In Luptons chapter about text, she talks about text hierarchy and how it tells the reader where to go and what it has to offer. The front page of espn.com does this well. The headline is always in big bold letters and then underneath it in a smaller font is a little explanation about what that article is about and following that are smaller highlighted links if you want to read related articles.
I definitely agree that ESPN uses hierarchy to their advantage. I always know exactly where to go on the top of the page to search for my favorite sport/team. Although their use of hierarchy allows me to do this, ESPN's lack of hierarchy at the bottom of the website turns me away from discovering new/smaller stories. As you scroll down on the website, it just becomes more jumbled. I think if they used some more hierarchy, ESPN's website would be an even bigger hit!!
ReplyDeleteI second what Alison says. ESPN.com looks great up top with solid hierarchical structure, but then loses me down low. Maybe they should take a page out of the Bauhaus book and simplify the site, specifically the bottom, where a typical reader gets lost.
ReplyDeleteI agree as well. ESPN's hierarchy makes searching for anything you need to find easy. The main headlines are displayed prominently on the right and offer videos as well as articles. ESPN shows a spot to click for each sport, making information on that sport extremely easy to locate. The whole page is pleasing to the eye.
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