Burgatory vs Dizzy Dipz Website Review and Comparison

Since technology is constantly evolving, information is becoming easier to spread and find. It is more important now than ever before to have social media or a website, especially as a business. Consumers are online round-the-clock and can find out about your company in a single click. While websites used to contain only text, nowadays there are endless possibilities for layouts and design.

For my web design class, I created a new company called “Dizzy Dipz” that is a fusion restaurant that focuses on boozy ice cream. I created the brand identity and with the help of a partner, was able to bring the company to life with a semi-professional feeling website. I will compare it to that of popular local food chain – Burgatory, as they also serve a selection of boozy milkshakes.

Burgatory is known for its “helluva burgers” and “heavenly shakes.” They pride themselves on their all-natural ingredients and huge portions. Burgatory has multiple locations in the Pittsburgh area, including the PPG Paints Arena, Heinz Field, and Cranberry Township. Burgatory was established in 2011, and their website reflects the modern feel.

When you first land on the Burgatory homepage, you are met with a simple and intuitive design. At the very top of the page, the red ‘B” that is their logo sits centered on a very dark brown navigation bar. Under the logo, there are links to the menu, locations, merchandise, and careers. Below this, there is a slideshow of colorful photos that convey the customers, food, and employees of the company in a positive, tasteful light. When looking at the site’s homepage, it is easy to see where you need to go. The items on the navigation bar attracted my attention mainly because of its light gray color against the dark title bar but also because it is centered at the top of the page, and the slideshow is large, not leaving too much else to look at.

Burgatory’s website uses many design principles, such as balance, unity, emphasis, and layout. The layout and color choices across design elements on the page give it a sense of unity. The webpage seems laid back and relaxed with the choice of typography and wording. There is also a good contrast in the dark navigation bar and the stark white-gray color of the background and text. It is clear as to what words are hyperlinks because they are either underlined or change color when you glide your cursor over them. 

Overall, the usability of this website is easy for users with minimal experience with websites or the internet. Everything you could possibly want to look for is connected to a link in the navigation bar. At no point did I dwell on or think “where should I begin.” Its minimal color scheme and layout make the experience easy on the eye and mind.

In some ways, Burgatory’s webpage is quite similar to Dizzy Dipz. This is of no surprise to me because I took inspiration from their site in regards to the layout and content. I do think that Dizzy Dipz stands out because it gives off young and social vibes. The colors alone are so vibrant and different from most other companies and I think it gives it an edge when comparing it to a restaurant with similar menu items. I also like how Dizzy Dipz includes more photos that will give the consumer a better idea of the both the atmosphere and food. The wording and names of the headers and items on both sites allow for a better insight, as well. Burgatory includes a very minimal amount of photos within the bulk of content, but uses an abundance of playful typography. I think both sites look pretty clean and simple with an easy understanding of the navigation process. 

Reference

Burgatory. (n.d.). Retrieved July 22, 2019, from https://burgatorybar.com/

Review 3

I have chosen Burgatory and La Prima coffee company as two restaurants to compare to. Burgatory has a great flow to their website, but stands out also. Burgatory’s website is very easy to read, and has really great navigation as well. The only thing that is bothersome is that some of the elements of design makes the site look busy. On La Prima coffee company’s website they have a very simple and clean look. There isn’t anything that is too busy on the website. This makes everything easy to see and great to navigate as well. There is also a visual hierarchy on the Burgatory website, however, La Prima does have some hierarchy but not as visual as Burgatory. Burgatory definitely has the hierarchy in place that is not mistaken for anything else. On both sites there is a clear explanation of everything that is going on. There is no “frilly” text involved on either website. Burgatory has some fun text involved but it is short and sweet. There is good balance to both of the websites and well. Burgatory has a lot of emphasis on their website, especially with their colors on their menu bar. I find that Burgatory is more attention getting just because of the boldness and the colors on the site.

Review 4

I chose the website laprima.com for the competition against my website. La Prima is a coffee company in Pittsburgh, and their website is done really well. In my website I have a slideshow as well, but their slideshow takes up the entire background. Their navigation is really great because it is next to their logo in the menu bar. Everything is really easy to read, and easy to navigate. The colors on laprima.com is really well done. The colors match with the brand and is really clean and modern.

The website that I have done with my group is nicely done. It seems clean, but it does not really compare to laprima.com. Laprima.com is very clean and modern, and there is also a good flow to their website. We have a great flow with our website, but it’s a very limited website. It’s very simple, and definitely more of a beginner’s website. Our website will have a cool pattern to it to help the website stand out. It also has a great font, and it’s very simple as well. 

