website critique

Before writing this blog, i decided to read all the questions i was asked to answer(as my mom use to tell me: always read everything before you start your assignment). The first question was, 1) Feedback and visibility: What happens when you make an error? How do you know it’s an error? Depending on the site, how you do you know are using it successfully or not?

The website that i use most often is definitley ESPN.com. As a sports aficionado, i visit this site every day, and very rarely do i come across errors or any type of problem. When I do, i already have the knowledge to know that ESPN.com is a very solid website and is run to perfection, so any error i come across is due to connection problems or because of lag due to to much access to the site.  When i do recieve an error while on ESPN.com, it is when i am trying to move to a different page than the one I am already at. Most of the time this comes when I am within ESPN.com’s fantasy sports area. In the fall, when i was part of the NFL fantasy football league, there were a couple of times when i would try to pick up or drop a player from my team, and an error would pop up, ussually indicating that the site i was trying to access was not available.

As a loyal supporter of ESPN and ESPN.com, this did not bother me, and i would come back to my computer and try again. I do believe this might be a reason i have stayed so loyal to ESPN.com. Userability on the website is very smooth, and almost every page on their site is accessable.

In terms of the site’s constraints, ESPN.com imployes vast ammounts of people for the sole purpose of writing and controlling the site, so there is always available content. The one constraint that the site has is when you try to access in-depth stats and analysis.  ESPN.com offers an “insiders package”. If you pay a certain ammount a year, or if you subscribe to ESPN “the Magazine” then you can access these links. usually the”insiders Package” allows the user to access special articles devoted to evaluating a draft class, or rating the best position players in the NBA or so forth.

Up until about 4 months ago, i wasnt able to access this, until i realized i was a subscirber to the magaine, so i was capable to acess these special links. And again, as a huge sports fan, these articles and analysis definatly make the site better, and provide more interest into probing ESPN.com

The mapping of ESPN.com is basically straight forward. As an avid ESPN watcher, the expectations of what i think the webstie should look like and the acutal look of the site are quite the same. Are there minor changes i would make if i were in charge? obviosuly, but as for my expectations of the site. They are all met.

The site does use some metaphors to emulate everyday life, but most of these are used in the titles of the main story on the opening page,such as: “Will The Sun Set on Phoenix?” (referring to the Phoenix Suns(a NBA championship competitor) playoff game tonight. If the Suns lose, they will be eliminated from the playoffs.)

 

The consistancy of ESPN.com is there every day. I always knwo what to expect when i acess the main page. THere will be a main story or article on the left hand side, and next to that will be 9 to 10 links to other important sports stories within ESPN.com. Next to the story links is the video panel, where there are 5 or 6 video packages that are availble to watch. I have been accessing ESPN.com for about 8 or 9 years now, and the consistancy has stayed about the same. (minus visual changes the site has improved on)

 ESPN.com is one of the most complete websites that i have ever used or been a part of. Thats the reason I go back to it every day for my sports information, becuase i trust them. And i belive trusting a website is the most important aspect of website control. Being able to go back to the site every day, expecting the same format and layout makes the information you access much easier to digest.