colors do correspond to the "water" that fishies live in, but something tells me that the panel colors were chosen not so much because of its reference to water, but because they represent the cleaner, modern look that younger-audience might find attractive. I stand to be corrected however. 

Site Focus The object of the site is for people to come to the site, and spend time, and get attached to virtual pet, and spend more time. It is directed toward building a sense of community between people with similar pet-raising interest. They achieve this "community-building" idea through chatrooms, fish-fights, shops, and forums. To tell the truth, I am utterly fascinated by the users who seem to spend so much time talking about teen heart-throbs on the chatroom. Community, it has built, albeit small and biased. And because of the its relative small user-base, the search option that would allow specific users to be discovered or information about raising your fishie is not streamlined. The site could greatly benefit from making the informational structure more intuitive, cohesive, and simple. 

As I said, I don't like kitties. But I don't know if I like fishies that fishland has to offer. The site has a room for much improvement, but it does seem to have a stable user-base that could attract more traffic once the site is revamped. Particularly, simpler services and greater attention to your fishie as opposed to things you can do for fun as a member of web 2.0 generation will be helpful. Nonetheless, it was entertaining to review the site. 

Introduction

I do not like kitties. That's for sure.