Hopkins Review 4

The website that I consider completion for my fusion restaurant is La Prima. The layout of La Prima’s website is very clean and compartmentalized. The color scheme of their website is very neutral with sticking with dark grey, coffee brown, and light blue. They had a sense of texture in their pictures primarily in their pictures of coffee grounds. Their menu bar is just a button that says menu that slides out after you click on it. It gives you the option of what page you want to see and goes into different types of coffee you can buy when you click on shop. I think the website now is effective, but also a little too much. You have to think a little bit about where you need to go when you first open the site. I think it would be more effective if the menu bar went across the top of the page under the logo to give it a better sense of navigation. 

My final project site is more effective and stands out more than La Prima’s because our menu bar is at the top of the page so you can see your options clearly and it has the visited link color change so you can see where you already looked. The other difference between the two sites is the choice of color. La Prima’s site has more earth tones while the final project site has brighter colors that catch your attention better than La Prima’s.

Review #4

https://chezramarestaurantcolumbus.wordpress.com/

The layout is decent but I would prefer to have more white space between the sections. For the color I don’t think the purple hued background goes well with the website. There seem to be two different color pallets co existing on the same page and they are definitely competing. The texture is overwhelming to me-texture sensory overload! The navigation is simple and functional, it does what it needs to do but it isn’t anything fancy. 

I think my team website really stands out with the Chez Rama Restaurant described above. Our website has more white space so it doesn’t feel like it’s crowded. Also more professional pictures have been taken. The JQuery navigation adds visual interest while simplifying the user experience.

Shandel, Review #4

I have chosen the restaurant Eleven’s website (Elevenck.com). Their layout is simple, clean and uncluttered. I only have two complaints: The navigation bar gets a little weird when the window is resized, and the layout for the photo gallery is inconvenient which I will get into more detail later. Navigation overall is easy for the user; very clear and self explanatory. The color of the site is easy on the eyes; the minimal, neutral color scheme includes compatible colors. As Chapter 2 in The Principles of Beautiful Web Design describes the color orange is used to psychologically induce an energetic feeling in the onlooker, I feel it is definitely doing the job here. It is light and fun, even tho darker tones are used. Texture is seen at the top and the bottom of every page of the website. It’s just the right amount and the texture is not too busy.

Being honest I’m a bit concerned about how my website will stand out. I definitely encountered some difficulties with JQuery effects on images. However, I feel the overall design is similar. There is a minimal color scheme with compatible colors, good quality photos of food and of other featured artwork. The navigational bars seem to be the same, so I feel better in not missing anything imperative. 

In particular, my restaurant page encourages interaction outside of the website; on social media. The photo gallery on Eleven.com has a nice large slide show, but then has extremely large images in one single row continuing down the page. Personally, I do not find this attractive. Other than that detail, I feel the actual concept of the Pittsburgh themes restaurant is what will put it apart from an upscale place like Eleven.

Review 4 Colton Taylor

Competitor’s site: https://rmu.andrewyames.com/artm2210-intro-to-web-design/artm2210-intro-to-web-design-assignments/artm2210-review-4/

            I researched the website for the “Church Brew Works” which is a popular restaurant in Lawrenceville. The Church Brew Works is somewhat of a fusion restaurant as it combines the architecture of a church from the 1800’s with the dinner choices of many different cultures as well as a variety of alcoholic beverages. The website appears to utilize “hierarchical architecture” as you are greeted with a series of tabs on the left side of the screen. “Brews and Menus” are listed first as they are the most likely to be what users are looking for. Clicking the “brews” button will open a window asking the user if they are 21 or older which is always hilarious to see. Unlike the “brews” section, the “menu” button opens a pdf of the restaurant’s current menu rather than a list of choices. The site uses a very attractive combination of blue and yellow as well as some stained glass artwork. A series of still photos featuring the establishment’s interior and exterior alternate while you browse the homepage. One flaw of having the clean and colorful composition of the site is that some of the still photos look very blurry and out of focus when positioned next to the crisp and clean artwork.

            I would say that The Church Brew Works website is very similar to my groups website in several ways. Both of the sites have links to social media and are divided by tags such as “Menu, beverages, history, etc. While our site has the user navigate using buttons at the top of the webpage, the church brew works navigation occurs with buttons placed on the left of the screen. Our site also tries to convey a stronger sense of class or “expensive taste”. While the church brew works is NOT cheap, their website implies a stronger sense of culture and family rather than elegance and prestige. While the sites are visibly different upon first inspection, they are very similar in regards to layout.

