Main_pageSean06 (aka 22 Months: The Long Haul)

22 Months: The Long Haul is an interactive, multimedia story by the Associated Press. At least, that’s what I think it’s called. The main page has two head/deck combinations. This is the larger, but less descriptive, of the two. The title may also be To Iraq and Back: Stories from the longest deployment on the ground.

The page title—Main_pageSean06—gives no additional hints. Instead, it’s a non-descriptive, non-informative header that leaves no identifying trace in a reader’s browser history. It should likely be changed to reflect the projects title and, perhaps, the organization: AP: To Iraq and Back.

Aesthetically, the page is a bit awkward. The bulk of the Flash interface, an oddly shaped geometric image, floats on a white background in the upper left corner of the browser window, as if the designer didn’t know how to use the < center > tag.  Seven icons sit across the top of the screen, most are meaningful images, but one—the top of a lamp—gives little indication of what’s to come. Clicking on each icon brings the user to a page with a headline, a short description, and some vein of photo story: image thumbnails with complimentary audio, a slideshow of images, or a multimedia piece.

All audio plays automatically, something I’m not completely opposed to. However, instead of the audio setting up the scene, the short description does, making the stories hard to follow.

There is no home button, meaning once you’ve clicked on a story, the only way to navigate is across stories or reload the page.

Rollovers changes are slight and hard to catch, and active hit areas are far too large. In fact, at one point I thought I was navigating an interactive timeline in “Doctor’s diary” until I realized I was viewing the other stories.

On several occasions, I broke the navigation by pausing the audio, clicking on another link before the current story had stopped playing, or clicking in the wrong location.

Ultimately, the site seems to be a good idea with poor execution. Taking time to capture and edit quality audio could have taken this piece to the next level. Additionally, usability experts are rarely unnecessary.