| Oct. 10 2008 at 10:28 PM |
|
|
|
I am so glad to have found this section on start up nation. I think it would be great to hear what the general public have to say outside of my friends and family who cheer for me no matter what.
My website was designed by me. So, it would be great for sets of eyes besides my own and outside of my customers to fill me in on their experience at my website. As I write this it's like I already know the feedback, although the additional opinions are only going to lead me to make my site better which is why i'm so glad I found this application.
It's a wonderful day and a great time in the land of entrepreneurship.
tHANKS,
Deborah
Owner/Designer
Artsyfartsy Couture
|
| Oct. 10 2008 at 10:54 PM |
|
|
Interesting name .... 
First of all, what does the splash/intro page accomplish for you?
( Theme music from Jeopardy playing ........................... )
Answer: nothing. It isn't serving any purpose....no message to indicate where I am or what you do ( I have my sound off, so if I missed music or something, sorry, but even that isn't beneficial to have ).
Second, why is your content area so narrow? It feels kinda cramped.
Third, the top of the site that I see without scrolling gives me no indication of what you do, or what I should be doing. I see your name a couple of times, and some links, and that's all. So right away I have no idea what the purpose of your site is. Scrolling down, you mention art and a few other things, but still, why am I here?
The gallery starts out with a neat looking little system, until you actually start using it, then I have no clue how to navigate through it in an understandable way.
The Wholesale page has terms and conditions, etc., which I don't quite get; what does one have to do with the other?
Visually it looks nice, and is pretty easy to get around, but in the end I really don't feel too informed about the overall purpose.
M Hall
MichianaWebline
EmployIndiana.com
International Society of Curmudgeons
|
| Oct. 11 2008 at 8:50 AM |
|
|
|
You may have some limitations on what you can change because your using a website builder from your web host 1&1.
However, your should try to be more consistent with the size, type, and color of the fonts you use throughout the site. Too many different fonts make the site look unprofessional.
Also, check the color of your fonts. Past Present and Future page - a dark font may be easier to read than the white on gray background.
Certainly the flash page, is not needed.... even though it automatically opens your home page.
The gallery page.... may be I'm too old, but It was not easy to figure out how to view the images or see the next one. Such pages should be intuitive - any person should be able to understand how to work it, without instructions.
I agree, the site content area is very narrow, but that's your design choice. Consider, on lap tops and other computer's with a 1280px or larger display, your site will show a lot of back ground as compared to your content area.
Web Design | Golf videos | ecommerce articles | Golf Lessons
|
| Oct. 11 2008 at 5:50 PM |
|
|
Yup, I'll concur with Webline and WebWorld. The content area is too
narrow, and it also isn't centered. I actually am using a 1280x1040
resolution and couldn't read much of the content. For example your
Wholesale terms and conditions was like fine print in a contract, and
would need at least +3 times larger for me to even read.
The color scheme is a bit strange. On your home page where you have
your email address for contacting, I couldn't read that at all, with
the maroon on brown, as well as it being too small.
But the biggest problem is what Webline said: I don't understand what's
the purpose of the site. I get a sense that you sell something? But if
that's the case, how does this "silent auction" come into play?
I did see the gallery, with all the dots. I clicked a dot just to see,
and the resulting picture was too small to really see much of anything.
And, like Webworld, I didn't see easily how to view other items. The
music loop was tremendously annoying, and also no easy way to see how
to turn it off.
All in all, the first things to accomplish would be expand the width of
the content area. See if you can make more of your various content
"blocks" visible without scrolling----you likely will be able to do so
with more room horizontally.
Write some content that introduces the site, explains the point, and
excites the casual visitor with some intrigue, curiosity, and a call to
action.
Later, I would think about the benefit you gain from the way you show
your gallery, versus the annoyance of the gimmick. The little dots and
bouncing balls may be fun for ten seconds, but they get really old for
someone wanting to see your products. You'll need to also provide a way
to show larger versions of the products.