Hopkins Review 3

The two websites that I chose to compare are the Six Penn Kitchen website and the No. 9 Park website. The website for the Six Penn Kitchen seems to be balanced better than the website for No. 9 Park. Everything is evenly balanced in a defined area, centered on the page. No. 9 Park’s website does not seem as balanced as Six Penn Kitchen because you cannot get a feel of the whole website. The overall look is organized, with pictures dividing the page, but you do not get a sense of symmetry from scrolling through. 

I think the Six Penn Kitchen site has a better sense of unity than the No. 9 Park site. Six Penn Kitchen’s site is aesthetically pleasing with the colors playing off each other nicely. The color of the text coordinates with the pictures that they chose to use, which makes the overall look nice. No. 9 Park has a nice sense of unity by carrying the same look throughout the site. 

The main emphasis on Six Penn Kitchen’s site is where it says “After 12 great years, we will be closing our doors on February 17.” This part draws the most attention because it is at the top of the page with the message in a bold font. The areas on No. 9 Park’s site that has the most emphasis is the areas where it has pictures filling up the page. Each picture has a header summarizing the information below it. 

The layout of Six Penn Kitchen is very simple, but looks good as a whole. This contrasts the No. 9 Park layout due to it being a fancier layout. The layout is more spread out and interactive, but also simple and easy to use. 

Both websites use Krug’s first important thing by being easy to use without getting frustrated. They are also both self-evident, don’t make you think, and helps you find information in a timely manner. The only difference between the two is that you do not have a back button on the Six Penn Kitchen site since the rest of the site is not accessible, but the back button works on the No. 9 Park site. 

The Six Penn Kitchen is more effective than the other one at drawing my attention because everything is in one area, it’s clean and simple, and the colors grabbed my attention. 

Review #3, Megan Shandel


Since Bravo Franco and Six Penn Kitchen no longer exist, I took the last option provided: No. 9 Park, and Burgatory. Both sites have the information centered in the window. Text and images are also separated with space between the two. The sites also have a balance of color, with complementing colors and a consistent theme. Keeping the same theme throughout all the pages keep the sense of unity. Both websites do not crowd their pages. This layout makes the websites easy for the viewer to navigate. Things are clear and so are the link to navigate to other pages. 

Both website’s headings are designed well and follow what is described on page 50 of Krug’s book: Enough space is allowed between them and the heading is closer to the content it is about rather than the content above. Theres is a definite hierarchy, letting the reader know what is most important to look at. They also don’t have too much text, overwhelming the viewers. As previously stated, there is a good balance between images and text.

Burgatory definitely grabs my attention more than No. 9 Park. I believe it is mostly because of the color contrast. It is meant to pop and catch attention. No. 9 Park looks good, but is more subdued with the colors. This restaurant is more upscale than Burgatory, therefore it makes sense the feel of the website should mirror the vibe of the venue.

Colton Taylor Review 3

I observed the websites of “Six Penn Kitchen” and “No. 9 Park” for the purpose of this review. While both of these websites serve as homepages for restaurants, they could not be more different in my opinion.  First I shall review the layout of both the sites as well as recall my experience navigating them. “No.9 Park” has a much more professional look to their website.  Due to the nature of their food choices (more expensive than average meals) they have opted for a more developed site to give a classier feel. It uses a neutral light grey background to enable the viewer to observe the site with little eye strain. It also uses a scrolling parallax effect which appears to be common for restaurants attempting to appear luxurious.  I think the organization is great and is a great example of Krug’s “scene from a mall” example from the text. As soon as you open this website you are greeted with the beginning of their menu. This eliminates any useless searching to find what most users are observing the site for in the first place. 

            Six Penn Kitchen however, couldn’t be anymore different than No.9 Park’s website. When I opened the website for Six Penn Kitchen I thought I had made a mistake as It didn’t appear to be a finished or completely developed website. The first thing I naturally did was find somewhere to click as the site’s only visible information is a sentence announcing the establishment’s closing date. It appears that all of the “clickable” areas do not have any effect on the webpage. In the bottom there are squares of different colors that may at one time housed the different food offerings at the restaurant. Krug stated in the text that in his opinion whenever you visit a website you are first likely to be looking for something which will lead you to “ask” or “browse” first. Upon realizing that this first homepage gave me little to no information about this restaurant, I did in fact look for anywhere on the page that I could find information. The only thing that can be learned from this webpage is that they are closing on February 17th, and that they serve steak and one other dish judging from the only visible pictures of food. 

