The Webpage of Tempe’s Landmark 

Written by: Jacob R.

Serenity, Scenery, and simplicity are all things that people search for in life.  All of these things and more are found in the trails, paths, water, and nature of Tempe Town Lake.  Here in the southeast side of the valley, a hotspot of Arizona is available to the public where hiking, boating, mountain biking, and fishing are all of great value.  Tempe Town Lake offers a great place for a family or couple to get away and enjoy sand volleyball in the summery warmth or to go horse back riding or even adventure out into something new like a segway tour!  Not only is this lake a large part of the Arizona’s culture, it has a foundation a history far greater than most people would probably know.  However, such great landmarks like Tempe Town Lake must be adopted into the current society everyone lives in today.  Technology has evolved over time just as any other part of history, which is why these facilities are now incorporated with websites to share knowledge and information with the public.  Tempe Town Lake is an excellent example of a distinctive piece of history that has adapted to modern society where the internet demands webpages with information of the given topic. 

Beginning with a little chunk of Arizona history well before the 1500‘s, Indians that were native to this land had created an extensive canal system throughout the area.  These canals have survived the test of time and have since been used for irrigation, powering water mills, flood control and much more.  In the mid 1900‘s, the section of the river that is now considered Tempe Town Lake was nothing but a mere dry river bed, resulting in a major eye sore for the area.  Arizona State University professor Dean Elmore pushed his architecture students to design something to utilize this large empty space.  With a final decision of creating various locks and channels to establish a desert seaport, the Rio Salado Project was established.  The foundation of Tempe Town Lake had begun, a recreational facility based on the natives exemplary canal system only a few centuries ago.  With even more history backing this story, it leaves Tempe with a historical icon from the past and for the future.  On site at Tempe Town Lake, there are many things someone could benefit from visiting and utilizing this recreational area however the only issue is how would someone find out all of this great information?  

Well, of course any sane computer savvy person of the 21st century would hop right onto the internet and use Google’s search engine to investigate.  Naturally, most people are likely to click on the first link that pops up assuming it will be the most informative and useful.  By clicking on the first link, which is https://www.tempe.gov/index.aspx?page=1193, the viewer is brought to a colorful and well designed government based website.  The first impression of a website is always the appearance and what the eye perceives right upon loading.  With this site, immediately there are many clues that lead to belief that it is a very official webpage.  Some of these clues include a City of Tempe banner across the top of the page, professionally incorporated photographs, and its well abbreviated tabs.  The color usage for the site is very appropriate since they are cool colors such as blue orange and white.  There is great use of line on the homepage and many ninety degree angles are created which keeps the viewers eye moving across the page.  However this is not the case on other portions of the site where it looks as though designing was rushed and not as thorough.  In general, the design and appearance is very pleasing and appropriate for the type of publication it is.  

     However shortly after the viewer is impressed by the well balanced shades of color and intriguing format, the site becomes a misfortunate place of confusion and disarray.  One click on the wrong tab and the viewer can be sent somewhere else in which it is unknown how to navigate back without using the browsers “back” button.  It takes a few minutes to settle and realize where the useful tabs are since they are mildly camouflaged with a very similar light blue background while the other tabs are an eye demanding yellow and orange.  The functionality of this site can be mastered, but for the average newcomer, some of the links can lead to frustration.  The site could use a little remodeling for current usage since some of the links are broken and lead to either a non existent link or one that has been removed.  Also, the events section of the site is very small, and can’t be seen unless scrolled down.  Once found, one is expecting extraordinary links for the information they are searching but in turn, they are found to not be very esthetically pleasing and very plain with minimal color.  A great suggestion for the creator of the site would be for the menu for upcoming events to be closer to the top, have a contrasting color in the background, and to have an easily readable, non-serif text so that it is more readily available and easier to find.

While the website is very informative with concrete information that will never change, it lacks in the area for events that are upcoming.  As stated before, the event section seems to be somewhat secluded from the page when it should be one of the top promotors for the facility.  The events are up to date and current, yet there could be more details regarding the event and possibly a little history section of how long the event has been around and how it has contributed to the community.  All of the content in this website is very accurate and reliable, however in some areas it is a bit disorganized and may take a few reads to completely understand what is being said.  Despite these rare occasions, the text has a great fluidity to it and gives the reader a great sense of what Tempe Town Lake is truly about with audience appropriate vocabulary.  The only area the site lacks is amount of information.  This government based site should have many people controlling it, ready to add any beneficial text that a reader might want to know.  The complex part is finding a way to make this information in the appropriate tab and to not appear as erroneous information because it is in the wrong section.  With all negativity included, this site will be able to help most people searching for what they want about Tempe Town Lake.  

Through all of the different features of the Tempe Town Lake website, overall there is a great foundation and a well organized layout.  Although it may be mildly confusing initially, once the user somewhat establishes their bearings, the website becomes a plethora of useful information at hand about the history, events, and activities the recreational area has to offer.  One of the strongest points the design team for the website was able to contribute was the appearance of the site.  The blue’s was obviously a great choice since the topic of the text was Tempe Town Lake and the word is generally affiliated with water.  The oranges used are a great promoter for people to go out and enjoy any season by utilizing the recreational facility since the color is often correlated with the sun and warmth.  Where the site lacks is in the set up and how up to date it is.  The set up is by far better than most of the websites out on the web today, however for a government supported site, formatting could have been executed a little better to make the page even more user friendly and operational.  As stated before, some links were broken and only a tiny event section appeared to be updated regularly.  Once more information and history is obtained about the facility, it should be amended to the site for others to grow and learn as well.  However, the content that was available is a great help to understanding the activities available, and the history behind such a great landmark.