Activity 1 - Critique the Web

On this first day of class, you haven’t done any readings. So we’re going to do a little activity that builds off your experience as a consumer of the web. You will pair up and each of you is responsible for critiquing one of the following websites.

Steps

Part 1

1. Identify a partner
2. Each of you select a website from the list below.
3. Open any document editor you like (can be WYSIWYG like MS Word, or it can be plaintext)
4. Work quietly, individually for 3-5 minutes to draft a critique of the website you chose. You will be asked to share your critique with your partner. Include at least these details:
   1. What is the URL of the website you chose?
   2. Tell about the site’s visual style. What is pleasing to look at and interact with? What isn’t pleasing? Be opinionated.
   3. Tell about the site’s usability. Is anything broken? How are the pages organized? How does one navigate between pages?
5. Take turns with your partner each sharing your critiques.
6. Augment your critique with anything that comes to mind from discussing it with your colleague, or by adopting elements you thought were interesting from their critique.

Part 2

Here’s a short video that dips the tiniest of toes into the waters of the browser’s developer tools (a.k.a. “devtools”). You will need these features for the last parts of your critique.

Augment your critique with the following:

1. Compare the site between desktop and mobile browsers. How do the experiences compare?
2. Open your browser’s developer tools and reload the page with network throttling on. (Search the web for how to do this.) How will visitors with low-speed internet fare?

Submit your individual critiques to the corresponding Canvas assignment by pasting into the essay box.

Site List

1. Massanutten Regional Library
2. Magpie Diner
3. Riner Rentals (or any property manager in town)
4. On the Road Collaborative
5. Harrisonburg Electric Company
6. Cuban Burger
7. Boboko Indonesian Cafe
8. Taste of India
9. Next Level Martial Arts
10. Friendly City Food Coop
11. Harrisonburg Farmer's Market
12. Any instructor at JMU who has a website