Burgatory and No.9 Park – Website Comparison and Review

Since the introduction of technology into the everyday lives of the average person, information has been even easier to spread and find. It is more important now than ever before to have social media or a website, especially as a business. Consumers are online round-the-clock and can find out about your company in a single click. While websites used to contain only text, nowadays there are endless possibilities for layouts and design. As examples, I explored the websites of two local restaurants, Burgatory and No. 9 Park, to see how they compare. 

Burgatory is a popular local food chain that is known for its “helluva burgers” and “heavenly shakes.” They pride themselves on their all-natural ingredients and huge portions. Burgatory has multiple locations in the Pittsburgh area, including the PPG Paints Arena, Heinz Field, and Cranberry Township. Burgatory was established in 2011, and their website reflects the modern feel.

When you first land on the Burgatory homepage, you are met with a simple and intuitive design. At the very top of the page, the red ‘B” that is their logo sits centered on a very dark brown navigation bar. Under the logo, there are links to the menu, locations, merchandise, and careers. Below this, there is a slideshow of colorful photos that convey the customers, food, and employees of the company in a positive, tasteful light. When looking at the site’s homepage, it is easy to see where you need to go. The items on the navigation bar attracted my attention mainly because of its light gray color against the dark title bar but also because it is centered at the top of the page, and the slideshow is large, not leaving too much else to look at.

Burgatory’s website uses many design principles, such as balance, unity, emphasis, and layout. The layout and color choices across design elements on the page give it a sense of unity. The webpage seems laid back and relaxed with the choice of typography and wording. There is also a good contrast in the dark navigation bar and the stark white-gray color of the background and text. It is clear as to what words are hyperlinks because they are either underlined or change color when you glide your cursor over them. 

Overall, the usability of this website is easy for users with minimal experience with websites or the internet. Everything you could possibly want to look for is connected to a link in the navigation bar. At no point did I dwell on or think “Where should I begin”. I just instinctively knew where to click next. Its minimal color scheme and layout make the experience easy on the eye and mind.

No. 9 Park is an upscale restaurant that serves French and Italian entrees and European wines. While this restaurant only has one location, it is in an elegant townhouse in Boston’s historic Beacon Hill. The restaurant prides itself on its intilmate setting and refined cuisine. 

No. 9 Park’s website is in many ways similar to Burgatory’s. The site also features a dark brown navigation bar with a large photo beneath it. The navigation bar features similar elements, with the logo in the top left corner, and the menu and other links listed beside it. The text for both the logo and the hyperlinks appear to be light cream or white in color. The picture features the storefront location in Boston’s Beacon Hill. Like Burgatory, the site is easy to navigate because of its simple design. 

No. 9 Park’s website also utilizes design principles, such as balance, unity, emphasis, and layout. The layout and color choices across all of the internal pages and links have a sense of unity. Emphasis is put on the fine dining options with professional photos spread throughout the site of their divine courses. They also allow the user to navigate the website through distinctive buttons on the right side of the page. This leads to a more direct navigation of the site, landing the user on the proper panel, overall enhancing the user experience. 

In Steve Krug’s book Don’t Make Me Think, he addresses five things that are necessary for a user to enjoy and understand the look and content of a site. These things are:

1. Creating a clear visual hierarchy

2. Taking advantage of naming and graphic conventions

3. Breaking pages into sections

4. Making links look clickable

5. Minimizing noise

Both of these websites do a very good job at addressing these needs. In regards to heirarchy, Burgatory definitely takes the crown. Its use of bold typography and graphics is very different from the delicate and light design of No. 9 Park’s. I believe they also do a great job in dividing the page into clear sections. Burgatory mainly does this through dashed lines and bold lettering, whereas No. 9 Park uses photographs as dividers. Both websites use underlining to define what is a hyperlink throughout the body of their sites, but must not feel it neccessary in the navigation bar. It works well in their favor and leaves behind a clean and simple design.

Overall, both Burgatory’s and No. 9 Park’s websites look very professional but are very different in terms of the overall style. Burgatory’s style is more casual and bold, and No. 9 Park’s leans toward a more polished and simple aesthetic. Personally, I am more drawn to the unique style and typography that Burgatory utilizes. Regardless of whichever restaurant website you choose, you are sure to enjoy your experience.

