Re: Math games
by "David Grant" <dj_grant1978(at)hotmail.com>
|
| Date: |
Fri, 21 Jul 2000 10:25:30 GMT |
| To: |
klanxner(at)home.com |
| Cc: |
hwg-critique(at)hwg.org |
| |
todo: View
Thread,
Original
|
|
<html><DIV id=cdiv>
<P>
<DIV id=cdiv>
<P>
<DIV id=cdiv>
<P>Ken, <BR><BR>If the client doesn't like the site, it doesn't really matter what any of us say. I've found that clients don't understand web principles and prefer their site only to work on their browser with their plug-ins. I did a site for the most critical customers of all - my parents - </P>
<P>URL: <A href="http://www5.ewebcity.com/djg/mgs">http://www5.ewebcity.com/djg/mgs</A></P>
<P>The site itself worked fine, complying with the XHTML 1.0 spec, and was fully accessible by all types of browser and people with disabilities, but I got told it looked boring. This is a sad reflection of the 'expectations gap' between designers and clients.</P>
<P>Enough about that though, time to critique your site...</P>
<P>Ok, HTML is 4.0 Transititional by the looks of it, as you're still using <FONT>, but this could easily be updated if you used stylesheets. It is admirable that you're aiming for Bobby guidelines, as it is so important to make sure the site is available for everyone. I know Version 3 browsers are very sketchy in their support for stylesheets, but it won't make any difference to the layout of your page.</P>
<P>The graphics on the page could do with reducing - your site will take 12.26 seconds to load on a 28.8Kbps modem (<A href="http://www.netmechanic.com/">www.netmechanic.com</A>), although it is still fast. I would get rid of the Comic Sans MS titles, as it would be much easier to put those on the page as text and not graphics. I know you don't get the smart anti-aliasing on the page, but it will save you time, especially if the client changes the background colour!! I know you said you will be adding ALT attributes to your images, so there is no need to repeat that (too late!) - don't forget to add full stops at the end for the braile reader!</P>
<P>In terms of style, the page does look a bit boring I'm afraid to say. I know it's hard to make an educational site fun, put try reducing the white space a little and changing the font to something other than Arial. If you are going to use Verdana (a nice font, I'll agree), use Tahoma as a second, and not Arial - Tahoma is nearer, and present on most PCs (sorry Mac users..). You have EXCELLENT use of links on your page - and a shining example to anyone needing to know in which context to put them. There are too many 'Click Here' comments around on the WWW, and you show how to integrate it well into the page design.</P>
<P>Also well done is the alteration of fonts to add emphasis to key phrases on the 'About' page. When you read the page, you are automatically drawn to the highlighted text and it does capture my interest well.</P>
<P>One thing I don't agree with on the about page is the use of 2001 as the real beginning of the new Millenium - it sounds like you're trying to impose an intellectual superiority upon readers of the page - not hard in my case ;-) - but nonetheless a non value-adding statement.</P>
<P>Whilst this page is not yet complete, I think you have made a good start, although it sounds like you've got a stinker of a client.</P>
<P>All the best,</P>
<P>David Grant</P>
<P> </P>
<P>----Original Message Follows---- <BR>From: Ken Lanxner <KLANXNER(at)HOME.COM><BR>To: hwg-critique(at)hwg.org <BR>Subject: Math games <BR>Date: Thu, 20 Jul 2000 12:30:35 -0700 <BR><BR>Hi. <BR><BR>http://www.teachmoregames.com/test/index.html <BR><BR>The site I am offering here is not yet complete. Only the front page and <BR>the about page ("find out why") are working right now. It is a *very* <BR>basic site. Much of the target audience (schools, libraries, etc.) may <BR>still be using version 3 browsers and 28.8 modems. So there is nothing <BR>fancy on the page -- no rollovers, no Flash, few graphics. The site will <BR>be Bobby-approved when completed. We will also be offering the math <BR>activities in Braille. But at the moment, I don't even have the alt tags <BR>in place. <BR><BR>Considering all that, does the page still have visual appeal. The client <BR>says "it doesn't work" for him. But he has also said that about my last <BR>few concepts for his site. He is both hyper-cri!
tical and at the same <BR>time extremely vague about what he wants. As a result, I have told him <BR>that I will be charging him for every draft of the site. If he wants to <BR>see a dozen different concepts before he is happy, then he will pay for <BR>each page, not just the final result! <BR><BR>Any comments on the look of the page and the clarity of the text would <BR>be appreciated. <BR><BR>Thanks, <BR>Ken <BR><BR>--- <BR>Simplelives * Web Design <BR>http://simplelives.com <BR><BR>Lives, the Biography Resource <BR>http://amillionlives.com <BR><BR><BR><BR></P></DIV>
<P>
<P></P></DIV>
<TABLE style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ccffcc; BORDER-BOTTOM: 2px ridge; BORDER-LEFT: 2px ridge; BORDER-RIGHT: 2px ridge; BORDER-TOP: 2px ridge">
<TBODY>
<TR>
<TD rowSpan=3>
<P><IMG height=111 src="http://www5.ewebcity.com/djg/dj-grant.jpg" style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 2px solid; BORDER-LEFT: 2px solid; BORDER-RIGHT: 2px solid; BORDER-TOP: 2px solid" width=71></P></TD>
<TD colSpan=2>
<P style="FONT-FAMILY: 'trebuchet ms', verdana, tahoma; TEXT-ALIGN: center">David Jonathan Grant</P></TD></TR>
<TR>
<TD>
<P style="FONT-FAMILY: 'trebuchet ms', verdana, tahoma; TEXT-ALIGN: center"><A href="mailto:dj_grant1978(at)hotmail.com" style="COLOR: #ff6666; TEXT-DECORATION: none">dj_grant1978(at)hotmail.com</A></P></TD></TR>
<TR>
<TD>
<P style="FONT-FAMILY: 'trebuchet ms', verdana, tahoma; TEXT-ALIGN: center"><A href="http://www.dj-grant.org.uk/" style="COLOR: #ff6666; TEXT-DECORATION: none" target=_blank>www.dj-grant.org.uk</A></P></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></DIV><p><hr>Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at <a href="http://www.hotmail.com/">http://www.hotmail.com</a><br></html>
HTML: hwg-critique mailing list archives,
maintained by Webmaster @ IWA