Television websites in South Africa

brad — Sun, 17 Jun 2007 03:51:00 +0200

This is the first in a series dedicated to poor website design, the thumbs-down from Me, self-declared web critic.

When I visit one of the free South African Television channel websites I think to myself "How would I not develop a television website?" and "What technologies would I not use?", then there on my screen I see websites designed exactly not how you should design a television website. I rate the websites from worst to best: sabc3, sabc1, sabc2, etv.

To me a television website is simple. You have a lot of content, yes, and it changes daily, yes, but the principle is simple. People want to find out what shows are on either: now, today, or this week. They want to find out information about the shows: what the show is generally about, what the episode on today/tomorrow/next month is about, and maybe what episode number is on show. There are very comprehensive information websites (fir example tv.com lists just about every episode of every season of every show around, and the internet allows you to link to the content if you don't have your own content. It is that simple, basic interface, comprehensive information, easy access in the way 99% of people are going to want to access it. Then add fluff, have the good stuff once your navigation and site structure are done.

SABC3 website is so unbelievably bad (the navigation does not appear everywhere, and they use flash badly). I mean, if you are going to make a bad website, may as well make it badly in flash to keep your ends covered. My best is that when you try pull up the programme for today it produces tomorrow's programme.

SABC1 promises a new website, after a protracted wait with a blank page where JAVASCRIPT forwards you to the correct URL. let me repeat that, JAVASCRIPT forwards you to the new address. Because HTTP headers are dumb, and rather make sure people who don't run javascript are not forwarded to your website (and make sure you give no indication that anything is happening. wtf.). Once you finally get the website (after a blank javascript forwarding page, followed by a flash presentation that promises a new website. Site is okay looking, but seems unhinged from SABC1's branding, and target market.

SABC2 is reasonable, in that the info is available at a glance, but it is the equivalent of printing the schedule out and sticking it up everywhere, i.e. utilitarian and boring (but better to err on the side of utility than SABC3). Does not provide any rich information, no carrots, nothing.

To be honest the etv one is a lot better than the others, but they are here because it is a flash based website. They did not get the memo about 100% flash websites being 90s. Their information doesnt reach out and touch people because they are using interfaces which look bling, but don't carry, suffer from potential incompatibility problems, and increase client and server load.

That ends my rant, there will be more, so stay tuned.