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What Makes a Genealogy Website Great!
Criteria for designing a website that merits praise among genealogists and general visitors alike.
Every page element either enhances or distracts from the intended message. How does your website measure up?
Nominate a site for an award of excellence or special recognition.
The following criteria should be applied to clan related websites, within the context of the mission of the O'Dochartaigh Association.
1. INFORMATION VALUE- Quality of info
- The information is well written, clear and direct
- Info is available for a casual visitor or serious genealogist
- Quantity of
Info
- There is a rich blend of words and images to convey meaning
- There is a wealth of general or specific information
- Research Value
- Links to external sites are annotated
- Geneology sources are identified
- Sources are identified for all info that you did not create yourself. Links are provided where appropriate.
- Attention is given to how info can be printed easily
2. DESIGN QUALITY
- Visual design
- The layout is attractive, coordinated and consistent
- The viewer can identify info that is new since their last visit
- Font and colour choice enhances readability
- Images are descriptive and
relevant
- Features enhance the value, and are not distracting
- sounds, animated graphics and videos enhance value and do not distract
- Commercial elements, or sponsored links, banners etc, are discrete and ehance, or do not distract from, the value of the site.
- Point form and headings organize info for on-screen reading. Pages are not overloaded.
- An overview is provided in brief format on web pages. Detailed info is provided separately, such as in a PDF (Adobe portable document format)
- Special effort has been put into design to provide an exceptional viewing experience
- Ease of
Navigation
- The navigation metaphor is appropriate, logical and clear
- Viewers can get to any page in the site in three clicks
- There are clearly labeled links to external sites
- Viewers can identify their location in the site, and know when they are leaving the site
- Technical Quality
- Pages work on different browsers (IE, Mozilla, Opera)
- All internal page links work
- External links are current (they work)
- Audio and video clips works
- The pages are accessible for special needs viewers, for example: colour blindness, hearing or sight impairment and limited manual dexterity.
- The site protects the viewers' freedom of choice and privacy...no malicious software or deceptive features.
3. SERVICE to the CLAN
- Breadth
- The site exposes the viewer to a broad range of topics, or connects a range of topics together
- Depth
- The site provides specific and detailed resource that is relevant
- Value or
Uniqueness
- The site provides a special service of value to genealogists, Dohertys specifically or a general service that is of specific value to our site visitors .