Post 2

 I agree with all things on the "things people go looking to the site for" list; the parking map, dates, policies, and instructor/course information are the only things I ever go to the WSU site for. All other information is irrelevant, because I am a student and I need the site for more practical reasons. I feel like the WSU site is geared more towards alumni and parents and not students. I feel this way because of the fonts (which are too small), and especially the picture slideshow (which I always ignore).
I chose to examine the University if Idaho Website: http://www.uidaho.edu/
 This site has a much better layout, in my opinion. The intended audience is clearly the student, with easy-access button links with drop down menus that make site navigation simple. There are links on this page (easy to find) that take you to things of import to students, like "Locations" and "Directory" and "Athletics". This design is more effective because it doesn't waste student' time on searching for important pages and makes the whole university seem more student-oriented. Also, the visual mode is used well here; the use of school's colors and the fun font make the site pleasing the eye. The author appears to be of a younger generation and less serious than that of the WSU site. The Idaho author establishes credibility by making the layout applicable to students, such as keeping it simple. Another feature that makes this site applicable to the intended audience of students are the social networking buttons in the top left corner. These allow students to connect school with their everyday lives.