Week 4B - Two Websites I Frequent

Here are two of the websites I frequently use:

http://www.akc.org/

Because I breed purebred AKC-registerable dogs, using the AKC site is a must.

1. This website is effective for the things I need most: registering a litter and individual dogs. In addition I use this site to get to the AKC Reunite site: the microchip registration site. They have tons of information however I wish that it was easier to find the things I am looking for. The AKC also links to 5 different social media sites that are well maintained.
2. Some specific principles of good design that are included include great theme colors and fairly clean design. I use that phrase almost reluctantly because some of the buried pages need to be cleaned up a bit. For example: finding the downloadable for you need is tedious. They also use a nice three-grid system that many sites are going to. It makes the site seem familiar. The initial navigation bar is well done with logical categories, however the drop-down has too many items. I think if the mimicked apples drop down it would be so much easier to find what you need.
3. I have to keep coming back to this site because I have no other choice if I want to keep registering my dogs with the AKC. Well, I could use the phone and snail-mail, but that would be even more tedious.
4. As for improvements, I would suggest somehow making their search feature come back with better results. I find their present one almost useless. Better to just click around until I find what I am looking for. Drop-down menu improvement suggestions are above.

I was going to mention amazon.com next because I may frequent that site more than any other except maybe Google or Facebook, but many of my fellow students have mentioned that site, so I'll mention a different site I visit often. 

www.birankai.org 

Birankai North America is a martial art organization. Birankai members practice the art of Aikido.

1. Birankai's site is effective for getting out basic information to members of the organization.  All the links work and it is well organized. It links to 2 social media sites: Facebook and YouTube, although I know there is an Instagram account too. Unfortunately it is not linked on the website.
2. What specific principles of good design do they include and why? Birankai.org uses a four-grid system for a familiar look. It uses responsive web design to adapt to mobile devices. The design is clean and functional and has engaging photographs.
3. I keep coming back to look at the calendar of upcoming events. This site was completely redesigned a few years ago, but I hate the calendar. The old web site had a list of events for each month so you had much fewer clicks to get to the information you are looking for.
4. What could be improved? Because I am the corporate secretary for Birankai, I know that the content is not as up-to-date as it should be. That would be the number one thing needing improvement, but secondly... there is nothing on the site that really GRABS you. I would have the latest YouTube video on the home page. Or the latest "Biran" article front and center. Instead you have to find the tiny little link buried in one of the four columns to get to the new articles.I am not in charge of the web site, and I have made my suggestions.

  
Blogs I Commented on:

Michelle Bryson
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