Time to review!

My second peer review is on Jolene Auger nee Mountain’s blog called Momma Jo’s Family (Inner Beautiful Child). When I first saw Jolene’s personal blog, the sentence – “My life is my family and I am going to share some things we do together and share some special and personal moments.” caught my attention. It reminded me of the blog from Family Support (2018), which said that family is one of Be Strong Families’ core values, beginning with respect for and appreciation of others no matter how old, how young, where they come from, what they’ve experienced, where they are, how capable they are, how healthy they are, and who they love. We can see how much Jolene loves her family, especially her lovely children. It attracted me to click inside Jolene’s content and understand more about her life as a mother!

Talking about the design of her blog, I would start with the theme. Jolene used a dark theme with a logo on the homepage, giving it a calming and peaceful vibe, which aligns perfectly with her message. Using a dark background helps people read the words clearly without any distraction. The use of bold and italicized text helps draw the reader’s attention to important information, such as calls to action or headings.

The overall typography on the website is also well executed. The font choices are easy to read and complement the design well. The font size is also appropriate and easy on the eyes, making the site’s content easy to read. Compared with my blog, Jolene’s blog has a different style from mine. I tried to reflect on my own blog, such as whether a dark theme is suitable for me. Kakehi (2019) mentioned the pros and cons of dark mode. Dark mode can be beneficial for people to stay focused. Yet, light mode can sustain people’s reading times. Therefore, I keep my own choices by using light mode. Except for the theme and typography, I like Jolene’s writing style. She used visualized content showing different pictures and photos. Her posts on family reminded me of my family in Hong Kong. It has been two months since I last saw them. I MISS THEM! I can’t wait to see them after the semester ends.

In terms of site structure, Inner Beautiful Child’s website is well-organized. The pages are logically arranged, and it is easy for users to find the information they are looking for. We can check from Home to Photos. Particularly, I love the way Jolene put all the photos with descriptions on the “Photos” page. Displaying the photos like an album allows the reader to view the moments easily and be more engaged. We can tell how happy she is with her family!

Overall, Jolene’s website design is well-executed and visually appealing. The theme and customizations are cohesive, and the typography and layout are easy to read and navigate.

Works Cited

Family Support. (2018, 9 8). Retrieved from https://www.bestrongfamilies.org/blog/what-does-family-mean-to-you

Kakehi, T. (2019, 5 30). Retrieved from https://uxdesign.cc/white-on-black-or-black-on-white-the-pros-and-cons-of-dark-mode-3439e37d6c6c