Very basic content with a simple but clear presentation - SGP
Kind of a busy night tonight, so just a very brief review of SGP’s website. I actually briefly checked their website both yesterday and today. Yesterday I got forwarded to a http://www.sgp.nl/Maandag (apparently they have a Monday website too :)), which led me to a news overview. Apparently that’s the first thing one would like to see after the weekend. The website where I’ve been redirected has a completely different lay out and there is no link to get back to the elections site I’ve seen on Sunday. Luckily on Tuesday I have more success and manage to finally reach the campaign site.
The style of SGP’s website looks a lot like the other one I reviewed today: orange, blue and grey colors, no rounded corners, sans-serif fonts. However, unlike VVD, SGP stays conservative with a two-column site. Luckily, they use their columns wisely: a list of important shortcuts is put right on top of the left column - well done SGP! Another plus in the design: when scrolling down the page, the top menu remains visible.
Several few clicks to check out the navigation and I learn that the Webshop link also opens the weird site I saw on Monday. Apparently it’s SGP’s not-for-elections website. What’s different from most sites I’ve reviewed, is that SGP actually opens a new website in a new window. Another thumbs up. Apart from the “no way to escape from the old site” issue, the navigation works quite well. I do miss cues on the importance of different menu items. Maybe some items that are meant to activate visitors, such as “Member”, would be more effective if they were replaced with buttons.
Very basic content
Content-wise there is information on just four out of thirty candidates. The other ones are only listed with their names. The elections program is available in PDF only, though there is also a shortened version, available both as audio and PDF. Judging by the above, I’d say SGP sticks to the bare minimum with respect to providing solid content.
In the introduction to the different programs, there are hyperlinks for related PDF’s incorporated in the text. Surprisingly, these hyperlinks open in the same window, not in a new one. This means I have to go back from reading the first one before I could open the other one.
Cross-browser functioning and conclusion
The website works decently in different browsers and is responsive on mobile, though there are minor issues with overlapping elements.
The website is simple and minimalistic in terms of marketing: it’s mostly informative, with little invitation to (inter)act. It provides the bare minimum of necessary elections-related content. The best aspect of the website is the navigation: relevant items are instantly visible and there is no deep structure.
Final verdict:
- General design: 7,5/10
- Content: 3/10 (very basic and -3 points for limiting availability on Sunday).
- Navigation: 7/10
- Cross-browser functioning: 8,5/10 (content overlap on mobile)
- Average: 6,5/10
