Website: https://ign.com
Scenario
Navigate to the IGN website and search for a specific game. Locate information about the game such as game statistics and the game walkthrough guide.
I started by opening the web browser on my computer and navigated to the IGN website. When the website loaded, the first thing I noticed was the home page was very busy. There were videos and links to articles about video games. There was also a top navigation menu. When I scrolled down the page, I noticed the page loaded more content. The top navigation menu contained a search function, which I used to search for a specific game: in this case Watch Dogs: Legion. The search function popped up a box in the middle of the screen and grayed out the content of the website. When I started typing the name of the game, the site presented me with options, trying to guess what game for which I was looking. I selected the correct game and was taken to the game profile page.
The game profile page contained information about the game at the top of the page including an image of the cover art for the game, release date, developer, rating, score, platforms, a highlighted button entitled ‘change status’, a wish list button, and a button with three dots. The button with the three dots contained two menu items: ‘go to guide’ and ‘share game’. Similar to the search function, this menu is also displayed in the middle of the screen and grayed out the rest of the website. Below this was a game rating (thumbs up or thumbs down), information on how long it takes to beat the game, community ratings, links to the walkthrough and tips, screenshots, reviews, summary, then news. The news section continues to load when scrolling down the page and doesn’t seem to end.
I located the game walkthrough, which I have used for other games, and I found it to be very organized. The left-hand side of the screen contains a menu with hyperlinks to specific chapters/missions, and each link contains a detailed walkthrough including videos and text. I found this part of the website very easy to navigate and use.
Analysis
Aesthetic and Minimalist Design Violations
- Home page: The home page is very busy with videos, top stories, and news articles, and it never ended. I couldn’t reach the bottom of the home page. More content kept loading as I scrolled. I glimpsed the footer a couple of times, but the content loaded, and I couldn’t read what the footer said. I also think there are too many menu options in the top navigation menu.
- Game Profile Page: the game profile page has a lot of wasted space, dedicating part of the first viewable area to thumbs up and thumbs down game rating options. Other space is wasted dedicating room to statistics and data on how long it takes to beat the game. Near the top of the game profile page is a button containing three dots. When clicked, the page is grayed out and two additional menu items are displayed: go to guide and share game.
Help and Documentation Violations
- In the top navigation menu, there is an option labeled more. The more menu contains a lot of information and I feel the help or support options are missing or buried. The more menu has choices for the website theme, region, accessibility, ad choices, contact support, terms of use, standards, site map, privacy policy, and personal information opt-outs. Since this is listed under ‘more’, I feel many people will miss the information.
Design Recommendations
Aesthetics and Minimalist Design Recommendations
On the home page, I recommend using menu drop down/hover over to consolidate some of the menu options. A menu option called Media can contain news, videos, and playlist. Also, the login and register buttons can be combined to allow the person to register for an account if they do not have a login for the site. I also recommend having a set amount of content for the page instead of continuously loading content as you scroll. Website footers can be used to contain valuable information, and I cannot locate one on the home page.
On the game profile page, a lot of room is taken up unnecessarily, causing other information to be consolidated. My suggestion is to consolidate the ‘rate this game’, ‘how long to beat’ data, and ‘community ratings’ into the panel at the top. I also recommend creating a button for the guide link to be displayed along with ‘change status’ and wish list and using the universal share icon. This prevents a separate menu that grays out the rest of the page from popping up for two menu items. These minor changes will shift some more relevant content to the top of the page under the pertinent game information.
On both pages, and wherever else it is applicable, I recommend implementing a blog post type format for news articles and videos. The newest videos and articles should be viewable with the option to view older posts. This helps implement the other recommendation of including a viewable footer.
Help and Documentation Design Recommendations
On the home page, I again recommend including a viewable ‘footer’ that contains the support information, privacy policy link, terms of use, and accessibility information. I also recommend clearly labeling a support menu, possibly under a contact us page.