The first thing I notice about the site is the logo: it’s big and bright, followed by the words “internet radio show.” I think that’s techno-jargon for “podcast.” The color scheme on the front page tends towards red, so I immediately feel a strong energy coming from the site. It’s warm and inviting. Scanning the rest of the header, I see the words “original, funny, free.” This could be a great find.

I notice the big “Listen now” button. Right above it, I see a bar that says “season 4″ and then a search button. Odd. I wonder why the search is pre-filled in with this query. I click inside the box, but the words do not disappear. Hmm. I wonder if I’m supposed to search for this, before starting my own query? — a number of questions come to mind.

Upon further inspection, I notice something I completely missed on first glance. There are links in the copy. But what’s most unfortunate is that they are exactly the same color as the regular text! Even on my color-calibrated monitor, I find it very difficult to parse. I believe I’m not alone is say that finding the links on the pages is a much more difficult task than it should be. Not only does the site avoid the familiar underlined-text convention, but the font is exactly the same color. It’s clearly one of the weakest elements on the page.

I read on: “The Absolute Peach” is a free comedy podcast based in England and hosten by BenYoung and Joe Gallagher. Oh, neat. Next, I see the twitter logo, and I’m sure of what will come: follow us on twitter! I continue scanning the page.

I see a “post” (is this a blog?) about the show. It looks like it gives a brief synopsis of the show. Hmm, find out “how to win ourselves a toddler.” Maybe I do want to subscribe to this podcast.

Overall, theabsolutepeach.com will deliver for it’s long-term fan base. While newcomers to the show will probably have a bit of trouble learning about the podcast and becoming involved, long-time listeners have many options to choose from: forums, a store, a myspace profile, and even exclusive content.

I would suggest that the owners of the site, Ben and Joe, take a look at the site from a “new user” perspective. While it’s easy enough to listen to the podcast, and probably to subscribe, the site itself is not easy to navigate. Consider consolidating the navigation, reducing “white space” in the overall layout, and paying more attention to your typography; headers and links should be clear and apparent.

The devil is in the details and there is certainly additional areas for your site to deliver upon.

• Be Explicit — The flash-based podcast player has a lot of implied functionality that may be a bit disorienting to first-time listeners. You may consider adding subscribe functionality to the popup player.
• Don’t build broken bridges — When sections of your site look vastly different from your traditional style, you should caution users. Either provide an explicit banner across the top of the “different” section or have it launch in a new window. That way, users unfamiliar to your site won’t feel duped.
• Lower the Cognitive Load — Don’t provide extraneous information to users who will not use it. Many pieces of information that have a valid purpose on the front page are repeated throughout the site, front and center. When a user is looking for information about your program, for example, do they really need to know about TAPAs?
• Follow Conventions — When browsing the site, things were not where I expected them to be: the navigation didn’t tell me what page I was on, the search bar had a query filled in, the links weren’t explicit, etc. Make sure that your site doesn’t become unusable to a first-time user.