Here is a critical Analysis of The Times Online website, which is the online version of the popular “The Daily Times” and its sister “The Sunday Times” newspapers. The analysis looks at aspects such as the search ability of the site, the usability and the navigation as well as other aspects of the websites design. Below are my findings
Searchability:
www.alexa.com states that The Times Online worldwide traffic is ranked 38 in the U.K. This shows that the website is one of the most visited website in the United Kingdom. Searchability is vital for any website in order to get traffic. These high traffic numbers indicate that The Times Online is extremely easy to come across on search engines. With Google’s market share being the highest in the world-69 percent of all searches (2007, http://www.compete.com) it’s vital that websites such as The Times Online can be found easily, and from a variety of search terms in Google.
For example the term “times” when searched into Google, gives the first hit as The Times Online, in the same watywhen searching for stories that are currently in the news on Google News, The Times Online, is always one of the first five hits. If a reader of The Times wished to look at the online version of the paper, they would be able to remember the URL extremely easily, or be able to guess it easily.
Usability.
The pages and links load promptly, with no delay. Videos and other medias also load respectively. Headlines are hyperlinked so the reader can easily find the rest of a story if they headline and tagline catches their attention.
Furthermore there are many words and phrases hyperlinked within articles which allows readers to easily and quickly access more information and additional features on the website. Hyperlinks also stand within an article, and therefore makes articles easy to scan, in case the reader does not have time to read an entire article, or if they are only looking for specific information. Nielsen (1997) found that 79 percent of readers scanned content on the Internet instead of reading it properly. Because of this Neilson suggests that websites must employ certain techniques such as highlighted text, “meaningful sub-headings”, lists, and information being presented in the inverted pyramid structure. The Times Online incorporates all these features, however not all are present in all of the articles.
In addition to these features there are links to related stories, or other stories readers maybe of interest next to articles.
Navigation.
The Times Online has a main navigation bar which directs the user to main areas of the site such as “news”, “business”, “sport” and so on. These headings coincide with sections you would find in a hardcopy of a newspaper. However there are additional sections such as “subscription” and “archives” which you would not find in a newspaper.
There is a sub-navigation bar for each heading, which then breaks down the contents of the page into more detailed section. For example the navigation bar for “news” is broken down into sections such “UK news”, “politics” and “environment”. However these navigation bars seem a bit cramped, and perhaps fewer categories could have been used.
A “where am I” bar has also been installed on the site. This allows the user to clearly see what section they are in, and which category that section falls into. This allows them to go back to previous sections of the home page with ease.
There are numerous other links throughout the site leading to different stories, blogs, poll and the like. Some of these seem to be unnecessary and they are not atheistically pleasing, and seem to clog up many of the pages.
Design.
The Times Online has a simple design, with the site heading in large font at the top of the page with the navigation bar situated directly underneath. There are two columns, the left with the main stories and features of the day, the right side with additional links, feeds and advertisements. Although organised many of the pages, including the home page, seem to lack a focal point and can appear disjointed, one of the elementary downfalls of a site according to webpagesthatsuck.com.
The site only uses about three colours in its design, which makes it easy to view and allows content such as headlines to stand out and be easily recognised for what they are. Pictures are used, but only for top stories and features, which stops the page becoming too over crowded, and draws the attention to the top stories. Brinck et al (2002) state that diversity in a websites design is important in order to obtain traffic from a variety of people. The Times Online is diverse in respect of the content of the site, however the design is the same or similar on each page. If not for the clear headings a user may not be able to differentiate from page to another.
Content.
In terms of content there is a wide variety of stories, polls, feature articles and photography.
The Times Online has hard news stories, those which are headlines, as well as smaller stories as well as soft news pieces. There is a wide range of sections such as a Lifestyle category that features articles from fashion to food. Content also includes jobs, classified, property and a shopping section. A user can get information on almost anything. This gives the site a wide target audience, appealing to the traditional Times reader as well as a newer audience, or those just seeking specific information.
The content is clearly titled, and signposted with hyperlinks connecting many stories, and an RSS feed used to continually update readers
Video and Audio content.
Videos are used throughout the site and seem to be kept at a limited number, in order to keep the site loading quickly and efficiently.
The videos are mainly in the entertainment sections or the news sections. Video content usually consists of an interview, either on a top story, or on popular culture such as a new film release. The site also uses videos of trailers for new programmes and films, which would generate additional traffic to the site, from users who are seeking information on the new releases.
There is little audio content on The Times Online. The majority of audio content comes from snippets of audio books that have been reviewed, or extracts of radio shows. There is also audio content on the music section. Users can listen to samples of upcoming albums. In addition there are also some audio interviews the user can listen too. This may be an advantage as audio content is a lot lighter than video and will not slow down a website as much.
Interactivity.
The Times Online seems to have a lot in regards to interactivity. User can post comments on articles, as well as “recommend” other user’s comments.
Polls are abundant throughout the site, on social issues as well as political and popular. Users can also email and send in letters to the editor and columnists.
In addition articles that are most commented link separately on the home page so users can read articles that have obviously caused discussion amongst readers. A lot of the users seem to have used the comment feature to have discussions with each other, much like a forum. However there is no actual forum or discussion area designated on the site, which would seem to be a missing necessity.
UGC (User Generated Content).
The Times Online integrates UGC by publishing letters that readers have sent into the editors, as well as publishing letters related to stories that readers have a strong opinion on. A reader’s contribution is also published, which are stories about issues that effect communities and day-to-day lives of British citizens. For example there is a reader’s contribution story about too much “street furniture” on Britain’s streets.
In addition a classifieds sections has been added to the site, which allows users to post advertisement for things such as DIY jobs, announcements, personal advertisements, job vacancies and selling cars and such.
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