Group 2 Walkabout 5--Group Post

We studied the University of Utah website. The U's webpage is very colorful and has a large selection of tabs, which are categorized almost to the point of confusion. There is so much information available that it can be very difficult to find a specific piece of information that you might want to access. It easily catches the viewer's attention, but the interaction between the viewer and the website can be overwhelming. There is almost too much stuff to interact with, often causing the viewer to become confused and possibly to give up searching. It would also be difficult for a first-time viewer to read through the information available to visitors, as the viewer would be overwhelmed by the amount of text that should be read. As a result, the message is not as clear as it could be. The webpage doesn't have much to say about Salt Lake City itself; the focus is on the University, not on the surrounding communities. Since the webpage has little discussion about Salt Lake, is does not really do much to acquaint viewers with the city. If a tourist was coming to Salt Lake, they should probably research the city on another webpage, other than the University's. The webpage is not completely public, either. Some information can only be accessed by students, faculty, researchers, or other staff. The majority of useful information is directed at students, and only students with a UNID are able to access the information. Although the webpage itself is accessible to all, some people from lower income backgrounds may not have access to the information. Since most of the information is only available to students and it is more difficult for those on a lower income to afford a college education, it makes sense that less lower income people will have access to this information. The webpage portrays the surrounding area as a nice place to live, without focusing on the city. Instead, the focus is on the surrounding recreational areas. The University webpage does not put an emphasis on the city, which makes the city seem less important. Instead, the University values the University campus and the surrounding natural landscape.