Category: Site Review

The site I decided to review is for a pierogi place called Pierogie Plus, I chose them because our Fusion restaurant is a Pittsburgh meets New Orleans fusion restaurant that specializes in class pierogies with a cajun twist. Overall their website is okay, the color scheme works, and the font is readable. One negative we see right off the bat is the inconsistency in font size. In some places, it shrinks when needed, but there are spots where the font is just drastically bigger while surrounded by much smaller fonts, this can cause the page to look bumpy when reading which can distract the viewer.

The website is informative but should try to keep the tabs on the main bar to a minimum. There are currently 9 tabs on the main bar, and most of these categories could all go under one tab. I think most websites that work well tend to have only 3-5 bars on the home tab, in order to not confuse or overwhelm the customer.

I think our site will stand out because of its easy navigation, and appealing color scheme. Our website gives a lot of valuable information while staying simple without confusion.

I chose to look at Pittsburgh Pierogi Food truck, I chose this because out fusion is a pierogi and Cajun fusion food truck in Pittsburgh. http://pghpierogitruck.com/

The layout of all their pages is consistent, and the navigation of the website is easy. The homepage opens and at the top they have their logo and a taskbar with all the pages they have on the website. Which include Home, Menu, Schedule, Catering and Private Event, Fundraisers, Wholesale, and Contact. Each page keeps the task bar in the same location so its easily accessible. And at the bottom of every pager there is more links to their schedule, Fundraisers, and contacts each with a small description. In between these 2 bars is the content for each page.

They also use the same colors throughout, red, yellow, and white. The top bar is bright red with a yellow logo which stands out when you first open the page. And each of the headings are in red font to make them stand out.

I think that this website is similar to our design that we are creating, but I think ours will stand out because we are planning to use some different formatting and more embellishments rather than having all the text on a white background. Also we want to have a map and a calendar instead of just a calendar like they have for scheduling.

I chose to look at No 9 Park and Burgatory for this review.

At first glance their layout is very similar, they both open to a photograph as the first thing you see. No 9 Park has one stagnant image and a few more as you scroll where as Burgatory has a set of images that it goes though. Each webpage also has a top tool bar that has options for the different pages that they have. They both also use a great amount of emphasis they know what they want to stand out. Burgatory uses emphasis on the words “Helluva Burger + Heavenly Shakes” because that is what they are built around. And No 9 Park uses different fonts to make sections stand out more and it also separates them. Each of the sites also have a good balance, nothing seems to be completely out of place, and it also flows. And the same goes for with unity.

I think that fir each site each section and the pages are broken up in defined area. On the front homepages each uses picture, text, and backgrounds to create the definition.  I think both also make it very easy to find what is clickable and helps with the easy navigation because its clear where the click is taking you.

The site I am choosing to compare the final project with is The Mac & Gold Truck. I decided to go with this site because it is the same format as the final project, a food truck that is Pittsburgh inspired. It offers many of the same services, like catering, and the theming is similar. I did not know of this truck or it’s site before the project, so it was a good candidate for discussion. The website is very simple with a black & gold color theme, simple geographic layout, and easy-to-use navigation system. I viewed this site through the desktop browser.

The layout is nothing crazy, with text placed above in a navigation bar and captions on photos that are square or rectangle shaped. The eye line typically goes from left to right, so it is easy to follow along. They included a gallery of photos on the homepage. It is not that engaging which is worth noting due to the flat background and no use of moving graphics. There is no distinctive texture; no use of lines or patterns are present. The logo at the top of the page has some going on, but it is cut-off slightly. As for analyzing their use of color, the black & gold theme is an obvious play on Pittsburgh’s sporting team colors. It is used all throughout their marketing; a plain black background is present on each page with yellow or white typography and brief transition between links. This helps with brand identity as well because guests will be able to connect their theming. A bright color against a dark background makes the text and graphics easy to decipher for online viewing. Overall, the food truck’s website builds a strong brand that directly appeals to the demographic of their location but is in need of some work in the design sector of texture. The usability is slightly affected by their current maintenance period as their social medias are not currently active. By looking at some of the information listed, it seems to not have been updated for quite some time as they are going through some maintenance work.

