Evaluation of the Open University website:
Overall evaluation: A good website. Functionality: A+ Aesthetics:B+
Good Features:
- Looks clean, calm, and uncluttered.
- No heavy reliance on graphical elements or Flash rubbish
- Easy to find what you want using links or search
- Good prominent links to Privacy Policy, Accessibility information, etc
- Didn't test the sign in though have done so in the past and it works fine (most of the time!)
- The main image changes once in a while which makes the page look fresh and not neglected. Ditto the news stories.
- Didn't seem to be any "Mystery Meat"
- Good accessibility but...
Bad Features:
- ...accessibility is let down when text is viewed at largest size (using the buttons on the page which are a nice touch) - the "sign in" box obscures the bottom navigational elements
- The OU logo with the bottom-to-top sideways text looks really bizarre. On some subpages the text is shown horizontally instead. I'd argue that the logo on its own is perfectly adequate and would get away from using "text as image"
- Seems to load a bit slowly at times, even when refreshing the page
Evaluative comments:
This website is careful not to bombard you with too much information although it soon becomes apparent that there is masses of very useful content once you delve a bit deeper. Some of the sections look quite different to each other and to the Home Page which is a bit disorientating. It could be argued they each have their own identity maybe?