Evaluation of National Geographic Website Design and Responsiveness

COVER PAGE

Contents
1 Introduction..............................................................................................................................................4
2 Discussion.................................................................................................................................................4
2.0 Website overview..............................................................................................................................4
2.1 Website features...............................................................................................................................4
2.1.1 Header section............................................................................................................................4
2.1.2 Body section...................................................................................................................................5
2.1.3 Footer section.................................................................................................................................5
2.2 Evaluation..........................................................................................................................................5
2.2.1 Large display devices..................................................................................................................6
2.2.2 Medium display devices..............................................................................................................8
2.2.3 Small display devices................................................................................................................12
2.2.4 Other reviewers........................................................................................................................15
3 Recommendation...................................................................................................................................15
3.1 Advantages developer tools............................................................................................................16
3.2 Disadvantages of developer tools....................................................................................................16
4 Conclusion..............................................................................................................................................16
5 References..............................................................................................................................................16

Table of figures
Figure 1: Large display devices 1280x768 pixels..........................................................................................7
Figure 2: Large display devices 1920x768 pixels..........................................................................................7
Figure 3: Medium display devices 480x640 pixels portrait orientation.......................................................9
Figure 4: Medium display devices 480x640 pixels landscape orientation.................................................10
Figure 5: Medium display devices 700x960 pixels portrait orientation.....................................................11
Figure 6: Medium display devices 700x960 pixels landscape orientation.................................................12
Figure 7: tiny display 200x230pixels portrait orientation..........................................................................13
Figure 8: tiny display 200x230pixels landscape orientation......................................................................13
Figure 9: Tiny display 400x460 pixels portrait orientation.........................................................................14
Figure 10: Tiny display 400x460 pixels landscape orientation...................................................................15

1 Introduction
This report presents a discussion of the evaluation of the design of Australian version of the National
Geographic website found at http://www.nationalgeographic.com.au/. The evaluation is based on two
aspects; design and responsiveness. The report discusses how the two aspects have been used together to
achieve a high quality design that is usable across various platforms or devices. The evaluation of the
website is done using Google Chrome’s device simulator to achieve consistency for all type of devices
that will be considered in this report.
2 Discussion
2.0 Website overview
http://www.nationalgeographic.com.au/ is the online version of the National Geographic which is a
satellite television network and digital cable television network in America. National Geographic.
National Geographic aims at exploring various events that happened or at happening and then show them
through their television network. The channel is divided into three types;
 National Geographic Channel- This channel brings content of exploration of the universe.
 Nat Geo people- This channel is focused on exploration of people around the world.
 Nat Geo Wild- This channel is aimed at exploring different type of species in various places in
the world.
The website in review is the online where viewers can explore different types of content that National
Geographic is show casing in their different channels. http://www.nationalgeographic.com.au/ is the
Australian version the website and puts an emphasis on the Australian content but this does not mean it
does not show other explorations happening around the world. With the main goal of the organization
being television, the website has a lot of media including high definition pictures and videos. When a user
visits the website, they are basically exploring archives of National Geographic all in one platform. To
improve this experience, the website has a registration feature where users can create an account and then
choose their preferred type of content so that the website can filter the content based on the preferences of
the visitor. For a first time visitor, the landing page enables the visitor to select different types of content
even without registration. Registration helps a visitor to carry their preferences across various devices, for
example if a user is signed on their computer and laptop, the user is likely to see the same content as
compared to a user who is not signed in.
2.1 Website features
The layout of the website uses a common design to achieve consistency in all the pages. The layout of the
website is divided into the following sections.
2.1.1 Header section
The header section is the top most section of the website. It contains the following elements;
 Navigation menu- This is the navigation menu used to navigate the different sections and pages
making up the website.
 Logo- The logo appears after the navigation menu. In most websites, the logo is made to appear
first and then the navigation menu but for this website, the Logo appears after the navigation.
 Search bar- The search bar is used by users to search through the content of the website.
 Sign in link- This link is used by users to sign in to their accounts.