In comparison to our final project, the sites are very different. Our group’s color scheme is different as we are using deep purples and violet shades to add some personality into the website instead of black. We wanted to avoid heavy backgrounds while still keeping the content light with strong golds and pale yellows. We are trying to keep the typography simple, but not bland. Usability is a big factor in our work. I think our website will stand out due to the use of graphics like our brand logo and unique menu offerings. Mac and Gold’s site gets the point across and information out there, but could greatly benefit from a change in appearance.

The Wild Ninja Asian Grill’s (WNAG) website is a very simple website that is easy to navigate. To navigate through the website’s main sections, the home page, gallery, online order and contact us, you just need to scroll. The banner with tabs at the top of the screen gets smaller as you scroll down to not get in the way, which is a small but nice detail. The color scheme of the main page is also simple using only a few colors, white, salmon and beige, making the site easy on the eyes. There are some slight aesthetic choices that do make some parts a little difficult to read. The home page has a picture of their food with some text over it but the text is white with no drop shadow making it difficult to read. Also in the contact section there is a graphic of a pan in the background that clashes with some of the text making it hard to read. Everything else design wise is simple and pleasant to look at. To order online you go to that section of the site and click to order, then it takes you to a page where you decide pick up or delivery, although they only have pickup as an option so I don’t see a reason for this page to exist. After you click pickup, you are taken to the restaurant’s menu, with the first page being popular items. There are tabs at the top of the page where you can explore other options. After you add your items to the cart it takes you through a simple payment process. Side note, they offer 15% off your first order which is a nice promotional tactic. Overall the site is easy to navigate and nice to look at. It’s very user friendly and does what it’s supposed to, offer information about the restaurant and do online orders. 

Compared to the design of the website for Steel Cajun, Wild Ninja Asian Grill is very simple and not as complicated. For Steel Cajun we have 8 tabs that are unique whereas WNAG uses a single page layout except for the online ordering option. Steel Cajun’s website will stand out over WNAG’s website because we offer a more personalized experience. We have pages that tell potential customers about the team who work at the restaurant and we also offer merchandise. Our color scheme is also more vibrant than theirs since we used a purple and gold theme to represent the New Orleans inspiration. 

The local restaurant that I believe would be in competition with my group’s theoretical restaurant is Shouf’s cafe ( http://shoufs-cafe.com ). This restaurant is a mediterranean – American fusion restaurant similar to our created restaurant. The layout created between our two restaurants’ websites are not similar. Shouf’s is much less modern and much less organized than my group’s website is turning out. The color schemes are also different. Shouf’s utilize black and olive green primarily whereas our restaurants website utilizes the color red, primarily. Shouf’s website is also very unorganized and hard to follow. Things just seem like they’re in the wrong place. Our website is trying to create an easy to navigate layout in order to help aesthetics as well as usage, obviously.

Because Shouf’s restaurant is unorganized, the way they take the user through the content on the website is unusual. The flow is horrible as, for example, on their homepage, they feature links to articles rather than a short biography about the restaurant or the menu. I believe our final website will be much more accessible and user friendly than Shouf’s. Hopefully it appears this way to the potential user as we are working hard to create an easy to navigate website with reasonable pages being featured.

Despite the names of these restaurants sounding similar, the layout, designs, and aesthetic of each respective website differs vastly. Franktuary’s website, in my opinion, is a lot less modern/updated than Burgatory’s is. It is still a functional website but, when comparing the two, Burgatory’s website is more aesthetically pleasing. The one thing that Franktuary’s website does extremely well, however, is use balance well. Things are centered and placed in pairs of three creating a balance that Burgatory’s website doesn’t come close to accomplishing. Both Fraktuary and Burgatory’s websites utilize apt unity as well. Each page of these websites is designed similarly to other pages seen on the respective websites, creating a cohesive sense of unity.

Burgatory’s website, as previously stated, is much more aesthetically pleasing in my opinion. As well, it seems more modern in terms of layout when compared to Franktuary. Burgatory’s website utilizes emphasis much more than Franktuary. Big, bold letters in words and dark, aggressive colors meant to capture your attention. Franktuary’s website doesn’t use emphasis nearly as much as Burgatory’s website does.

For review three I decided to compare the websites of Fox’s Pizza Den and the Brighton Hot Dog Shoppe. Each restaurant takes a different approach for the websites, Fox’s decided to create a relatively easy to use website and Brighton Hot Dog Shoppe decided to make one of the worst websites I’ve ever seen.

