Webside Critique #2

Website Critique #2 http://rachaelray.com/
Navigation: This website was really easy to navigate. The tabs at the top of the site are easy to see and have a higher hierarchy then the smaller type which gives viewers the visual clue to interact. The title has falling leaves behind it which gave me the idea that I could click on her name and it would interact, but it didn’t and I found that kind of confusing. The metaphor that I think I received from this site was that you were flipping through a cook book and the tabs at the top represented tabs of different foods in a cookbook. This kind of metaphor is more organized than anything else.
Information Architecture: The information in this site makes a ton of sense and the content is easily accessible. Each tab is clear and all the information can be read easily. The information was organized by category and then depending on the category, the information was then organized in a timeline or by location. The Food section was sorted by types and then the recipes were organized by a timeline. The store section was sorted by location and availability.
Usability: This site is really easy to use. It is fun to look through and keeps the interest of any viewer. The navigation and the information architecture of this site are really what make this website. The metaphor is a cute add-on to the content and really keeps me engaged in the information.
Meaning-Making: (Narrative and Metaphoric Structures) The designer created meaning through this site by keeping it entertaining and bringing her funky personality to the website. I don’t think the metaphor is really clear at first, but it becomes clearer the longer I stayed on the site. There really isn’t any type of story or narrative that unfolds over time, it is self explanatory.
Reflection of the User: There really isn’t any kind of reflection of the user on this site. It doesn’t change according to specific visits or receive mouse feedback. It is engaging enough that if I were looking up information on Rachael Ray I could find it and I enjoyed looking through it, but it is not the best website I have ever seen.
Transparency of Design: The design of this website leads me to pay more attention to the actual content. The design is cute, but not dramatic enough to keep me attention. This site makes sense with the transparency of the design. People who watch Rachael Ray are obviously looking for simpler was to do things and this website is straight forward.