WORLD MUSEUM OF ART World and Human: reflection of each other
Existing Websites Audit 2015
Audit
Existing Websites Audit WMA has analyzed and evaluated several of the most popular sites related to Art to demonstrate the need for a platform such as WMA to help these content providers get to market and help their users ďŹ nd their content. On a scale of 1 to 5 WMA evaluated several parameters of the following popular sites: (Metropolitan Museum of Art, Rolling Stone and the Fashion Institute of Technology). The four parameters that are evaluated:
Design and delivery of content Usability. Navigation system. Ability to use site on different devices. Devices characteristics: 27 inch monitor (2560x1440px)/ smartphone Android (5,5 inch, 1920x1080px) / iPhone 6 (4,7 inch, 1334x750px) General condition of the content: how well updated, and links Advertisement use and other instruments to attract trafďŹ c to website 2
Unique Visitors (Monthly Traffic — July 2015) www.fitnyc.edu/museum.asp
77,845
http://www.rollingstone.com
5,255,310
http://www.metmuseum.org
660,398
1. All of these sites look out of date and are based on old technologies. The designs have poor composition faults such as differing and inappropriate formats of text. The main landing page, which is supposed to be the most interesting and attractive part of the site is without any modern creativity. Brands that were developed well for offline product is done well, but the adaptation to web market standards is below average. Evaluation: 2 points.
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2. All of these sites are overloaded with information that makes navigation more difficult. Top menus are organized in incorrect orders, which, most likely were legacy versions from a previous site’s card of clicks. As a result they lose navigational logic which is lost by the time the user navigates through to the second level. Finding information is difficult such that the user must go to lower levels in search of information, and has no ability to easily browse the level he is currently reading. These sites have mobile versions, but are not adapted well for users with smaller devices: - Content is not adapted - Text (letters) are difficult to read - Navigation is difficult - Viewer must “work harder” to operate the mobile version The analysis of logical faults is never ending, but one thing is clear: when the footer of a website is larger than an announcement of an article on the front page – is a complete waste of real estate. Evaluation: 3 points.
5
3. The content of the ďŹ tnyc.edu is not ďŹ t for web usage at all. The texts are boring and written without using promote technologies . Only a reader in need would like to read something like that. This site has many outdated links, which gives the impression that the site has been abandoned. Experiences such as this make a viewer question the validity of the information and lose trust in the resource. Links to outside sites prevent users from coming back the page he previously followed. Photo materials are hosted on Flicker type photo sharing resources that make us question the professionalism of the site developers. Evaluation: 2 points. 4. Technologies of modern web advertising and marketing are used so poorly it does not warrant discussing its effectiveness. There are links to various exhibitions, educational programs, and information about other projects, but these are not advertisements. Evaluation: 1 point.
CONCLUSION: these sites are outdated in every way and cannot attract or intrigue new viewers. Moreover, they cannot give those viewers they do attract any quality material in text or graphic form. The structure, navigation, and presentation faults prevent the viewer to effectually absorb, and locate information on these sites. 6
WORLD MUSEUM OF ART World and Human: reflection of each other
Ste.102, 3965 W 83rd St., Prairie Village, KS, 66208 Tel.: +1 (913) 6452838 l.bottomley@worldmuseumofart.org