The “Traffic of the Stage” Shakespeare performance achieve comes from the University of Birmingham. This self-proclaimed “database of UK Shakespeare productions” provides a brief introduction to the page and provides just three simple options for users to click-on: one titled “Simple Search,” one called “Advanced Search,” and a “contact us” option. This site is providing the information its assumed audience of readers would want. The brief description reports that productions from 1996-2007 are included in the database. The site’s author(s) specifically mention how this page appeals to “anyone interested in the stage history of Shakespeare’s plays.” The audience for this site is clear and deliberate. This is most definitely not a site a random internet-surfer would just happen upon. The next paragraph on the home page provides a concise description of what may be searched through the pages two options for searches (“simple” and “advanced”). These search options allow for viewers to use any bit of information they have on a production to potentially find the exact show they’re looking for. This page is extremely easy to navigate. The fact that it only provides three clickable options on its home page allows for quick answers right away; there are no distracting images, videos, or advertisements to get in a viewer’s way. Even those who are not as familiar with technology would potentially be able to use this site with ease and receive satisfactory results. The simplicity and clarity of the site are most definitely appealing factors that should be considered by our Digital Literacies class when creating our own Shakespeare Archive. While this page is incredibly easy to navigate, it is anything but attractive or aesthetic. The entire page is a dusty orange color. The text is centered in black font underneath the title, “The Traffic of the Stage” in an italicized, red font. The search options mirror that font of the title in a smaller size. The search options also occur directly in the middle of the page’s introductory text, proving to be distracting and confusing. The placement of the search options makes it seem as if the site’s author(s) did not necessarily want people to “contact” them if their audience does “know of a production that should be included.” The only images available on this page are two grey, jester-like figures on either side of the page’s title. However, because these figures are so small, it is difficult to tell exactly what they are at first glance. I actually had to zoom-in on them quite far in order to really determine what they could be. Much like the placement of the search options, these figures are distracting and confusing. They detract from the purpose of the page and, in a way, reiterate how many people already view Shakespearian productions today: they are seen as confusing, intangible, and absurdly difficult to read and/or translate. While our class can easily learn something from the simple nature of “The Traffic of the Stage,” there are definitely plenty of additional factors that should be presented in our archive that aren’t on this site. Great archives provide clear images and video options directly on the homepage. The text of the archive should only provide worthwhile and clear information and should not be split by clickable links. The links to other pages on the site should be in a menu format so that they are identifiable and constantly accessible. I have no doubt that our class will be able to appropriately serve all populations of learners through our archive while making it creative and exciting at the same time.
1 Comment
meg
9/16/2019 06:23:09 pm
Dusty orange is for sure a lame color. While the accessibility of the page is nice, it comes at the cost of looking unprofessional, distracting from the information that is supposed to be communicated.
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AuthorHello! My name is KD and I am a Junior at Belmont University. I have created this blog for my Digital Literacy class. Archives
November 2019
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