The Down-Low on Downtown Scottsdale

If you ever decide to surf the web there is one thing that will always remain true about the websites that you visit; some websites are simply superior in their design and function, which makes them clearly stand out from among the others. So regardless of a website’s content, a superior web site will incorporate several elements that are integrated in a way that provide its users with a very positive experience so that the users are more likely to visit it again in the future. A good, high quality website must be both functional and efficient.  Through the use of well-placed links a superior site helps to guide its users so they can quickly navigate the web and reach their desired destination. A web sites use of visuals will make the most important information clearly stand out, and keep the site pleasant to look at and visit. Even the content is relevant to the purpose of the site and helps its users locate the exact information they are looking for. The Downtown Scottsdale website embodies all of these elements, and along with its user-friendly interface, appealing and colorful use of visuals, and relevant content all work together to make it an excellent example of a high quality website.

The visual appearance and display on a webpage is critical to any webpage’s overall quality, and the Downtown Scottsdale website does an excellent job of creating an aesthetically appealing environment in which the user can search for information. The moment a user first views the home screen, it is immediately evident that the web page designers combined the correct balance of visual elements in order to create instant eye appeal. The blend of colors and their placement on the home page are purposefully combined in a way to reduce eye fatigue and create a pleasant viewer experience. Through the use of warm color tones along with a base of darker blue, the color balance makes the home page very appealing to the eye without overwhelming the viewer with bright and distracting colors. In addition to the satisfying color choices, images are presented in appropriate places for continued ease of viewing which adds to the positive visual appearance. If a website overloads its users with too many images, the page may cause the user to lose focus and can lead to eye fatigue and an overall negative viewer experience. If the user becomes distracted by a web sites images, then the content may become obscured among the images.  Too many visual images can make smooth navigation difficult and this can lead to eye fatigue and frustration. The Downtown Scottsdale website provides images that offer strong visuals for the user but without becoming disorganized and overwhelming. For example, on the “Theatre and Museums” page there are three pictures. These images are informative and offer a look at some of the locations as well as the content of the location. Each visual satisfies its role of first captivating and then informing the user. The final visual factor that makes the Downtown Scottsdale website effective and welcoming is the proper placement and spacing of the content located on the page. Through strategic placement of images and content and the use of sufficient open areas on the webpage, the user’s eyes are never strained. The correct use of all of these aesthetic factors ensure visitors to the Downtown Scottsdale website a positive viewing experience of a quality web page, which makes users much more likely to return to it in the future.

Not only do the visuals help create an effective website, but the content of the Downtown Scottsdale website is informative and also contributes to the effectiveness and quality of the site as a whole. The first major feature of the content is its relevance and helpfulness. The content spans from restaurant sites to family activities and to the small shops of the area. The quality of the content is seen when the user selects the restaurants tab. Under this tab the user has the ability to select from several eating options. Within each option is a description, pictures, and links to find further information. This site does an effective job of offering content that is necessary to making a decision on where to eat or to go. In addition, the website contains links to hundreds of sites that provide more information in the fields that are applicable. For instance, if the user were to type “Park” into the search bar, the user would be greeted by information pertaining to the area’s local parks. Not only that, but each link is marked by a colored bullet point, which corresponds to an area on the local map of Downtown Scottsdale. Along with the other quality content located within each subtopic, the website contains a map to the location of each shop, restaurant, or activity. The map provides turn by turn directions to the spot the user is searching. This is critical information to the satisfaction of the user. By ensuring there is no confusion in the location the Downtown Scottsdale website ensures the happiness and satisfaction of the users. These qualities of the content help to make the site as a whole more effective and helpful. The Downtown Scottsdale site uses relevant content and useful links to ensure the site is the best quality possible.

In order to locate the relevant content of a website, one must use the functional and maneuverable menus and searches. The Downtown Scottsdale website utilizes several easy-to-use methods in order to make the website experience as efficient and quick as possible. One key feature is the search bar located at the top right of the home page. This search bar will link the user to relevant information not only on website but also on Google. As described earlier, when typing in “Giligin” the search bar can effectively locate the most relevant information on the subject typed into the bar.  In addition to the simple search bar, several drop-down menus offer a quick transition from one page to the next on the website. In creating an environment with quick and simple transitions the user is able to speed up their experience on the website. From personal experience the faster one is able to find the information they need the better. By ensuring the site is quickly maneuverable, the designers helped to guarantee the user will want to return to the site for a second visit. The Downtown Scottsdale website contains several drop-down menus for each topic of discussion in the area. For example, along the top the user may find the menu on restaurants. Under this menu several options will give the user a chance to navigate to different pages with relevance to the restaurants of the area. This menu speeds-up the process of locating the information that is most important to the topic the user is searching. Along with the menus on the main page several menus will appear on each page navigated to. These several menus and search bar result in an efficient and easy-to-use website.

             While the Downtown Scottsdale website does have many positive qualities, the website is not perfect; there do exist a few negative aspects that users may find unappealing. The first of these negative qualities is the small text size. At first glance, the small text causes the page to seem overcrowded and clustered. The only way to fix this problem is to zoom in manually on the web page, and if a user does not know how or is unable to do so, then they will have a hard time reading. After zooming in the images become blurred and the overall visual quality of the site is diminished. Additionally, while the website has many great pictures that are relevant to the topics they appear for, the site could definitely use more. Compared to many other city website’s, Downtown Scottsdale’s website displays much less photos for users to view. Usually people who come to visit city websites are out of town users looking to gather information and look at photos. Not providing enough pictures on a site can be enough to not just turn some users off but also deter them from traveling to that destination. By simply displaying more photos of the city, parks, stadiums, buildings and other landmarks throughout the web site, you immediately enhance the visual appearance and give users more of an idea of what they can expect to see if they should come to visit.

Overall the Downtown Scottsdale site is a quality website with several positive features. From the welcoming and colorful display to the informative links and summaries the website contains the key qualities of a strong website.  The efficient maneuvering and ease of use are additional factors that make the site a strong destination to gather information on Downtown Scottsdale. In conclusion the functionality, appearance, and quality information work together to form a terrific website that meets all the needs of the user. The Scottsdale Downtown website is the one site to find all the information one could need on the area without feeling overwhelmed. So if you ever need to find out anything about Downtown Scottsdale, head over to www.scottsdaledowntown.com to find everything you could possibly want to know.