The Historic New Orleans Collection (THNOC) website contains content that is organized adequately for rapid consumption. In their book, Oliu et al. (2020) initially highlighted the inverted-pyramid method, which implies stating the “most important point before providing the detailed background information” (p. 205). Most of the THNOC site’s pages are organized according to this principle, and the page “About” is an exceptional example. In the beginning, it briefly explains what, where, when, by whom, why, and how; below is the message from the president; lower is the information about founders and at the bottom is the list of directors.
The website’s pages contain many different materials about THNOC, its exhibitions, research, publications, and programs. It should be noted that some paragraphs are relatively long and describe several ideas. Nonetheless, despite historical and cultural conditioning that does not allow concise text everywhere, the language used is plain, and the most important ideas stand out for easier consumption. All the material is performed in a simple, straightforward, and appropriate way; any informalities, extra promotions, or claims are absent.
Selected website information is appropriately highlighted, and different structures help focus attention and carry out comfortable navigation on the site. Oliu et al. (2020) described plenty of highlighting methods that enhance readability, and most of those techniques are implemented on the THNOC site. The website contains many headings and subheadings that allow rapidly detecting of the information sought. Those headings are performed in different colors and fonts, which contributes to the effectiveness of digital consumption. Another highlighting technic is on the “Visit” page: bulleted list. This list clearly demonstrates which visitors are considered fully vaccinated and are permitted to explore THNOC’s complex. Usage of graphics should also be mentioned: images as graphic elements are used on every page.
This technic visually supports the text, draws attention, and promotes easier material consumption. Considering the cultural value of THNOC, photographs illustrate essential information and prepare potential visitors for attending the museum.
Applying plenty of internal and external links helps the THNOC website to avoid information overload and contributes to users’ handy navigation between pages. The button “Ticket” is worth noting: the red color stands out well and attracts attention. This decision defines the main part of the website, which is present on every page: users can click the button whenever they decide to order a visit. Besides this button, there are many other internal links on the THNOC website. Those links give users rapid access to various pages that provide additional and detailed information. Several external links can be found on the site as well: links to THNOC social media pages and related websites. For example, there is an external hyperlink to the River Road African American Museum on the “Off-site” page.
THNOC’s website has an exceptional privacy policy page that explains how the users’ data is protected. When creating a site, it is necessary to consider that the Internet has many vulnerabilities, and the number of cybercrimes is constantly growing. Therefore, it is essential to provide users with safety and protect their privacy. This issue is especially relevant for the selected site because users may be asked to enter their personal data or credit card information to order a visit, get a membership, or purchase products. The site’s privacy page explains what information they collect and what measures they implement to maintain the safety of users’ data. The usage of cookies and cooperation with third parties are also discussed here. In general, the site gives a sufficient understanding of how THNOC digitally maintains confidentiality.
Reference
Oliu, W. E., Brusaw, C. T., & Alred, G. J. (2020). Writing that works: Communicating effectively on the job (13th ed.). Bedford/Saint Martin’s.