Critique+Matt+Orlove

Lufthansa - @http://www.lufthansa.com/

Lufthansa is a German airline - the largest in Europe - that is known for its customer service and expansive list of international destinations.

__Low-Level Items__ (spelling, fonts, colors, layouts, etc.): When you immediately access the Lufthansa website, you are greeted by bright, vivid colors. Lufthansa's signature colors are goldenrod yellow and navy blue, which compliment each other nicely. The site is simple to navigate - flights can be booked right from the homepage and, while special offers are clearly displayed for those who may be looking for them, they do not take away from the most used features (such as flight status, seat check-in, etc). The menu bar at the top of every page on the Lufthansa site provides useful links which, when hovered over with the cursor, displays further options (even with detailed descriptions!) that can be chosen all without leaving the page you're currently on.

__Middle-Level Aspects__ (consistency, error handling, writing style, menu design, etc.): The consistency of this website is spot on. It is very obvious that every page was built with the same design in mind. The top menu bar and bottom information bar sandwich the entire site, the layouts remain constant (similar fonts, text sizes, writing styles, etc) whether you're looking up your mileage account or signing up for the Lufthansa newsletter. This clear, conscious effort to create a fluid website whose pages work with each other makes your user experience that much more simple. You never feel lost or confused - any accidental clicks never have ridiculous penalties like being sent to an irrelevant third party site. Finding your way around the Lufthansa website is very straight-forward with detailed descriptions given to guide you to your desired destination.

The error handling is helpful as well - if login credentials or an incorrect flight number is entered, the page specifically tells you what your mistake was. Additionally, it is impossible to choose a return flight to happen before your departure flight. The calendar widget that appears automatically updates depending on what date you choose for your departure and does not allow you to select earlier days even as an option.

__High-Level Concepts__ (information architecture, navigation, audience appeal, privacy protection, credibility, etc.): I've already expressed how much I like the information architecture and navigation aspects of this website and the rest of these high-level concepts are done very well too. The use of expanding widgets, which help make certain decisions (selecting destinations, menu options, flight dates, etc) conceptually easier, are also aesthetically appealing. The website is offered in either English or German but, via phone, Lufthansa representatives can assist users in over 50 languages. It is this expansive customer service (which is necessary due to the huge range of countries/nationalities they service) and ease of use which help make this website operate perfectly for their audience. A sitemap is offered as a fail safe for those who may have difficulties with navigation throughout the site. The information bar at the bottom has all kinds of useful things for people who need it: terms and conditions, passengers rights, privacy statement, terms of use, and the aforementioned sitemap. As I said before, this entire bar (and thus, each of these links) are at the bottom of every page on the Lufthansa website in case someone needs access to them immediately.

The incredible attention to detail that was used to make this website would be apparent to any Lufthansa customer but, as a person looking specifically for flaws and mistakes, I am even more blown away. I searched for bugs with error handling, looked for broken links, inefficient grouping of pages, anything that might need to be improved upon but, either this site does an incredible job or my expertise on human-computer interaction could still use some work. I'm leaning towards the latter.