When you first log onto Fox’s Pizza’s website you are taken to a simple but effective homepage. The homepage is a single page that has a banner at the top with tabs to other parts of the website, a big graphic promoting their pizza over a video showing the process of making a pizza.When you scroll down it asks you to enter your zip code so the nearest store can be located. Also when you scroll down the banner at the top gets smaller so as to not get in the way. Once you enter your zip code it takes you to a page of the nearest shop locations. After you click on the closest location you are given the choice to either place an order or view their menu. When you click to place an order you are taken to a page that has their menu and you select a specialty pizza or you can create your own. For example if you opt to create a pizza you can select the size you want, the sauce you want and any toppings, either on the whole pizza or only half. After that you add the pizza to your cart and are given the option to pick up the order or have it delivered. If you choose to pick up, that’s the end of the order process. If you choose delivery then you enter your information and then you choose if you want to pay online or with cash. If you choose cash, that’s the end of the order process, if you choose to pay online you enter your card information then you are done.

As I said Fox’s website is relatively easy to use, the first time I ordered something from their website it took a little time to figure things out but once you get past that it’s fairly easy to use. The website’s design is overall a mix of being nothing special and interesting. The home page with the video showing the pizza being made was a nice detail but once you get into ordering your food it’s like any other pizza website, which I suppose is a good thing because if it works for one of them it should theoretically work for all of them.

On the other hand the website for the Brighton Hot Dog Shoppe is one of the worst things I’ve ever seen and it hurts to use. When you first log onto the website it seems inoffensive, a banner at the top with some tabs, the company logo with the company mascot and some pictures of the food below it. However when you scroll down the entire banner and company logo follows you making it nearly impossible to read any of the information below, it covers everything. The worst part is that it’s on every page, the banner and logo follow you when you scroll down on every single page. On the about us page it at least gets smaller when you scroll down but on every other page it stays the exact same size and gets in the way. The logo also says “About Us” no matter what page you’re on. When you look at the locations it has the address but no hours of operation. It does however tell you when that particular store was opened because that’s clearly more important than the hours a store is open. There is a menu page but again cause the banner and logo follow you when you scroll down you can’t hardly read it. You also can’t make orders through the website, you can see a menu but you cannot place orders. The only things you can buy on their website are merchandise and gift cards. Also this is just something that bothered me but at the bottom of the website they have social media links and the logo they have for twitter is from 2012 which is mildly infuriating to me for some reason. 

Overall this website is a headache to use and almost pointless. I say almost because it does have store locations but at the same time there’s no hours for any of the stores so what’s the point? You can’t place orders but you can buy gift cards which is more convenient than going to a store to get them and you can also buy shirts and hoodies. However none of that to me is worth the headache you get while using their website.

I think having used both of these websites I would say that Fox’s is a lot easier to use and much better put together than the Brighton Hot Dog Shoppe website. On Fox’s website you can easily find a store and put an order in. Whereas with the Brighton Hot Dog Shoppe website the banner follows you no matter where you go, you can’t place an order and most annoyingly is that there are no hours for the stores.

For this review, I looked at Burgatory and Primanti’s websites. While similarly themed restaurants, they handle their websites in very different ways. Burgatory’s homepage opens with a few shots from inside the restaurant. The key star here is the burger, as the namesake of the restaurant. The images cycle on approximately 2 second timers, so visitors are exposed to as many as possible while not being jarring. The navigation bar is right up top, below the Restaurant’s logo, and has 8 different links to relevant parts of the website. The remainder of the homepage shows off current specials and gives a bit of information about the establishment. The rest of the site follows the same theme, with the dark red and black color scheme lending to the overall unity of the website. Everything on each page has a purpose, whether it is to emphasize the necessities or to show off the product. The format of the website is designed in a user friendly way with the navigation right in front of you as you enter the website. This streamlines the way the user moves through the site, but additionally, the scrolling images of the food serve to both pique the user’s interest and additionally grabs their attention. Overall, I think Burgatory’s website has a fantastic function and form, lending to a good overall experience.

