Foodnetwork.Com Website Review

Overview:Foodnetwork.com is the sister to the yuppie lifestyle empire The Food Network. The site provides instant access to the information provided on the channel making a 24 hour food network possible.

Aesthetic Appeal: 7/10 - Users will find the website attractive and well maintained. The format is nice, but the content pages are very busy. Animated advertisements along with bland static links will disorient users while the page loads. Every page has about twenty different things going on that are loosely connected by a vague theme. After looking at this site I personally feel that you are meant to get lost or already know exactly what you are looking for. This site loses its charm fast with its static bland content.

Usability/Functionality: 6/10 - The site is easy to use with its simple clean format. If browsers do not already know what they are looking for they will be frustrated by any clear navigation on the site. I honestly feel like I am in a new grocery store for the first time and can't seem to find anything. The site map is also cumbersome by being just a giant list. Thus showing that there really isn't an organized approached to this site. Information is on the site, but you'll have to do some digging.

Content: 8/10 - All the Food Network has to offer and more. Find show times for the Rachael Ray clones (Look at pictures of her she is not played by the same person all the time.) on The Food Network or find a quick meal (Because 70% of every meal on this site is both fun and quick.). I don't think users will ever run out of new ideas of chicken any time soon.

Etc: I sometimes think the ads are articles and the articles are advertisements. They are all pictures of food at table level with some bad copy at the bottom, "Why We Love Zucchini." This could be a show, a food, or a product. I just wish more effort was place in the online content.

Overall: 6/10 - Food Network fans are in luck because everything they love is also provided online. For users looking to make a meal they will have to do some digging because everything links in such a way to have browsers going in circles before users can find what they want. It's an average website for an average cable network. If you love the Food Network then you'll love this site.