PYW: Lesson - Website Evaluations

Image: a developer evaluates a list of web attributesWebsite Evaluations

In a school setting, teachers rarely encourage students to look at someone else’s work (can you think of the last time a teacher asked you to?). However, in web development looking at each other's work is an important step for viable reasons. This process is known as website evaluation. Below are a few reasons to evaluate other websites:

  • To ensure relevance.
  • To review a different approach for a similar topic.
  • To help with visualization.
  • To ensure a competitive representation.

Evaluating a Website

When evaluating websites there are certain elements we should pay attention to. Ask yourself the following questions for each element when reviewing websites.

  • Layout: How well is the website laid out? Does it flow? Are you able to determine how it is organized?
  • Function: Does everything work (hyperlinks, embeddings, etc.)?
  • Responsiveness (Time): How fast or slow does the page/site load?
  • Adaptability (To mobile, tablet, desktop/Chromebook): Are you able to see the same information for the chosen site on different types of devices?
  • Ease of Use: Is it easy to navigate the site? Are you able to return to the home screen quickly? Are web pages adequately identified?
  • Target Market: Who do you believe the website was created for? Do you believe the developers were successful in reaching their target market?

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