Today, there are several different ways
to obtain information. We have access to books, magazines, websites, data
sources, and more. So to speak, everything is supposed to come to us viewers as
a breeze, right? This is not always true, most of the time there is quite a
need for advanced searching. Majority of the time searching is easier through
the internet than other things. Most websites allow their viewers the right of
advanced searching whether it is through a simple search or a toolbar that has
separated its contents according to its groupings. However, on our websites today
there are multiple advantages and disadvantages when it comes to the ease of
accessing information.
There are several different things to expect when comparing two websites
like The March of Dimes, and the Child Development portion of the CDC’s website.
Although both websites primary purpose is to assist new mothers with birthing
full-term babies and informing them on what to expect from their new addition,
the websites contrast in many ways. While both websites, March of Dimes and CDC,
are helpful to mothers because March of Dimes is organized in a simpler manner,
provides supplementary information, and its navigation ease from one topic to
the next exceeds the dull color scheme and format of the CDC’s website.
The design of March of Dimes is more enthusiastic than the CDC’s. Upon
entering The March of Dimes website viewers are presented with a banner style
slideshow, which includes big pictures of newborn babies. The photos of the
infants resemble embracement for mothers making them feel hand in hand with
their very own. At the same time, the CDC’s website which also has an opening
banner, but a much smaller size of pictures isn’t very much appealing to the
eye. Along with the opening banner, The March of Dimes color scheme is pleasant
to all of their audience also because of the homepage’s very strong amount of
color choices. On the contrary, the color scheme for the CDC’s website includes
navy blue and white. Since the Child Development portion of this website has
such an unusual color scheme it is what pushes the audience far afield. Viewers
expect for things that are associated with younger kids to be presented in a
lively manner, no matter the sex of the child. All in all, the format of both
websites are easy for an adult to understand and gather information from, but
the March of Dimes website has a basic searching method like majority of
today’s sites, whereas the site for the CDC has a more complex way of searching.
Therefore, due to the opening banner, color scheme, and format of March of
Dimes it is more appealing to the mothers whom visit this website.
Correspondingly, both websites have a mobile option, but the CDC’s
mobile app option is much easier to understand then their desktop mode.
Therefore, their topics are easier to access meaning some viewers may disagree
with the complexity of the website because of the app’s simplified manner. When
searching through the mobile app their main topics are right in the center of
the page, whereas on the desktop mode there are some things to be found through
the toolbar at the top of the page. On the other hand, the mobile app for The
March of Dimes is not contrasting at all it still catches the eye of its
audience just as much as it does on the desktop. The banner continuously
displays different photos of infants and it still follows the same format.
There is not an imbalance between the mobile or desktop option for The March of
Dimes website however; there is a small one for the Child Development portion
for the CDC’s website.
Unlike
the CDC website, The March of Dimes allows viewers to research the problems
that threaten our babies today and how they work on preventing premature
births. They also have their own community, which includes a blog posts
section, for NICU families to publicize their experiences. The March of Dimes
is focused on one objective which is the strive to end premature birth, covered
through the breakdowns of several topics, stages, and individuals who has
several NICU experiences. Rather than the way the CDC provides their advice,
their website covers it’s basics through age group which only include kids from
birth to the age nine. Although, the CDC provides viewers with multiple
resources for mostly data searches, parenting tips, specific conditions that
children may face, and the ability to subscribe to their feeds on different
topics. However, they fail to cover things in depth as much as March of Dimes.
The CDC fails to show a set research topic therefore they have their viewers seeking
information in multiple places. Even though they both provide good information,
The March of Dimes website is more informative for parents on a selected topic
rather than the information on the CDC’s website which is more effective for a
viewer that is looking to do more research because they provide information on a
statistical base.
The speeds of the websites are quite consistent even though
they contain a few ads. However, they are not the disturbing advertisements
that have associated audio, block page viewing, or off subject ads that do not
pertain to the website’s information as a whole. The advertisements’ on the
CDC’s, Child Development portion are very small and inform its viewers about
getting health insurance or displaying reports by the CDC on Children’s Mental
Health. Similarly, the advertisements on The March of Dimes website are about
donating money to the NICU Family Support, related articles for your viewing
topic and about receiving their newsletter. The advertisements for these
websites are necessary for their proposed purpose. They both encourage the idea
of ways to make our infants better through donation and ways to stay connected.
Furthermore,
for those accesses that prefer to go more in detail about either of the
websites or need answers to some of their questions, they both have great
relationships with the social media world. The CDC allows viewers to stay
connected with them through Twitter, Facebook, Blogs, and a YouTube channel, LinkedIn,
Google +, Flickr, and Pinterest. Just as the CDC allows further connection, The
March of Dimes allows it viewers to stay connected also with the help of
Facebook, Twitter, a YouTube channel, Email, and Pinterest.
Compared to the navigation style for the CDC’s website, The March of
Dimes is easily understood. The A through Z index is in conjunction with The
Center for Disease Control and Prevention as a whole. Although viewers may be
looking for more information pertaining to the Child Development portion of the
website, the A through Z index is obligated to take viewers through the
websites total number of topics. Most viewers would think since they are
viewing things through a particular portion of a website they should receive
their search results in the same manner. After all, that is not the scenario
according to the creators of the CDC’s website. The March of Dimes website
grants viewers their usual opportunity to search through its website with the
help of a basic search and toolbar, which first allows viewers to search
through a category and then provide them with subcategories to choose from.
Even though they both allow viewers the opportunity to search, the categories
and subcategories is an easier way to navigate instead of using an A through Z
index. The search results and links for the CDC’s website open in a different
window, whereas The March of Dimes search results open in the same window. In
spite of both websites giving their viewers the right to search The March of
Dimes search method is much more effective than the CDC’s search method. While
some viewers may look at them through the same perspective there is a
difference when accessing the internet because most users may be unfamiliar
with the website’s style.
While many viewers may argue that one website
is more credible than the other; they both have their pros and cons. The users’
particular use for these websites may differ which will then create an arousal
in opinions. However, most of them may believe that The March of Dimes website
is more presentable than the CDC’s Child Development portion because of the way
information is accorded. Any viewer can tell that The March of Dimes website
was created for the use of mothers’ to inform them on how to do things with
their new baby while the CDC may primarily be used only for research or data
sources. Therefore, The March of Dimes is a better website than the CDC.
