Alabama’s Homeboys
Published by the Los Angeles Times
This story content is definitely appropriate for multimedia. The project includes a video about the impoverished children of Alabama Village, an essay by a victim of gang violence, a photo gallery, related links, and interactive graphics.
The viewer has a lot of control over what he or she views in the project. They can easily switch from one section to another, mute the audio, interact with the graphics, and scroll through the photos or video at their own pace. I might suggest adding the option to play a slideshow of the photos, opposed to manually scrolling through each individual image. This requires too much work for the audience and could deter them from viewing all of the photos.
The design is clean and creative. It fits with the style of the story. I really like the subtle movement of the background image on the homepage. It is such a simple addition, yet it keeps me engaged because there is constant movement without being distracting. The black, white and grey color palate with the lime green contrast color stays consistent with the mood of the story.
Technically, I found the multimedia piece to be flawless. The images and audio are clear, the interviews are understandable, and the text pieces are well written. The photography, especially, is incredibly moving. There are a good variety of pictures, each one telling a story of its own. I really like the natural sound embedded in the essay as well as the music on the photo gallery page. It brings the words and pictures alive.
Overall, this multimedia project does an excellent job at fully covering a unique and newsworthy story. It provides several layers and angles for the viewer to explore.
