Today, we will be looking at Barbara Boxer’s campaign website. She has served three terms as a Senator in the state of California and will be running for her fourth term in the 2010 Senate race.
Content: 7/10
The website seems to do a good job of presenting the material and background information. The accomplishments are broken up nicely with bold fonts and bullet points. However, it is placed underneath the “about” section, which is a bit lengthy so there is a possibility that people would miss it. There is a drop down menu that clearly lists a variety of issues covered, agriculture to veterans. These pages also make good use of bold fonts and bullet points. Also, the site has a news section, which includes bulletins and videos of Barbara. It is somewhat updated, with the last bulletin from the end of June.
Functionality: 7/10
There is a “Take Action” button on the main navigation bar that lists several ways a supporter can get involved. A form to get involved with her campaign and an option to contribute are consistently displayed on the upper left hand side of the screen. There is another form on the right hand side that asks for the same information and I think it is ultimately for the same purpose; this can possibly confuse visitors. There are also links to Facebook, Twitter, and other online media outlets.
Ease of Use: 8/10
The top navigation bar providing links to all the necessary information, so it does not take a very long time to find information. The text is pretty standard and readable. As mentioned earlier, many pages make good use of bullet points, which allows readers to skim and locate the information that is most important to them.
Aesthetics: 6/10
Even keeping in mind the subjectivity of design, this site has some room for improvement. The image that links to the online store on the homepage takes up a good amount of space and is a bit distracting, especially for feature that may not be as high a priority. Buttons and text on the navigation bar are fine but images on the home page look somewhat cluttered.
Check back tomorrow for another Democratic candidate’s website review.