Does content layout work well on desktop and mobile?
Does content layout and naming make sense to a first-time visitor? Is it easy to understand if the visitor is unfamiliar with the site or station offerings?
Are all content sections clearly labelled?
Do navigation menu labels correspond with page titles?
Is it easy for first-time visitors to understand the purpose and behaviour between different types of images? I.e. header images, button images, ads, etc.
Are there pages opening in new tab that shouldn’t be? I.e. internal page links
Are there pages opening in the current window that should be opening in a new tab? I.e. external links
Are social icon links consistent throughout the site if using the same links in different parts of the site? I.e. same station social links displayed in footer, side bar, pages
Does text have enough visual contrast to be easily readable with varying brightness on different screens or for people who are color blind?
Is external content clearly indicated/differentiated from internal content? I.e. sponsors, partners, ads, etc.
Do images appear blurry or pixelated? Are there high-res replacements available?
Is content formatted properly on pages and blogs? I.e. extra paragraph spaces, unintentional styling inherited from MS Word or Google docs, etc.
Is there duplicate content that can be simplified?
Basic UX Recommendations:
Default link color should be noticeably different from the default text color to help users see where there is linked content
Links should be removed from parent menu items that don’t have a landing page with unique content
Related pages with very little content or no unique content can potentially be consolidated into 1 page, i.e. 1 page for “Programs” instead of separate DJ pages that don’t provide content unique from the main “Programs” or “Schedule” page
If sections do not have content at launch but is expected to show future content, those sections should either be added once there is content to display (recommended option), or placeholder text can be added temporarily to indicate that there will be content (alternative option). Otherwise visitors may think that the section is broken.
Page layouts should be consistent for pages with related content, or similar content types to help orient users, i.e. DJ pages
Menu item names should be as straight-forward, articulate, and succinct as possible. Research has shown that “creative” use of menu names typically results in confusion for users, i.e. naming an audio clip page “The Vault” vs “Audio”
If the Hero theme is being used and high-res images are not available for the hero background or there is no particular call-to-action or piece of branding the client would like the emphasize, the hero area can be collapsed by not configuring any images in the “Hero Content” and “Hero Background” sections in Theme settings page. The collapsed Hero theme is also more appropriate for news sites geared towards providing direct access to news content.
Consistency in content presentation and behaviour of actions is key to helping visitors quickly find what they’re looking for