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In this article, I'll be analyzing the navigation elements of a particular category of websites, i.e. portfolios. Why portfolios, you ask? Because they represent an interesting blend of creativity and development techniques. As they offer an intriguing user interface and interaction, this often borderlines with what is ultimately defined as an enjoyable user experience. Should aesthetics, originality and creativity come at the expense of usability? Can they reside on the same website in harmony?

I selected this portfolio more for the content than the creative design. Visually, the site lacks innovation in the layout, however, it allows the creativity is expressed through the work. I don't know if it was just my computer, the it seems like the site was designed to fit on screen so there would only be lateral scrolling (a change up from the typical vertical scrolling). Not having it universally formatted makes it a little tricky to have the same affect on every viewing platform. What I thought made this page really interesting, was incorporating a blog to her online portfolio. Her main portfolio is really clean & professional. Her blog adds another element to where it allows "fans" to follow her and really feel like they can get to know her. I stumbled upon her page through a friend who goes to her site to look through her blog more so than her work which I found interesting. It just made me really wonder what possibilities online portfolios have, because to some extent, I feel as though she will be getting opportunities because of her blogs & personality.

+ Beginning animation is unique and grabs viewers interest and loads quickly + Photo collage provides visual information about the projects and creates a unique aesthetic + Loosely organized navigation makes exploring the site more exciting and allows for opportunities for discovery + Artist's eclectic and creative personality comes across with the website design - Sometimes difficult to find and somewhat unintuitive links can be confusing - Abstract project categories can make navigating to a particular page or interest difficult - Lack of color at main project navigation creates a somewhat bland aesthetic

A collection of websites which offer free online portfolio platforms. Some of these start out free and charge extra if you go beyond just the basic versions. Others require an invitation.

What works for this is that immediately you can see that he is a creative thinker. There is a deliberate effort at communicating this with his background image. His work is strong. But the greyscale design of his site with an abundance of curvy lines makes italic typography (his font face) difficult to read. And there is no navigation system, no organization or hierarchy of information. So if he showed his portfolio to a potential client who wanted a design poster done, they might not get far enough down his portfolio before getting bored. One-page portfolios are cool but he needs nav-links and an organization of content.

Likes: 1. Because the site takes a while to load, the "Loading..." image you see is an illustrated heart beating, and it's really interesting to look at while you wait. 2. Content is all listed on left--easy navigation 3. Color scheme is very attractive, and still works well with content. Dislikes: 1. Can't scroll using trackpad--you have to use the side bar 2. Content still takes a long time to load, even after waiting for the initial homepage to load as well. 3. It's hard to distinguish between the heads and subheads on the left--maybe bolding the heads would make them pop a little better?

Likes- This is a really great portfolio, even though his sketches of people look like Sasquatch. The menu bar and navigation are two of my favorite pieces to this site. The menu bar is to the left and always open. Creative, and simple icons exist for each project and when you place the cursor over the icons a short written explanation pops up. The menu bar is also very well organized, with all the important sections existing right there. Once you click on a project there is a series of image icons to click on, and a written explanation at the bottom of each image. Dislikes- The only part I didn't like was the resume portion. When I clicked on the icon it took me to a download screen. I don't want to download the resume yet, I want to see it first. Under his contact icon the resume exists, so he just made up for that one mistake. Nice work Josh. You might get a call back. A

Likes: 1. Majority of the page is pictures/videos of current works 2. Hover on the left side of page - hides/reveals which section you're in, but always has the "home page" button as an option. A creative way of navigating through the site, while maximizing space for visuals. 3. Has an easy "Pause/Play" option for all videos. 4. Simple, clean graphics and colors are still made interesting by their level of interaction and composition. 5. The optional view option on the right (has thumbnail pictures for each sub page) - is something different. 6. Hovering to the Left hides/reveals (don't need to click and wait for loads) Dislikes: 1. In the portfolios section, the reel starts playing automatically, with music. 2. The left and right view options can be a little confusing - some people might not know that each side contains the same info/pages. 3. Every visual aid is pretty much a reel with music - gives viewer little control of what they see and when they see it.

Likes: 1. layout is creative and colorful-- mexican themed, opening page is mexican objects and clothes on a line--beautiful 2. comments section allows viewer to comment-- allowing criticism to go from viewer straight to artist 3. portfolio is filled with lots of photography, many subjects, bright and colorful, it's hard to get bored looking at such vibrant imagery 4. at the bottom of the page, while viewing his photos, there is a sheet of film negatives that allow you to browse through thumbnails of the photos and select certain ones instead of having to go through the entire batch Dislikes: 1. for such an awesome website, he doesn't have any english translations, which is not to say that every other language should also be translated into an english version, however, if I didn't know any Spanish- like many many people around the world, I would be completely confused. 2. no biography, who is he? 3. no way to contact artist unless the viewer leaves his/her contact information first 4. in the "Links" section there are links to what looks like 5 different artists' sites, however, all lead to one photostream of a flickr account 5. for not having a biography, I think it's a little ridiculous to have an "Awards" section

Pros Simple layout and things work well Enjoy the different backgrounds displayed on different links Like the simple title of PUSH Cons Don't know what they are trying to portray or what they are about A little too simple need more info and links Need to talk more about projects that have been done http://www.benarent.co.uk/portfolio Pros Like that it gives a description of the person Very in depth and many pictures of previous work Like the sketchbook idea Cons Simple Design, not very complex Would like if sketchbook flipped pages when you clicked on it Don't enjoy the same font throughout the entire website. http://www.josheyre.com/ Pros Like the scrolling images on the front page of the website Like that the contact brings you to google maps and also includes resume Same top page works well and it doesn't feel confusing to me. Cons Don't enjoy the bland background on every page Small links don't work well with design Home on top right blends in with the design of orange. http://amby.com/kimeldorf/sampler/ Pros Very simple and easy to navigate Glad that everything is in order of steps to take. Cons Too many PDFS that take you to separate windows Last updated in 1998 so very old fashioned Don't know what he does or what he's trying to tell us about himself http://design.ocell.net/ Pros Very simple and elegant Like the white and grey background and Title and text is very different and creative. Cons Too little work displayed Not very many links to click Don't know what he is trying to portray within the website