Re: Home Page Design

The first thing I said to him when he raised this was that I'd love to
do some usability testing, so he knows it's an option. Spending money
always causes problems round here though....

>>> Michael McKee <mikemckee(at)cablespeed.com> 09/12/02 04:02pm >>>

On Thursday, September 12, 2002, at 02:11  AM, Nigel Peck wrote:

> There is a difference of opinion between myself and my manager as to

> how
> our company website (focused on selling products and services)
should
> present the homepage.
>
> My opinion is that it is best to provide some example products and
> services with links direct to details of these on the homepage, to
give
> users a way in to the rest of the site (and hopefully to sell more
of
> the example content).
>
> From looking at popular sites like Amazon I seem to be correct.
>
> However, my manager believes that we should provide text giving an
> overview of everything the company does. Mu opinion of this is that
if
> users want that they will go to the about section (and that only a 
> small
> percentage want it, the rest want to get on with specific tasks).
>
> The homepage in question is at:
> http://www.itm-solutions.co.uk/ 
>
> My manager prefers this one:
> http://www.pcs-technical.com/ 
>
> Obviously there's some pride involved here (from me) as I've put a
lot
> of effort into the site, and the way it is designed (especially the
> homepage) so all opinions gratefully recieved. Please tell me if I'm
> wrong.
>
> Thanks
> Nigel
>
Interesting situation. Looking at both sites, it's a tough choice. They

both seem to do the job. IMO there's no "wrong" here. Also considering

how difficult it often is to sway a supervisor with just your own 
opinion, this might be a good time to pull off a quick usability test.

Would it be possible to pull in a few people without vested interest to

use the site and give feedback? Maybe you could agree with your 
supervisor on a couple of needs the site has and have these people test

how easy it is to find specific information. His choice would 
definitely benefit from some better contact information.

Just a couple of points on the wording of your design. In the middle 
column, middle section you end with: Optimisation for their Novell or 
Microsoft server(s). It may not be proper grammar but you may want to 
say your instead of their. It's a matter ownership. Also, the (s) isn't

a form that marketing people ever use. It's a geek (and I'm proud of 
it) thing. You could choose either the plural or singular form and it 
would work.

best wishes
michael
	http://www.michaelmckee.org 



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