Products should also have descriptions---a sales pitch---to entice
someone to spend money and buy something. Remember, that's what you're
trying to accomplish, right? You want people to buy your products. :-)
Craig Landes
---
Defining the undefinable. "There are 10 kinds of people in the world---those who understand binary numbers and those who don't." - Unknown
International Society of Curmudgeons
|
| Oct. 13 2008 at 6:09 AM |
|
|
I have to echo everyone on this post. I know 1&1 limits you on what you can do but you could have tried to use at least 60% of the screen. I'm on a wide screen and to the left I have this tiny web page, perhaps about 510 pixels in width. I just did a CSS check up and it seems you're running at 775 pixels total.
The problem with it is, that the graphics are too small in width forcing you to only use about 500 the other 10 pixels are the margin left and right set to 5 pixels or so. The Flash Intro didn't do nothing for me...
If it's CSS based, I would suggest opening the header tag to about 900pixels, and manipulating the images to open up some more... I looked at all your images individually and they can be modified, but it's going to take alot of percise slicing This looks like the image you want to open up some more... and the rest will follow through. My only concern is this one, but it can be replicated or stretched enough to keep the pixels from breaking.
I like the design, the rough edges are cool... You can get away with the design if you do some advanced image manipulation. It's CSS so it should be easy putting it back together.
I hope this helps...
Edited by: Nuevolution - Oct. 13 2008 at 6:14 AMEdgar Monroy
Web Developer / Owner / Consultant
When starting your own business the need to "know-how" is greater than money!
http://www.nuevolution.net
|
| Jan. 02 2009 at 4:05 PM |
|
|
Thank you for everyone's amazing insight. I really appreciate the time you have taken to assist me in my very own entrepreneurial adventure. I have made MAJOR changes and redid my entire website completely. I also changed the name of my website to reflect myself as a designer and form a clearer picture. I know there is still much work to do and this Holiday Vacation has served me very well. Please view and comment: www.deborahmajendesigns.comI welcome all suggestions and comments good and bad.
Happy New Year!... And buy yourself something nice from my catalog.
Deborah
Designer
|
| Jan. 02 2009 at 5:36 PM |
|
|
I vaguely remember your previous site, based on the posts above. Looking at this one, you have nice colors and good clear images. However, this version does nothing for you. I give you credit for making changes and trying to make it better, but viewing it as a first time visitor, I just don't get the point you're trying to make with it. What do you offer me as a potential customer?
You have an image of an old car at the top. How is that relevant to what you're doing? It brings to mind autos, maybe nostalgia, but nothing about design in the context of your business. You have an empty left column, serving no purpose at all. You have different font sizes, types and colors, which lacks consistency.
You barely mention what you actually do, and you aren't showing us what you do when your service is mentioned. Overall, there is very little information about design services for your visitors to make them want to look any further.
Clicking on "Products", I expect to start seeing, well, products. Instead there is a message, and more clicks to actually get to what you should already be showing me. If the small image is a visitor counter, it shouldn't be in the middle of a page, but in the footer so it isn't part of your content.
Clicking "Design Services", the top of the page is all text, again different fonts, and reading it, it doesn't make a lot of sense. Note that I still don't see what you actually offer until I scroll down.
Now, off to "Catalogue/Order". Again, all text, shipping information, sale prices .... where is the product? In a photo album that doesn't really show off your products.
We live in a "microwave" society, and on the net people can have very short attention spans. If Site "A" doesn't show me what I want right away, there is always Site "B", "C", "D", and probably thousands more that I can go to. So, make everything on your main page relevant to your service, get your point across quickly and easily, and set yourself apart from the others. Make me, my needs and your solutions, the focus of your introduction.
I know this all probably sounds like I'm being mean or overly critical, and I'm not trying to sound like a total jerk. I really think the look is 100% better than before; you've done a great job in making the site more attactive and improved the general layout, but I believe you need to focus more on simply showing off what you do right away, and how it benefits your visitors.
Edited by: Webline - Jan. 02 2009 at 5:37 PMM Hall
MichianaWebline
EmployIndiana.com
International Society of Curmudgeons
|
| Jan. 02 2009 at 7:16 PM |
|
|
|
Another thing to consider is the name of each web page. Your home page is "3.html"; products page = "4.html".... etc. It would be better for search results if the pages had name relevant to the page content.
~Roland
Web Design | Golf videos | ecommerce articles | Golf Lessons
|
|
|