Re: Please critique commercial site

At 12:05 PM 6/7/00 -0700, you wrote:
>I just completed a web site for a client of mine and before they open
>for business, I would like to have the site checked out by the experts.
>The site requires Java Script be turned on and because Opera doesn't
>support the Java script being used that browser is redirected to another
>page requesting they use either NS or IE. The same goes for WebTv users,
>that browser does not work correctly with the cgi scripts used for
>ordering.

Surely it must be possible for you to make the site useable even if
the javascript doesn't function? The only obvious use of javascript
on the front page seems to be for the rollovers, and it is easy to
code those so that with javascript disabled, the buttons can still be
used. Not only are you cutting out users with older browsers, WebTV
users, Opera users - you are also cutting out people who have 
javascript turned off for any other reason (sometimes it can be a 
corporate policy, sometimes just to cut down on the number of times
their PC freezes up while browsing!) By cutting out Opera, you're
turning away a large number of people who would use the site (Opera
being most used among web designers); they are also the people who
will be most insulted by the "demand" that they switch browsers. It's
rather like that terse "Your browser does not support frames. Please
upgrade to...." message that so many WYSIWYG editors throw in the
NOFRAMES section.

If you have CGI behind the ordering forms, it would be better to
move the form syntax checking to the CGI scripts, so that non-javascript
enabled users could use those too.

>What I would like to hear about:

1024 x 768 16 bit color, 19" monitor, 500 MHz Pentium, Win98, Netscape 4.7

>1) Over all look and ease of navigation?

Not too bad - I dislike the inconsistent fonts on the CGI scripts
sub-pages. Get rid of the <FONT> tags for the text in the boxes,
or use them everywhere, or use CSS to set the font. I realize this
may not be the case with you, but whenever I see a site with no
font face set for most of the text, and then suddenly some small
sections with a font face explicitly set, it sets off my "they
copied this part right off someone else's web site" warning lights...

Also, the change in font size on the Features page is unsettling and 
makes it hard to read.

FAQs does not have an apostophe (the page is not something belonging to FAQ)

Dark blue and black are not easy colors to have in the background. They
do not say "Hosting company" to me. The moon and skyline graphic makes
me feel like I'm about to see a horror movie....

The background and button colors in the navigation frame clash with the
colors used in the main frames. The blue texture has too much grey in it 
to mesh well with the true blue bgcolor. The buttons are a little
too "artsy" for a commercial web site IMHO. People coming to this site
aren't there to be wowed by the look, or the skills of the web designer.
They are there to find out if this company can give them the web hosting
they want. An easy-to-read navigation button that they'll see for a 
split second before selecting is more effective than "look, cool marble
feel!"

>2) Any Java Script errors on older browsers?

Didn't check.

>3) Approximate load time (I'm on Cable) ?

2 seconds on a T1.

>4) With larger screen resolutions are the navigation buttons still
>readable?

Why would screen resolution affect the readability of graphics? Your
buttons and text actually look overlarge to me on my setup.

>5) Any other comments, please feel free to be brutal

Probably brutal enough already :)
>
>The site was designed for 800X600 or higher resolution but should
>degrade well.

By reducing the number of columns in the textarea box on the CGI
Scripts page, you can make it work well for 640 x 480 too.

--Liz

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Liz Bartlett*http://www.khyri.com/            110 E. Wilshire Ave.#G-1
Idyll Mountain Internet*http://www.idyllmtn.com/   Fullerton, CA 92832
Virtual Dog Show Co-ordinator*http://www.dogshow.com/   (714) 526-5656
Tibetan Mastiff Web Site*http://www.tibetanmastiffs.com/

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