Urban Farming (www.urbanfarming.org)Urban Farming (www.urbanfarming.org)

BK Farmyards Urban Farming

URLS: The URL is clear, logical and intuitive because it is the same as the organization’s (BK Farmyards) name. It is human-readable.

O: URL is logical, human-readable and matches the name of the organization. This allows users to remember the site's location very easily.

W: The term "BK" might not be known to all as Brooklyn. It could mean Burger King or other things.

T: URL is logical, human-readable and matches organization's name. Even if users aren’t familiar with the site, they can find it. Interior page URL’s are logical, human-readable and user-friendly through delimiters and match page names.

Home Page DesignS: The font is nice and visually pleasing to the eye; the graphics are big, and the images draw in your eye and call attention to themselves.

O: The graphical nature of the linked logo is of lesser quality than the other graphics on the home page and thus looks out of synch with the rest of the page.

W: Inconsistency in image quality, color, fonts, symmetry; main navigation is at bottom; no priority to labeling; relevance is not hierarchical; labels’ size is meaningless; random choice of labels; main right label navigates away from site– no clear link destination; need more relevant info; no clear link destinations in general.

T: The top navigation bar tabs are presented clearly and systematically. Colored borders clearly separate out content and visuals, creating a clear, understandable layout. The rectangular ads use persuasive labeling and have similar shapes and sizes, creating consistency and balance.

Home Page Content PageInterior Page

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Interior Page Design

S: Logo and color schemes match the home page. The blog format gives it a more manageable look and feel. The content of most of the images coordinates and is related to the corresponding text content.

O: Some of the interior pages do not have the colored borders to separate content, thus not exactly fitting with the overall design scheme.

W: IP opens as another tab/window, indicating to users that they are no longer on the BK Farmyards site. There is no organization as to how the information is arranged. Inconsistent labeling and design. Multiple pages on identical or similar content (Example: 'About Us' : http://www.bkfarmyards.com/aboutus/aboutus.html and http://bkfarmyards.blogspot.com/p/about-bk-farmyards.html - these two pages are functioning as two separate sub-sites with huge overlaps in information.) Links are not linked properly (Example: 'farmyards' is linked to http://challenge.bfi.org/ideaindex). Doesn't say when it was last updated.

T: Each of the interior pages has the global navigation bar. Most of the pages have the colored borders to separate content. They all basically fit within the color scheme.

Search Functionality S: There is no search functionality whatsoever.

O: There is no site-wide search bar. Users can search for a nearby garden, but the search button’s color is too similar to the shape it’s placed on, so it’s hard to find.

W: Search box in upper left is not labeled 'search'. No advanced search option. Can only search blog posts, not full content. On http://bkfarmyards.blogspot.com, the search does not work. On http://www.bkfarmyards.com there is no search option.

T: There is an option on the home page to search for a nearby garden.

Features Offered

S: There are several features offered, including Subscribe to newsletter, a donate option via PayPal, connecting via online network (like Facebook on the blog site), a Google calendar for events on the blog site, and a map of Urban Farm Network under the BK Farmyards left hand vertical navigation.

O: No maps to show the location of the gardens. One of the main items in the global navigation–the calendar–points the user to what would most likely be a calendar but the page has no content. The e-mail feature at the top right of the home page is almost visually buried on the page.

W: The Donate Here link on the blog site links back to the home page instead of directly to the PayPal donation page. The Subscribe To Our Newsletter option on the home page is fairly simple to use, but on bkfarmyards.com the Newsletter is posted, whereas on the blog you need to click on Join our Mailing List.

T: Video and snapshots provide insight into the organization for users. News feed provides a constant information flow. Users can register a garden in the volunteer registration area. There are also press clips, video, urban farming-themed games, and designated spot for emailing the organization.

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Navigation S: There is a variety of content navigation options offering multiple pathways of getting to the same place.

O: No breadcrumb trail on interior pages; difficult to get back to a higher level; labels in vertical menus flip in and out; page titles do not always match labels in tabs; footer repeats four labels from the global navigation bar.

W: Overlap in content between primary horizontal nav and vertical secondary nav (e.g. Apprenticeships/Volunteer Opportunities). Unclear relationship between primary and secondary. The home page navigations are poorly located, labels are not clear and most are linked to external sites. On the blog site, the navigations are listed both on the top tabs and left side menu. On bkfarmyards.com the navigations are on side menu. Use of abbreviation (CSA). Labels are not clear.

T: The primary (global) navigation uses descriptive, focused, mutually exclusive, and (mostly) consistent labels. Embedded navigation is used throughout the interior pages. The global navigation bar is present on all pages so the user can always get back to the top-most level.

Interaction Design S: There is very limited interaction design, if any.

O: Some words are masked as hyperlinks through underlining and color changes but are not clickable. The home page e-mail function is almost visually buried.

W: Interaction is all over the place, easily confusing users. Some links on the right side (e.g. Join our mailing list) look like they should be clickable but aren't.

T: Global navigation tabs and vertical menu labels change color when moused over and clicked on, communicating that they are links.

Visual Design S: The content of the images on the site correspond with and are relevant to the content themes of the site.

O: Get Involved page graphics are inconsistent with the rest of the site. Sometimes colors are used haphazardly and excessively, causing things to look jumbled.

W: Visuals are all over the place and in varied formats, which add to the site’s disorganization. Different colors between headings and clickable subheadings on the left menu would help. Clunky design overall, non-linear text, no consistent color palette, flawed formatting.

T : Clear and consistent text and graphics overall. Colored borders, defined color palette, consistent color of page titles, and consistent typeface create consistent visual design scheme for entire site.

Social Networking S: Utilizes social media by placing social media icons on the pages in order to promote the organization.

O: Not linked to Foursquare, LinkedIn or social bookmark sites but to MySpace which is declining.

W: The social media links are buried on the pages and thus get lost in the disorganization.

T: Social media icons are clearly defined on the home page and Donate Today page.