m.cheapoair.com

=m.cheapoair.com=

Steven Banaszak
My critique is on the m.cheapoair.com website as viewed by the Android 3.1 browser.

Low-Level
The organization of the site is done very well with visible tables enclosing each section. Everything is lined up vertically as to not make the pages too wide for mobile platforms. It is very easy to find everything. The only visible shortcuts were the one on the homepage so there is not much to say there. All of the shortcuts go from blue to orange when clicked (before changing the page). This is true of almost everything on the website. The overall color scheme is white, blue, and orange. Blue and orange are complimentary colors which makes them easily separated and the consistent white background makes everything very easy to read.

Mid-Level
In terms of consistency, the website does fairly well. It has buttons laid out across the top for "Flight Search", "Check my Booking", and "Contact Us" which all bring you to pages that seem familiar due to the consistent theme. In the top corner of every page there are "Home" and "Call" buttons which will bring you back to the homepage and display a phone number to call, respectively. Unfortunately the window that shows up does not tell you who's number it is and why you should call it. The "Contact Us" button on the homepage, however, lists many phone numbers along with who they belong to and sometimes why you should call them. Navigation is always the same, the only problem with that is that you have to go to the home page every time you want to do basically anything. This decision is understandable because it is a mobile platform. The only serious errors that I can think of this website causing is something such as booking the wrong flight or incorrectly charging a credit card. I don't fell comfortable testing this with my own info so I'm not sure how it handles these problems. When searching flights one can easily modify the search after the results appear by clicking on the locations/dates provided. This allows the user to make changes to decisions they've made without going back to when they made them.

High-Level
At no point while using the site did I ever feel like I didn't cause the action that was performed. I maintained control very well and never felt as though unnecessary actions were performed. This along with the simplicity of the layout allows the user to be very comfortable while using it. The text on the page was very legible and had simple colors which allows the user to avoid confusion. Information is displayed on each page in a very linear format so that you can simply scroll down the page and read everything on it. Since there is a button that takes you back to a homepage that has every feature the site offers, the only thing the user has to remember is to go to the home screen to start a different task. The search results also show exactly what the user searched so that they do not have to remember it. This makes using the site much easier. The availability of an Android app makes the site seem much more credible as they have obviously hired software developers to create it.

In conclusion the site is very simple and easy to use. Because of that the user feels very comfortable and confident in their actions. Unfortunately there is no real help function. Of course this would rarely be needed by the average user but is an absolute necessity. The call button does not tell you who's number to call. The website does however provide a link to download their Android app which allows the user to choose how to access the site. Such choices are always welcome and add to the quality of the site.