One of my favorite websites to troll on my daily browse is Buzzfeed.com . Not only is this website a good source of current events, it also has lots of interesting topics full of articles. From world news to DIY it’s kind of a one-stop place for anything.
One of the things I really like about the home page is that there are lots of pictures and graphics. The layout has the pictures in a sort of tile or mosaic fashion along the top half of the page before you scroll down. As you run your mouse over a picture that catches your eye a one sentence title pops up to tell you what the attached article is about. The more important stories about the hot topics have larger photos. Underneath the tiles are columns of articles separated into things like; trending topics, videos, and quizzes. I think this layout makes the usability of the website high. It also plays into the instant gratification of the user with visual aids, and higher priority stories larger and more visible. You don’t have to think a lot when using this site. Everything is very self-explanatory.
Just from first look of this homepage you, as the user, can also notice there is structure to this site. At the top there is a navigation bar and a search button that provide short cuts if you are looking for something specific. The large pictures focus the users attention and the short headlines provide quick and fulfilling information, which is efficient for users wanting to browse a lot of information in a short glance.
Once you click on an article the same navigation bar and quick links are in the same place as the home page which is good for the user to see the consistency. There are lots of pictures and nice bold letters for important information as well as short paragraphs and sentences which makes for an easy read. Along the top of every page you view there is another bar full of buttons to post onto various social media sites. I like that Buzzfeed has this large and at the top of the page and along any photos as opposed to small and hidden like some news sites.
All in all I think Buzzfeed is a good site for news. I’ve never had a problem navigating through it or posting things onto social media, and I can find pretty much anything I need to.
