EPJ Web Site Critique #2: Jessica Hollis Photography

For this assignment, I chose to look at the portfolio Web site of photographer Jessica Hollis. Overall, I think the site is effective in terms of content but has some problems with its interactivity and design. The content of the site is appropriate and understandable, and it seems current. However, I think the site could improve its interactivity. I was able to navigate around the site easily and although the links are quite small they are relatively easy to find. I did, however, find several pages that were dead-ends, with no way back except by using the back button on the browser.

I was mostly disappointed with the design of the site. I think it’s well organized, but I don’t think the layout is very user-friendly. I don’t like how in the “Gallery” section of her portfolio (basically where she categorizes all of her work) the images start scrolling through automatically. The viewer has to press pause, look at the image for however long they want, and then press play again. The pictures on the home page also flash way too quickly and are distracting from other elements on the page. The viewer also has no control over this, as there is no pause button to stop the continuous scrolling. I also don’t like where her logo is on the page, for only part of it overlays her larger images and the other part remains transparent. Also, when the logo appears over some the photos that have a lighter background, it then makes it difficult for the viewer to read the whole logo. This was really distracting to me as it took away from the photos, and I found it really annoying. Certain graphics were also distracting, such as the small graphic on the lower left side that indicates the levels of the music playing. I kept seeing the levels spike out of the corner my eye and it really bugged me. Instead I think maybe she could create a little sound icon or a pause button where viewers could control whether or not they wanted to hear the music at all. There is also a small button on the bottom left corner that I was curious about and when I clicked it, the page went into full-screen mode. It would be nice for the viewer to be able to scroll over the icon and see the work “full-screen” in order to know what they are doing before clicking on it. The colors of the site were useful, however, and contributed to what I think the photographer was trying to say about her work.

Jessica's site can be found here: http://www.jessicahollisphotography.com/site/#/home/