References

Burgatory. (n.d.). Retrieved July 22, 2019, from https://burgatorybar.com/

No. 9 Park. (n.d.). Retrieved July 22, 2019, from http://www.no9park.com/#intro

Review #3

While reading the book and comparing between the No. 9 Park and HugeDomains.com there is a huge difference in catching people attention the HugeDomains.com uses loud colors and attention grabbers like words in all capitals. There is so much going on it makes you confused of what to click and what is the right place for it like the book mentioned it’s easier for the consumer if they knew where to click and navigate through the store or website. On the other hand the No. 9 Park uses mostly pictures of the restaurant and uses simple navigation. The menu bar create unity and feeling like everything is holding together. The pictures create balance as you are scrolling and your eyes know where they should be looking because of it. HugeDomains.com is the opposite, everything on the page has an equal weight and is competing for attention. the No. 9 Park has a simplicity that for me personally draws my attention. I’m not anxious like i am looking at the other site. Everything is organized in a way that makes sense and i took my time and knew where to go. HugeDomains.com it forces you to click things for example BUY NOW! or Start Payment Plan. They are using this as a confusion tactic to make me click something now knowing what it is.

Colton Taylor Review 2

Link: https://compass.works/

            I found “Compass” while browsing many sites featured on onepagelove.com. Compass is a service that helps users improve their own webpages. When a user submits their webpage to Compass, they will then receive a short and concise video from one of the staff members. This video will attempt to tell the user what they believe works well, or does not work so well with their current website. I think this formula is very user-friendly. The one-page layout allows the viewer to easily comprehend what this webpage’s purpose is and also how to use it. The webpage uses black and yellow text as well as graphics that do not seem distracting or hard to read. The webpage has the viewer scroll down to learn more about Compass’s features and background information. When viewers first visit the site they are greeted with a short video of the founder “Stephen” explaining what exactly the webpage’s purpose is. The longer you scroll down the more information you will find. This includes how the reviews work, why they are helpful, and eventually pricing and purchasing options.

            I think this webpage is designed very well. I have never heard of paying a company to review your product only so you can improve. Within seconds I was able to understand what this webpage was for and how to operate it. It conveniently places all the answers to commonly asked questions at the top of the webpage and places the more intricate information towards the bottom. It uses a series of simple to comprehend notes that contain small graphics. This site is a great example of how a one-page site can serve as a clear and concise method of delivering information.

Review 2

https://milkshake.app/

The front page of the website is a dynamic webpage where the colors are constantly changing. Most of the front-page colors are active colors such as red, orange, and yellow. These colors give an energy to the website and motivate users to explore the content. The heading title (milkshake) is presented in a smooth font with a reverse text color based on each background color. However, the dynamic front page has also some dark colors which I think is a drawback in this web design because the color change from bright to dark does not provide constant mood to users. To navigate through the website, users can scroll down to browse the content of the website or a user can click on a side menu from the corner to choose what content to browse. In addition, this website design is implementing changing color schemes to provide richness and character to the content.

The second page of the website is showing some design samples that the website has to offer. These samples are automatically changing every three seconds. However, the motion of these samples is annoying because they move fast. The samples are represented in a geometric shape with smooth rounded edges. The third page of the website has a light-yellow background with a red title text and a dark navy subheading. This page allows users to interact with the content where a user can click on a right or a left arrow to browse the sample designs. The last two pages are also using light color backgrounds which match the scheme of other pages.

In general, I like the simplicity of this design. It is easy to browse this website because it has less texting which makes it easier to scan. I also like the rounded buttons that change colors when hovering the mouse over them. The only drawback I think is the use of dark background in the front interactive page. I would suggest using only light and active color to maintain consistency.

One Page Love Review

The website that I chose from onepagelove.com is called Vespillo-lefilm.com. The sites title page starts out as very dark and mysterious. The background is a gradient black with silver lettering to make the lettering stand out. Also, there is a wooden coffin in the center of the page to make it stand out. The site in the very beginning is attention grabbing and mysterious. The mystery of the color and the smoky texture on the page makes you want to scroll. The scroll pattern seems to be floating, making it easy to scroll through. The scrolling is mostly up and down, except for a few panels. Some of the panels do scroll sideways, but they do flow really well. 

            The flow of the page is one of my favorite parts of the website. One-page websites can be stale when one scrolls up and down, but this site has both to make it interesting. There are some sketches in the website as well, and that gives a texture of viewing the sketches on paper. The site also has some 3-D qualities as well, as if you are in the website itself. It’s a really well-done website and is attention getting.