Website Critique #1

Website Critique #1 www.redbullcopilot.com
Navigation:
Overall, this website is really easy to navigate. There are four main parts of the website that are visual clues to help the viewer interact. When the mouse passes over the words they start flashing and lines shoot out from underneath them. The designer uses metaphors on this site that are familiar traditional metaphors, organizational metaphors and functional metaphors. The traditional metaphors are the “rewind” and other options buttons when viewing the live movies of the flights. The functional metaphors are the dials from the dashboard of an airplane. These images are just “cut” and “pasted” onto the site. The organizational metaphors are the type and how they are organized on the pages. They are sorted by size and typeface depending on what site is clicked on.
Information Architecture:
The information in this site makes complete sense. The information and content can be accessed easily and is really organized. It is organized by location of headers, the category and by a timeline of past events. For example, it shows each country that this event is held and at different times of the year. Visually, the content has hierarchy and this helps for the viewer to access the information that is presented. For example, the four main parts of this site are in bold print, up in the top right corner. Having something on a page that is bigger and bolder will definitely help a viewer navigate through out the page.
Usability:
This Red Bull site is really easy to use and the navigation and information given really help in making it successful. The metaphors make complete sense with the site and add a touch of humor. Overall, this site sustains my interest and engagement. I continued going through page after page even when I had already seen them all.
Meaning-Making: (Narrative and Metaphoric Structures)
The designer of this site creates meaning by using a lot of metaphors and by using a very unique timeline of events. As you click page to page, it is kind of like unfolding a new event or piece of the puzzle. This Red Bull Copilot event is huge and the designer was able to grasp every little part of it with understanding. This site is a multi-linear narrative, which works perfectly because it doesn’t matter which part of the event happens first, the thing that is most important is that the site is extremely interesting and interactive.
Reflection of the User:
There is a small reflection of me on this site. I am a person that “fly’s by the seat of my pants” and this site is exactly that. It is very diverse and intense and every time I return to the site I find something new I didn’t see before. The site is engaging enough that I would defiantly spend a lot of time lingering and exploring page by page.
Transparency of Design:
The design of the site leads me to pay more attention to the content and also the design itself. It feels extremely natural and I take the time to read the content and view the design without feeling rushed or in a hurry. The transparency really helps the design of the site makes sense and do what it was intended to do.