Nbadraft.net

This is an informational website about all elements of the upcoming NBA draft. It’s a site that I visit frequently for updates on the rankings and standings of potential draft picks. The Home page has one primary navigation system that appears on every page of the site. The groups make logical sense, for someone familiar with the NBA draft, for example “mocks” might not make sense to the average person, but I understand that it is a link to the mock or pretend drafts in the past and future.

Home page

The primary nav never disappears and is accessible on every page of the site, therefore you can always get back to the homepage. The links have a rollover state, where the color of the font changes from white to red, but the after you click on it goes back to the original look, there is no selected stat for the primary nav links. Some of the links do however have a drop down menu for the secondary navigation. Even though the links do not have selected states, you always know where you are in the website from the headlines on the page. In addition the headline is the same style and position on every page, so you can look at the same place to know what primary nav group you are in.

Mock Drafts page

The site has a very deep architecture. Because it is a comprehensive information site about the NBA draft there are many many pages. Each player has his own profile page, there are numerous news articles, blogs, and forums as well. The site is not flat which is a good thing considering the amount of content and information this site provides, instead it is grouped nicely into the primary navigation and all the information falls accurately into those categories.



There is definitely a hierarchy of typography. The different headlines are distinguished using different colors and sizes, with the most prominent the biggest. I like the typography and wouldn’t change it, it is clear, organized, and has good spacing. The labels of the navigation are also clear and accurate; you get what you click on.







The structure/grid of the page stays the same from page to page. Only the content changes, but the look of the top banner, primary nav, and surrounding area stays the same. The top banner consists of two elements that do change however. Most of the area is dedicated to advertisement by another company, and the other part is a up to the second countdown clock to the NBA draft. Even though the countdown is not absolutely critical, I like the sense of excitement and anticipation it brings to the NBA draft.

Draft Countdown

Looking at any page, the first thing to grab my attention would be the top banner advertisement. Most of the site has a consistent maroon color palette, which kind of blends it all together. The advertisement banner, however, depending on what company is usually has colorful AD which is the first thing to capture my attention. I think it’s good for the other companies but for the site, it distracts from the information a little too much. However I understand that companies probably pay more money for that location on the site.
For each profile there is a photo of the player along with a short youtube clip of their highlight reel. I found this to be extremely beneficial because it actually lets you see examples of their skills, and generates some more excitement for the draft.

Profile page

When displaying a list of teams I found the use of the team logo icons extremely helpful since I can quickly associate the logo with the team. I don’t believe the site needs anymore photos. Since basketball is an “in motion” activity, photos don’t really serve a good purpose, which is why I really like the youtube clip feature.
Besides the advertisements, the only colors used are white, grey, black, and maroon. The grey boxes on a white background help separate lists such as a list of news articles. I’m not sure why the color maroon was chosen. It is a deep warm color, but not really associate with the NBA or the NBA logo which is red, white, and blue. Perhaps it was to make the site look a little more sophisticated and formal. The objective of the site is to provide comprehensive information on the upcoming NBA draft as well as create some excitement for the draft. There is a search option in the primary nav bar on every page which lets you search for key words or certain player profiles. I think the search option is a necessary feature for such a large website with vast amounts of content. As I said before, I definitely find the youtube clips the most useful feature on the site. Also, I like the structure of the home page. It is organized in order of importance such as the latest mock draft then latest article and news. It provides the most important instant information to the viewer. The site is well organized and structured so I was never really confused while exploring the website. If I could suggest some changes it would be to perhaps add some other colors to the palette to liven up the site and create more levels because one of the comments I had earlier was that the single maroon kind of blends all the content together and washes it out. Overall though, I like the organization and structure of the site. It’s easy to find the information I’m looking for.