Melodye's Webpage Analysis

 

I'm looking at Dr. Toscano's homepage at webpages.uncc.edu/~atoscano. The page is multifaceted, but essentially it is a clearinghouse of information that students currently enrolled in his classes might need. The audience is the same: students and himself.

Navigation of the Site

From the homepage, where you might want to go is pretty clear: there is a menu down the left hand side for classes he has taught and other webplaces of interest.

Once you click on your class though, how you find the information you might be seeking becomes a bit more difficult, as much of it is imbedded in the schedule for certain days. For instance I had to look around to find his hermetic definition of "critical thinking." I actually looked for a search function at one point before I remembered this is not actually a "commerical" website.There is no "help" function per se.

Usefulness of Information

No argument here, you can't get through the class without this information.

Quantification of Layers of Information

Depending on what you are looking for (the Peruse Definition) you could go through quite a few clicks to get what you wanted. However, since you need to know about everything on the pages relating to your class, clicking around can be useful. Your memory can be jogged by it.

Aesthetics

Aesthetics are minimal on this site, except of course for the always alluring ailuros themselves. However, aesthetics are not the focus, nor does Dr. Toscano need to lure his users in. The site is readable, workmanlike, and straightforward, appropriate to the purpose.

Improvements?

I would love to have a search function when you are looking for a specific piece of information. This website seems more organically organized, in that one page leads to another, leads to another ... ever more fascinating branches of knowledge.