For our third site review, I will be analyzing Peter Allen’s Italian Restaurant’s website and Six Penn Kitchen’s website.
The first thing I noticed was how Peter Allen’s site adjusted to my browser window by using a different layout. Six Penn Kitchen made me have to scroll horizontally in order to see more of their information if my browser window was too small. So Peter Allen’s has an adjustable layout. Both sites utilize “persistent navigation”, which Krug describes as a “set of navigation elements that appears on every page.” They avoid the “happy talk” on their main home pages and stick to their message on each subpage such as dinner foods with their dinner page instead of being on their gallery page.
I noticed each site strives to have an image towards the top third of their web pages with information and links following afterwards meaning they have similar layouts. They tend to emphasize their product and service as well as the overall emotional feel they want their restaurant to portray to its customers. Personally, I feel that both sites are balanced when it comes to their imagery and information. They have clean navigation and they allow the user to “browse first or ask first” in Krug’s words. Each site gives the user freedom to explore, but also quickly find the information they are looking for. The unity is tied together by having their logo and “persistent navigation bar” on each page along with similar wireframes, color scheme, and typographic selections.
In contrast to the examples shown on page 62 of Steve Krug’s “Don’t Make Me Think–Revisited”, both sites would be considered easy to navigate and find information within a user’s first visit. In the figure shown on page 62, most sites require subsequent visits in order to memorize the paths to specific pages of information. However, each section is clearly labeled and has specific information pertaining to the labeled sections therefore making the sites user friendly.
As another observation, every page on both websites sticks to their overall message and identity. Krug talks about how people do not always enter a site through the home page anymore, which can tend to be a problem. In contrary, Peter Allen’s and Six Penn Kitchen successfully deliver their message and overall identity on every page while leaving their layouts clean with quick access to the homepage. No matter where a user enters the site, they know what site they are on.
I have a personal preference towards Peter Allen’s Restaurant because I feel like the information is not as concentrated and squished on their website. Their identity is brighter and more uplifting than Six Penn Kitchen’s identity appeal. I also like how their website is adaptable to the browser window, which is good for mobile phones and tablets.
–Katie Carlton