Dawson Andrews Content Audit

Below is my content audit of Dawson Andrew’s website in pdf and spreadsheet format:

Dawson Andrews content audit (pdf)

Dawson Andrews content audit (spreadsheet)

This was a really helpful exercise as it gave me a clear overview of everything included in the website from navigational options to statistics and testimonials. I really liked the inclusion of statistics and testimonials on Dawson Andrews website. This provides evidence of the effectiveness of the design services provided and positive client experiences in working with the firm. While I do not have statistics relating to the impact of my work I should consider collecting client testimonials from my freelance branding projects. I am delighted that the homepage follows a similar structure as my portfolio website. Dawson Andrews was not a website I had viewed when designing my portfolio website so it encourages me that I have produced a design with a similar structure to what I consider to be an outstanding design and technology firm.

Area’s that also stood out to me on this website were navigational elements such as the inclusion of further case studies to view at the end of each case study. This means that users visiting the site are not forced to go back to the home page to view another case study as is currently the case with my own website. I also loved the overall ‘cleanness of the website and the use of a black, grey and white colour palette.

Not all case studies were presented on the home page allowing Dawson Andrews to direct the user to their top 4 projects. This is something I would like to consider further on my own website as I feel that presenting 6 case studies in a 2 column grid layout does not let the user know at a glance what case study they should look at first. This is something I intend to explore further by looking at information hierarchy.

Rachel’s Design Lab Content Audit

I also completed a content audit of my current portfolio website, I have included a link to the spreadsheet below:

Rachel’s Design Lab content audit

This was a particularly helpful audit as it provided me with the opportunity to critically analyse what I currently have included on my portfolio website. What struck me most was my current lack of continuity in my case studies. This is an area I definitely want to rectify in my updated website. I also believe site navigation is quite poor. When you come to the end of a case study you must scroll to the top of the page to find the navbar and go back to the homepage to select a new project. I would like to rectify this by adding a section at the bottom of each case study allowing the user to select another case study from there. I also like the idea of adding a secondary nav in my footer so that the user has consistent access to nav links across the website. The about page also requires further updates to include information such as past experience, my education and a link to download my CV.

Feedback

I also received feedback that I should remove the contact form from my contact me section. I fully agree with this as the form does not work with my current hosting platform. I was originally reluctant to remove the form as it was coded using PHP, a script I had never used before however as I intend to build another website so I can link to this website to show my experimentation with PHP. I was also advised to add a home link and revisit my icon design. After reviewing other websites for inspiration I have decided to remove icons from the site as I feel they are unnecessary and can decrease accessibility (e.g. social links).

Not having a home link in my top nav was an oversite that I didn’t realise was so important. I had used my logo as my home link and felt this removed the requirement for a home link in my nav. This is wrong. As explained by the Norman Neilson Group when people are on a website and become disorientated or are directed to a page other than the home page from a search engine they will look for the text home link. By not including a text home link I was designing for myself rather than my audience. Not everyone knows that the logo acts as a link to the homepage. A home text link is the most recognisable and therefore should always be included.