Primanti’s homepage is more crowded, without much of a focal point. There is a large empty space on the homepage that almost looks like it should be a link or contain some content. There are a few links including locations, catering, careers, and even a sidebar that holds more links, but the primary subject of the homepage is a photographic link that allows the user to order food online. When this is clicked, a menu is brought up that prompts the user for pickup or delivery, then shows them a map and a list of locations. Each location has a sub-link to order now or for information about that location. Following the order now link prompts the user to add their information to a form and then allows for the food to be purchased. The other links on the homepage lead to the order page as well, but take the form of advertisements for various specials on offer. Overall, this website is minimal and utilitarian in form, and it does what it needs to do well enough. There are a few balance issues, and the use of space on the homepage is very puzzling to me. There is a lot of real estate that is simply not used. and even shifting the advertisement links over to fill the empty space would be a better solution. I’d say this site is an ok user experience with room to improve.

The single-page site that I chose to review is Opendoor Design. It has a very professional design and color palette, which makes the site easy to navigate. The main color choices for the font include black, white, and blue. These colors can also be seen in the graphics used on the page. Most of the page has verticle scrolling with linked tabs at the top that take you to each section. In the “Teams” section there is horizontal scrolling, and tabs that when clicked switches to the corresponding information in the overall “Teams” tab.

For this review of a single page site I decided to go with Cards Against Humanity’s website for their Climate Catastrophe Pack that was released in 2021. For this particular website you scroll up and down to see the information. Plus like most of the things Cards Against Humanity does the website is full of jokes, easter eggs and references to other things.

The true defining characteristics of the website though, is the color. The website is not full of different colors as there are only three primary colors used, red, black and white. When you open the website it’s a black background with big white text saying Cards Against Humanity Climate Catastrophe Pack, with red outlines of circles spinning in the background. As you scroll down the site the background color changes from black to red to black and then to white. When the color goes from black to red there are animated flames that lead into the red. When you scroll down a bit further it transitions back to red with a water or wave kind of look. The last transition a is a little further down where the black transitions to white.

The layout of the website is very simple and very easy to navigate. As stated, to navigate the website you have to scroll down, so that and the website not being very big is a nice way to keep navigation simple. As stated the first thing you see is a black background with big white text saying Cards Against Humanity Climate Catastrophe Pack. If you scroll a little bit then you see that underneath is a brief description of the pack, why they made it and the announcement of their partnership with the Coalition for Rainforest Nations. Scroll some more and they provide a link to purchase the card pack with a sneak peek of the cards. There is also a place to enter your zipcode to see if you are eligible for a discount on the pack as the discount is calculated by how screwed the area where you live is. Underneath that is a fun fact stating that every pack includes tree and tomato seeds and they offer a seed planting guide. The final area of the website is a Frequently Asked Questions section. 

Overall the site is easy to navigate and pleasant to look at as there are few colors and all the text is big and bold. This site is designed well and a great example of less is more. The website cuts to the chase as to why they made the card pack, the charity work going along with it and a link to buy the card pack. The website is not crowded or difficult to navigate. The text being big and bold allows for an easy read. It’s a short, sweet and to the point type of website.

For review number two, we were to analyze a continuous scrolling webpage taken from https://onepagelove.com/. Within this site, I chose to analyze “The Nifty Portal.” It promotes cryptocurrency and NFTs, which have been in the news a lot lately. I have to admit I still have very little concept of what NFTs are; It still pulled me in. This site has users navigate with up-and-down scrolling with minimal clicks to other pages.

This immediately jumped out at me because the preview looked almost like a video game or science fiction movie. The dark colors of the background images give it a movie poster feel, and the large, pale block fonts make the titles stick out. Every time you scroll, the font appearing next loads in exactly like an old video game loading page which I love. The use of the moving fonts make your eyes jump on to the next quickly. The typography element of this site made it super easy to decipher. A few of the graphics in the tab dividers went across the page from left to right. Some of the graphics flashed a few times before the mouse hovered over them, but it wasn’t anything too jarring. I wouldn’t count this as a negative because it added to the ambiance, but I still wanted to make note of it. The background graphics had a perspective zoom effect to them, so when you scrolled it either zoomed in or out with the direction of your scroll (up/down).

If a user needs to move on to a different part of the website, you either scroll up-and-down or click on a graphic that takes you elsewhere. The other places were links to social media profiles and legal documents like Terms & Conditions.

I think this is a very well done site because I was engaged the whole time. No clicking in between other tabs or looking track of the information, but wanting to know what was coming next. It was organized well in that each new segment was sectioned off with the proper tabs and new text boxes. It wasn’t jumbled up when you moved downward which some of the continuous scrolling sites have issues with. I mentioned above that I loved the colors and fonts the most.